The short answer
- It is normal to start by caring for them yourselfMost families do, and there is no fixed point at which that stops being right. Watching for the signs it is wearing you down matters more than following a rule.
- The three paid routes trade choice against coverAn agency finds a replacement carer for you but sends whoever is free. An independent carer or an introductory service lets you choose who comes, but arranging cover when they are away is yours.
- Carer's Allowance can pay you for the hours you already give£86.45 a week if you care for 35 hours a week or more and your relative already gets a qualifying disability benefit. It does not stop you paying someone else for the rest.
- Whichever route, ask about the same four checksIdentity, right to work, an enhanced DBS check and some form of interview. An agency and an introductory service do these before you meet anyone; hiring independently, they are yours to ask for.
Figures are what families pay on PrimeCarers, £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included, and what the other routes cost for comparison. Prices are September 2026.
Caring for them yourself
Why most families start here, and what it costs you
Doing the caring yourself costs nothing in cash, and nobody new comes into a house your relative has not chosen. It is a reasonable place to start, and it is where most families do start.
If you are giving 35 hours a week or more to someone who already gets a qualifying disability benefit, such as Attendance Allowance or the daily living part of Personal Independence Payment, you can likely claim Carer's Allowance: £86.45 a week, paid to you rather than to them. Carer's Allowance explained covers who qualifies, the earnings limit and how to claim. If your relative has not claimed a qualifying benefit yet, their claim usually needs to be in payment before yours can start, and Attendance Allowance: who qualifies and how to claim covers that side of it.
Support worth knowing about before you start
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Free to ask for
None of this changes what the caring itself asks of you day to day. Lifting, washing, broken sleep and watching for a fall or a bad turn add up, even when you would not hand it all over. What is a carer's assessment? explains how to ask the council to look at what you need, and respite care covers how a planned break is arranged.
Signs it is time
Signs it might be time to bring someone in
The change is usually gradual, which is exactly why it is easy to miss from inside it. Tick anything that has been true in the last month, for either of you.
Has any of this been true recently?
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What the day is asking of you
What your relative has told you or shown you
What is happening to the rest of your life
Two or three ticks in any of these groups is usually reason enough to bring someone in, and it does not have to be all or nothing. A single lunch visit a week while you keep the rest is a normal starting point, and how many visits a week does my parent need? walks through working out the right number of hours once you have decided to add some.
The four paths compared
The four ways to arrange care, and what each one asks of you
Once you decide some of the caring should be paid, three routes bring someone in from outside. Each one trades your choice of carer against how much of the arranging is done for you.
Caring for them yourself
No cash cost
What it gains you
Nobody new comes into the house, and you already know what your relative needs and how they like things done.
What is still yours to carry
It is on top of your own job and family, with no let-up unless someone else is arranged to share it.
An independent carer you find and hire yourself
£16 to £18 an hour
What it gains you
You choose exactly who comes, and more of what you pay reaches the carer rather than an employer.
What is still yours to carry
The checking, the contract, the pay and finding cover when they are away or ill are all yours to arrange.
A care agency
£28 to £35 an hour
What it gains you
The agency employs, trains and insures its carers, and finds a replacement itself if one is off sick.
What is still yours to carry
Little say over who is sent, and the person who visits often changes from one day to the next.
An introductory service like PrimeCarers
£18 to £25 an hour
What it gains you
You choose the carer from checked profiles near you: identity, right to work, an enhanced DBS check and an online interview are all done before you see them.
What is still yours to carry
The carer is self-employed, so cover for illness or holiday is agreed directly with them, the same as hiring independently.
No route gives you choice of carer, cover when they are away and nothing left to arrange, all at once. An agency solves cover by employing its own carers and sending whoever is free, the right answer when needs are clinical and change from week to week. An independent carer or an introductory service gives you the person you have chosen, at the cost of arranging cover yourself. The three routes compared sets out the numbers in full, and how to find a private carer covers where to look and the checks to make before anyone starts.
How an introductory service works
What an introductory service like PrimeCarers covers, and what it does not
PrimeCarers is an introductory service, not a care agency, and it is not registered with the CQC. It does not employ carers, manage their care plans or supervise a visit once it is booked. What it does is narrower than that, and worth being precise about.
Search carers near you
Message and choose
Book and pay online
Getting started
From this page to the first visit
Four steps, whichever route you choose, and the first two do not commit you to anything.
- 1
Write down what a day currently takes
FreeThe tasks, the times and how long each one takes. This is what you hand over to a carer, however much or little you decide to hand over. - 2
Decide how much to hand over
This weekA single lunch visit, the mornings, or the whole day. You do not have to choose all at once, and most families start smaller than they expect to. - 3
Look at carers near you
FreeSearch by postcode and read rates, experience and reviews before you message anyone. Every profile shows a carer who has already had the checks above. - 4
Meet two or three, then book the first visit
Week 1Most families decide after a phone call or a meeting rather than from a profile alone. Start with the part you are sure of and add to it once you see how it goes.
Questions
Questions families ask about finding a carer
There is no fixed point at which one becomes right and the other wrong. Many families do some of both for years, adding a visit or two a week rather than handing everything over at once. If what you need first is a rest rather than a permanent change, respite care covers arranging a planned break.
Carers on PrimeCarers charge £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included. Care agencies charge £28 to £35 for the same visit, because they employ their carers and carry the overheads of doing so. Finding and checking someone entirely yourself is cheaper again, at around £16 to £18 an hour. The full cost breakdown covers nights and live-in care too.
An agency employs its carers, trains them, and sends whoever is on the rota, so you have little say over who comes but the agency arranges cover if someone is off sick. An independent carer, whether you find them yourself or through an introductory service such as PrimeCarers, is self-employed: you choose exactly who comes, and cover for illness or holiday is agreed directly between you. The three routes compared sets out the full trade-off.
Yes, as long as you are still doing 35 hours a week or more of caring yourself and your relative already gets a qualifying benefit. Paying a carer for the rest of the week is not your own income, so it does not count towards the earnings limit that can stop your claim. Carer's Allowance explained covers the earnings limit in full.
An identity check against photo ID, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS check, and some form of interview or meeting. An agency and an introductory service complete these before you ever meet a carer. Hiring someone independently, none of this happens automatically, and you cannot request a DBS check on them yourself; they apply for it and you check the certificate. What each check covers goes through all four in detail.
Not on PrimeCarers. The minimum booking is a single one-hour visit, so you can try a carer for a morning before agreeing to anything regular, and there is no package to sign up to. See how pricing works for the full detail on how visits are charged.
Through an introductory service, most families message carers on the first evening, speak to two or three within a few days, and have a first visit within a week or two. Advertising the job yourself and checking replies usually takes longer, closer to two to four weeks. Search carers near you to see who is available in your area now.
Keep looking. If a carer is not suiting your relative, you can end the arrangement on the notice set out in the contract: 48 hours for hourly care, or 7 days for live-in care once the carer has worked 168 hours. Visits already booked within that notice period are still payable, so it is worth deciding early rather than after several weeks of visits. What to look for at interview covers what to watch for before you decide to continue with someone.