The short answer
- Sort the practical things firstDecide how the carer gets in, where they can take a break, and write down the routines and contacts they will need.
- What you prepare changes with the kind of careAn hourly visit needs a key and a written routine. Live-in care needs a private room and a plan for meals and money, agreed in writing.
- Introduce them before the first visitA short call or video chat before day one helps your relative and the carer meet each other calmly, rather than for the first time on the doorstep.
- Keep talking after care startsA short weekly or monthly check-in catches small problems before they grow, and the plan can change as needs do.
PrimeCarers is an introductory service, not a care agency, and does not provide or manage the care itself. Carers are self-employed, and you agree the visit times, tasks and any expenses directly with the carer you choose.
Before you agree a start date
What to sort out before a carer's first visit
A carer works better in a home that is ready for them, and your relative feels steadier when little changes suddenly on the first day. None of this needs to be perfect. It just needs deciding before the carer arrives rather than worked out on the doorstep.
Before the first visit
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Around the house
Getting them in
What to hand over
If you found the carer through PrimeCarers, their identity, right to work and enhanced DBS check are already confirmed before their profile appears, and they have completed an online interview, so checking ID on the doorstep is a reassurance rather than the only safeguard standing between you and a stranger. What each background check covers sets out what is confirmed and what is still worth asking about yourself, such as training and experience with a specific condition.
Different kinds of care
What changes if the carer is coming for an hour, a night, or to live in
The basics above apply to every arrangement. What you add on top depends on how long the carer is in your home.
Hourly visits
An hour or more, once or several times a day
Getting them in
A key, a code for a lockbox or a smart lock, or someone home to answer the door.
What to hand over
A short written note of that visit’s tasks and anything that has changed since the last one.
Meeting first
A phone or video call before the first visit, so nobody is meeting a stranger on the doorstep.
Overnight care
One night or several, sleeping or waking
Somewhere to rest
A bed or sofa in a private area for a sleeping night, or a comfortable chair and good lighting for a waking one.
Food, drink and a bathroom
Tea, coffee and something to eat kept where the carer knows to find it, and access to a bathroom.
What counts as an emergency
Written instructions for the two or three things that would need you woken, or a carer to act without waiting.
Live-in care
The carer’s main home for as long as the arrangement lasts
A private room
A bedroom of their own, not a shared or communal sleeping space, with a bed, storage and a door that closes.
Bathroom and laundry
Sharing the family bathroom is fine, a private one is a nice-to-have rather than a requirement. Give access to laundry facilities and keep basic toiletries stocked.
Meals and money
Agree in writing whether you provide meals, a food budget, or leave the carer to shop and cook for themselves.
Wifi, transport and time off
Internet access, a way to get to the shops or a pharmacy, and clarity about when the carer’s time is their own.
An hourly carer needs little beyond a way in and a clear routine. Overnight care adds somewhere for the carer to rest and something to eat, whether they are sleeping through the night or staying awake. Live-in care is the biggest step, because the carer's main home becomes yours for as long as the arrangement lasts, and it deserves the most planning: a private room of their own rather than a shared or communal sleeping space, and a written agreement on meals, money and time off before they move in.
Meals and shopping money are worth agreeing in writing rather than assuming. Some families provide meals, some agree a food budget, and some leave the carer to shop and cook independently; whichever you choose, say so before the first day rather than working it out once the carer has arrived. If the carer will be doing the shopping, decide together whether that means an online delivery, a local shop, or both, so nobody is guessing on the first week.
Under the PrimeCarers contract, a carer's mileage or fuel costs for errands are only payable if you agree a rate with them in advance and in writing; there is no automatic charge. If you do agree it, the current HMRC guideline rate for using a personal car is 55p a mile. The same applies to any other out-of-pocket expense: it is only reimbursed if you have agreed it beforehand and the carer can show you a receipt.
If you are still deciding between visits and someone living in, how live-in care works explains what is different day to day, and how many visits a week does my parent need shows the point at which live-in care usually costs about the same as visits. If the carer will be looking after two people in the same household, will carers look after couples? covers how that arrangement usually works.
The first meeting
Introducing the carer and your relative before day one
A short conversation before the first visit does more to settle everyone in than any amount of paperwork.
- 1
Have a call or video chat first
Before the first visitA phone call or a video call lets your relative hear the carer's voice and ask their own questions, rather than meeting a stranger on the doorstep for the first time. - 2
Share the routine in writing
A day or two beforeSend over meal times, medication and any specific tasks in advance, so the carer arrives knowing what the visit involves rather than working it out as they go. - 3
Confirm how they get in, and check ID on arrival
The first visitUse the entry method you agreed, and ask to see photo ID if this is the first time you are meeting the carer in person. - 4
Let your relative stay involved
OngoingKeep personal items like photographs and books within easy reach, and let your relative have a say in small decisions about the routine. Familiarity does more for how settled they feel than a tidy room does.
After care starts
Keeping the arrangement working once care has started
The first few weeks tell you more about whether an arrangement is working than any amount of planning beforehand. A little structure keeps a small problem from becoming a reason to start again with someone new.
What helps
- A short written care plan the carer can add to, so nothing important is left to memory
- A weekly or monthly check-in, even five minutes, to hear what is working and what is not
- Emergency contacts and any medical conditions kept somewhere the carer can find quickly
- Clear instructions for anything unusual in the home, such as an alarm code or a boiler that needs a particular touch
What tends to cause friction
- Leaving the routine to be worked out from scratch on the first visit
- Assuming a problem will sort itself out without being mentioned to the carer
- Changing the schedule without telling the carer in advance
- Treating the checks done before the first visit as the only thing you need to know about how the arrangement is going
If something is not working, steps to take when problems arise covers what to do next, and building a care plan with your carer has a starting template for putting the routine in writing together rather than leaving it to memory on either side.
From here to the first visit
From this page to a carer who has started
Four steps, and the first two do not commit you to anything.
- 1
Search carers near you
FreeEvery profile shows a carer's rate, experience and reviews, alongside confirmation that their identity, right to work and enhanced DBS have already been checked and their online interview completed. - 2
Message two or three, and arrange a call
This weekA short conversation before you decide tells you more than a profile can, and gives your relative a chance to hear the carer's voice first. - 3
Agree the practical things at the same time
Before the first visitHow they get in, the routine, emergency contacts, and, for overnight or live-in care, where they will rest and what happens about meals. - 4
Book the first visit, then adjust
Week 1Start with what you have agreed, and change the routine as you both learn what works. You agree changes directly with your carer, and if you ever need to end the arrangement, notice is 48 hours for hourly care or 7 days for live-in care once 168 hours have been worked.
Questions
Questions families ask about getting ready for a carer
A spare key, a code for a key safe or smart lock, or having someone home to let them in are the usual options. Decide which one before the first visit and agree it with the carer directly, so nobody is standing on the doorstep working it out on the day.
Their identity, right to work and enhanced DBS check are confirmed before their profile ever appears, and they have completed an online interview, so a doorstep ID check is a reassurance rather than the only safeguard in place. Many families ask to see photo ID on the first visit anyway, and there is no harm in it. Background checks on a private carer sets out what each check covers.
The routine your relative follows: meal times, medication, and anything they need help with. Add emergency contacts, any household rules that matter to you, and how the carer will get in. Writing it down, even briefly, works better than explaining it all on the doorstep as the carer arrives.
There is no single rule. Some families provide meals, some agree a food budget, and some leave the carer to shop and cook independently. Whichever you choose, agree it in writing with the carer before they move in, along with anything else about money, such as mileage for errands, which is only payable if you agree a rate together in advance and in writing.
Yes. A live-in carer should have a private room of their own, not a shared or communal sleeping space, with a bed, somewhere to store their belongings, and a door that closes. It is part of what makes live-in care workable for the carer over weeks or months, not only a courtesy. A private bathroom is a nice-to-have rather than a requirement, and sharing the family bathroom is fine as long as the carer has access to laundry facilities and basic toiletries are kept stocked.
Give it a little time and say something specific rather than ending the arrangement straight away; a short conversation about what is not working often solves more than starting again with someone new. Building a good relationship with your private carer covers what usually helps in the first few weeks, and steps to take when problems arise covers what to do if it does not improve.
Yes, whenever you need to. You agree the visit times and tasks directly with your carer, so adding a task or changing a mealtime is a conversation, not a new contract. Ending the arrangement altogether needs notice under the PrimeCarers contract, currently 48 hours for hourly care and 7 days for live-in care once 168 hours have been worked, but adjusting what happens during a visit does not.
The preparation on this page is the same either way, but employing a carer directly makes you their employer, which booking a self-employed carer through PrimeCarers otherwise avoids. You take on duties such as checking their right to work yourself and buying employer's liability insurance, neither of which applies when you find a carer through PrimeCarers, since there is no employment relationship. Can I employ a private carer? explains the difference, and employing a private carer sets out the duties in full.