The short answer
- The search and the checks are the same for everyoneEvery carer on PrimeCarers has had their identity, right to work and enhanced DBS checked, and an online interview, whoever the patient is.
- Write down who is told, before the first visitA short list of named people, and how each of them prefers to hear from the carer, settles the question instead of leaving it to chance.
- The standard contract already includes a confidentiality clauseEvery carer agrees not to disclose what they learn about a client or patient, with narrow exceptions for the law, an emergency, or a substitute carer.
- Ask about it directly when you interview a carerNothing on a profile marks this kind of experience out, so raise it yourself in your first message and again at interview.
PrimeCarers is an introductory service, not a care agency and not registered with the CQC. Carers are self-employed; PrimeCarers does not provide, deliver or manage the care itself.
What changes
What changes when the person you are arranging care for is well known
Finding a carer, checking who they are and agreeing a price works the same whether or not anyone outside your family will ever hear about it. What is different is a layer around information: deciding who else finds out that your relative needs help, and who does not.
| Any family arranging care | When discretion matters too | |
|---|---|---|
| Finding a carer | Search by postcode and message the profiles that look right | The same search. Nothing on a profile flags this, so say so yourself in your first message |
| The checks before you meet them | Identity, right to work, an enhanced DBS check and an online interview, done before a profile appears | The same four checks, unaffected by who the patient is |
| What the carer needs to know | A care plan: routines, medication, what a good day looks like | The same care plan. Discretion is about who else sees it, not about telling the carer less |
| Who else finds out | Rarely written down, because it rarely needs to be | Worth agreeing in writing: named family, perhaps a GP, and nobody else unless you say so |
| What a carer can say about the work afterwards | Covered by the confidentiality clause in the standard contract | The same clause. Anything beyond it, such as no photographs, is a separate written agreement between you and the carer |
Finding a carer
- Any family arranging care
- Search by postcode and message the profiles that look right
- When discretion matters too
- The same search. Nothing on a profile flags this, so say so yourself in your first message
The checks before you meet them
- Any family arranging care
- Identity, right to work, an enhanced DBS check and an online interview, done before a profile appears
- When discretion matters too
- The same four checks, unaffected by who the patient is
What the carer needs to know
- Any family arranging care
- A care plan: routines, medication, what a good day looks like
- When discretion matters too
- The same care plan. Discretion is about who else sees it, not about telling the carer less
Who else finds out
- Any family arranging care
- Rarely written down, because it rarely needs to be
- When discretion matters too
- Worth agreeing in writing: named family, perhaps a GP, and nobody else unless you say so
What a carer can say about the work afterwards
- Any family arranging care
- Covered by the confidentiality clause in the standard contract
- When discretion matters too
- The same clause. Anything beyond it, such as no photographs, is a separate written agreement between you and the carer
Who is told
Deciding who is told, and what they are told
A carer needs the same information about a patient whoever that patient is: what has happened, what the medication is, what a good day and a bad day each look like. The decision that is different here is who else is allowed to know any of it, and it works better written down than assumed.
Your family and the person receiving care
Everything: the diagnosis, the mood, what is worrying you.
A GP or another named professional
Only what you decide to pass on, and only if you have named them as someone the carer can update.
The carer
What the visit needs: the care plan, medication times, what happened that day. Bound by the confidentiality clause in the standard PrimeCarers contract.
PrimeCarers
Booking and payment details, plus whatever care plan and medication detail you choose to enter on the platform to share with the carer. PrimeCarers does not review, verify or act on that content.
Everyone else
Nothing, unless you decide otherwise. Writing the list above down before the first visit is what makes that true in practice.
Start with a short, named list rather than a general instruction to "be discreet". Write down who is allowed to receive updates (a spouse, an adult child, perhaps a GP), how each of them prefers to hear it (a phone call rather than a message left on a screen someone else might see), and who is not on the list. Agree it with the carer before the first visit, and update it whenever it changes. This sits naturally alongside building a care plan with your carer, which covers the rest of what to write down before the first visit. If your relative has their own views on who should be told, involve them in writing the list wherever they are able to.
The confidentiality clause
What the standard contract already covers, and what to add yourselves
Every booking on PrimeCarers runs on the same contract between the client and the carer, and it already includes a confidentiality clause. Knowing what it covers tells you what still needs agreeing separately.
Confidentiality, checked against the standard contract
0 of 5 ticked
Already covered by the standard contract
Worth putting in writing yourselves
Choosing a carer
Finding a carer who has done this kind of work before
Searching and reading profiles works exactly as it does for any family. The difference is in what you ask once you are talking to someone, since nothing on a profile marks out this kind of experience.
Ask about it directly
In your first message
Ask what discretion means to them in practice
At interview
Read the references on their profile
Before you decide
Talk to more than one carer
This week
Discretion is one thing to screen for, not the only one. The usual questions still apply alongside it: has this carer looked after someone with your relative's condition before, does their personality suit your relative and your household, and can they cover the days and times you need. A carer who is careful about privacy but wrong on those points is still the wrong carer.
The four checks behind every profile, an identity check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS check and an online interview, are the same for every carer regardless of who books them. How we vet every carer sets out the process in full, background checks on a private carer covers exactly what each of the four checks does and does not tell you, and reviews from families is worth reading alongside a profile's own references before you decide. How to check a private carer walks through the whole process, checks and interview together, step by step.
How much you hand over
Choosing how much of the day-to-day PrimeCarers handles
Discretion is often easier to hold when fewer people are relaying messages back and forth between you, the carer, and anyone covering a gap. PrimeCarers offers three levels of support, and which one suits you is a separate decision from which carer you choose.
| Basic service | Managed service (+5%) | Fully managed (+10%, live-in only) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bookings | You book and message carers yourself | Handled for you by WhatsApp, email or phone | Handled for you |
| Scheduling and cover for time off | Arranged directly with your carer | Help with scheduling and holiday cover | Full scheduling and holiday cover arranged for you |
| Contact with the carer day to day | Direct, whenever you choose | PrimeCarers can message the carer on your behalf | Full liaison and briefing handled for you |
| If a live-in carer needs replacing | You search again yourself | A guaranteed replacement within 7 days, or 48 hours where applicable | The same guarantee, with more dedicated time on urgent searches |
Bookings
- Basic service
- You book and message carers yourself
- Managed service (+5%)
- Handled for you by WhatsApp, email or phone
- Fully managed (+10%, live-in only)
- Handled for you
Scheduling and cover for time off
- Basic service
- Arranged directly with your carer
- Managed service (+5%)
- Help with scheduling and holiday cover
- Fully managed (+10%, live-in only)
- Full scheduling and holiday cover arranged for you
Contact with the carer day to day
- Basic service
- Direct, whenever you choose
- Managed service (+5%)
- PrimeCarers can message the carer on your behalf
- Fully managed (+10%, live-in only)
- Full liaison and briefing handled for you
If a live-in carer needs replacing
- Basic service
- You search again yourself
- Managed service (+5%)
- A guaranteed replacement within 7 days, or 48 hours where applicable
- Fully managed (+10%, live-in only)
- The same guarantee, with more dedicated time on urgent searches
Every tier includes the same onboarding checks, contract and payment handling. Fees are a percentage added to what the carer charges. Full detail on the managed service page.
A family managing this from a distance, or through a personal assistant, often finds the fully managed tier reduces the number of people who need to know the details, since PrimeCarers handles scheduling and cover directly with the carer rather than relaying it back through you each time. Our managed service sets out all three tiers and what each covers.
Getting started
From here to a carer in place
Four steps, and the list in the second one is the part most families have not thought to write down before.
- 1
Write the information list
TodayWho is allowed to know your relative needs care, how each of them prefers to hear it, and who is not on the list. This becomes the working agreement the carer follows. - 2
Search and message carers
FreeSearch by postcode, read the profiles, and mention discretion directly in your first message rather than waiting to see if it comes up. - 3
Interview two or three
This weekAsk the specific questions above, read their references, and agree anything beyond the standard contract, such as photographs or what to say if approached, in writing. - 4
Book the first visit, and choose a service tier if it helps
Week 1Start on the basic service if you want to stay hands-on, or move to managed or fully managed if you would rather fewer people relayed messages on your behalf.
Questions
Questions families ask about privacy and discretion
PrimeCarers does not provide or become a party to a non-disclosure agreement. The standard contract between every client and carer already includes a confidentiality clause covering what the carer may not disclose. If you want something more specific in writing, such as a formal NDA, arrange it directly with the carer, ideally through your own solicitor.
Care plan and medication detail you choose to enter on the platform is held there so the carer, or carers, you give access to can see it. PrimeCarers does not review, verify or act on what is in it, and does not pass any of it on beyond the people you have chosen to share it with. The privacy policy sets out what is held and who it is shared with.
Yes. Agree a named list with the carer, including a GP if you want one included, and how each person prefers to be contacted. The carer is bound by the confidentiality clause not to share it more widely, with narrow exceptions for the law, an emergency, or continuity of care through a substitute.
The confidentiality clause already prevents a carer from disclosing what they know. It is still worth agreeing in advance what you would like them to say if asked, such as nothing at all, and who any approach should be referred to, so the carer has a clear answer ready rather than having to decide on the spot.
No. Carers on PrimeCarers set their own rate, typically £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included, whoever their client is. The managed and fully managed tiers add a percentage fee for extra admin and scheduling support, not for a premium carer.
Yes, at any time. It is a working agreement between you and the carer rather than a term fixed in the contract, so message them whenever the list needs to change.
No. Carer profiles are public; nothing about a client or a booking is. Only a carer you have messaged sees what you choose to tell them, and only after you have started the conversation.