Will Durham County Council pay for home care?

It may, once a needs assessment has established that support is required and a financial assessment has looked at income and capital. Anyone holding capital above the national upper threshold arranges and funds their own care, while those below it contribute an assessed amount from income. Funded support can be commissioned by the council or paid as a direct payment so that the person chooses their own agency. If the needs are principally health related, ask whether NHS continuing healthcare applies instead.

How do I arrange a care needs assessment in County Durham?

Contact adult social care at Durham County Council and explain what has become difficult at home. The assessment is free and cannot be refused on the grounds of savings, so there is no reason to delay asking. A practitioner will discuss daily tasks, risks and existing support, then record which needs meet the eligibility threshold. You should receive a written support plan setting out what is needed and how often.

How soon should we start looking for home care?

As soon as the difficulties become a pattern rather than an isolated bad week. The assessment, the financial checks and the agency's own introductory visit all take time, and a hospital discharge leaves very little room for comparison. Allowing a few weeks means you can meet more than one provider and confirm availability for the visit times actually needed. Where the situation is already urgent, make that clear at the first point of contact.

Which providers deliver home care in County Durham?

Sixty six registered agencies are listed here, from national names to small local services. Every profile shows the registered provider, the office address and the current regulatory position. Coverage across County Durham is uneven, so confirm that an agency genuinely staffs the relevant area before going further. Comparing a few profiles side by side is the fastest way to narrow the field.

What should I ask a home care agency before agreeing to visits?

Ask who will be attending, how many different carers to expect and whether the same team covers weekends. Check the minimum visit length, how arrival times are set and what the agency does when a carer is unwell. Ask about training for the particular conditions involved and how to reach someone out of hours. Confirm the hourly rate, what counts as an additional charge and the notice period on both sides.

What is the difference between a care home and a nursing home?

A care home provides accommodation together with personal care such as help with washing, dressing and meals. A nursing home does the same but has registered nurses on duty, so it can manage wounds, tube feeding and medical conditions that change quickly. Home care is different again, because the support travels to the person rather than the person moving. Many families use home care first and consider a residential option only when night time needs cannot safely be covered.

Home Care in County Durham

County Durham has 68 CQC registered home care agencies. 42 are rated Good, 3 Outstanding, 2 Requires improvement, 1 Inadequate, and 20 have not yet been rated. 35 of the 68 were last inspected more than three years ago.

Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.

County Durham at a glance

What the numbers say about home care in County Durham.

Hourly care visits, England: £25.00 to £34.90 an hour. Middle half of prices from 102 agencies.
People aged 75 and over: 58,300. Rising to 68,700 by 2035, up 18%
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 7,500. Rising to 9,300 by 2035, up 24%
People aged 85 and over: 14,200. Rising to 20,600 by 2035, up 44%
Dementia diagnosis rate: 71%. The NHS ambition is 67%.
Agencies in County Durham, last 12 months: 3 opened, 4 closed

Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.

Planning and paying for home care in County Durham

Paid support at home usually begins with a fairly ordinary problem. Mornings have become difficult, medication is being missed, or a family member covering the gap can no longer keep it up alongside work. Whoever eventually delivers the visits, the route into funded support follows the same two stages, and taking them in order avoids a great deal of backtracking.

The care needs assessment

Adult social care at Durham County Council must assess anyone who appears to need care and support, free of charge and regardless of savings. A practitioner will go through washing, dressing, meals, medication, continence, mobility and the risks involved in leaving any of it unmet, along with what family are already doing. The result is a written record of eligible needs and a support plan describing how many visits are needed, when, and for what purpose. Anyone providing unpaid care can request a carer's assessment at the same time, which is frequently overlooked.

What it costs and who pays

Money is looked at separately in a financial assessment covering capital and income against nationally set thresholds. Above the upper limit a person arranges and pays for their own care; below it the council contributes and the person pays an assessed amount, with an allowance protected for living costs. Funded support can be taken as a service the council commissions or as a direct payment, which lets someone choose their own agency and shape the visits around their routine. Agency rates are quoted by the hour and move with the time of day, weekend and bank holiday cover and the length of each call, so compare like for like. Where needs are mainly clinical rather than social, ask whether NHS continuing healthcare should be considered.

Choosing an agency in County Durham and what to check

With sixty six providers listed, the aim is a shortlist of three or four that can actually staff the pattern of visits required, not a survey of the whole market.

Reading the regulator's findings

Forty two of these agencies are rated Good and three are rated Outstanding, so there is real choice among well regarded providers. Two carry Requires Improvement and one has been rated Inadequate, and those reports should be read closely before any of them is approached. Eighteen agencies are yet to be rated, so ask how long the service has operated and who the registered manager is. Always check the date of the inspection, because home care agencies can change character quickly when management changes.

The questions that actually distinguish agencies

Ask how many different carers a person typically sees in a fortnight, since continuity matters more day to day than anything in a brochure. Establish the shortest visit the agency accepts, how arrival times are agreed and what happens when a carer is off sick. Check what training staff receive for specific conditions such as dementia, stroke recovery or catheter care, and who answers the telephone outside office hours. Finally, ask how often the care plan is reviewed and what notice either side must give if the arrangement is not working.

68 home care in County Durham (showing 1–50)

Blue Mile Care · Bishop Auckland, County Durham · CQC Good
Deaconstar · Bishop Auckland, County Durham · CQC Good
The Oaklea Trust (Durham & Northumberland) · Consett, County Durham
Yeshua Healthcare · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Tender Glove Healthcare · Wingate, County Durham
Care and Protect UK · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Almond Flex Care · Durham, County Durham
Portland Domiciliary Service · Crook, County Durham · CQC Requires improvement
BMS Care Providers Durham · Consett, County Durham
Medsolve (UK) · Chester Le Street, County Durham · CQC Good
Easton Care · Chester Le Street, County Durham
New Vision Care Services · Chester Le Street, County Durham · CQC Good
Home Instead · Durham, County Durham · CQC Outstanding
Care and Reablement Solutions · Seaham, County Durham
Accept Care · Stanley, County Durham · CQC Good
RCS Domiciliary Agency · Bishop Auckland, County Durham · CQC Good
The Care and Support Group · Stanley, County Durham · CQC Good
Elite Home Care Service · Peterlee, County Durham · CQC Good
Blossom Home Care Durham · Newton Aycliffe, County Durham · CQC Good
Tailored Family Support · Consett, County Durham
Eboney Home Care · Consett, County Durham · CQC Good
Middleton Care · Barnard Castle, County Durham · CQC Requires improvement
Embracing Care · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Dale Care · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Case Management CHC · Durham, County Durham
COMFYCARE VILLAS · Peterlee, County Durham
Quality + Care Solutions · Peterlee, County Durham
Human Support Group - Durham · Peterlee, County Durham · CQC Good
Highlea Care · Shildon, County Durham
AVE Integrated Health Care · Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
Eland Supported Living · Durham, County Durham
Village Care - 3c Wesley Place · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Supportive SRC · Ferryhill, County Durham · CQC Good
Office NE · Chester Le Street, County Durham · CQC Good
Perfect Care - Durham Home Care · Spennymoor, County Durham · CQC Good
Crescent Homecare · Durham, County Durham · CQC Outstanding
Even Care - Durham · Spennymoor, County Durham
CEL Homecare North East · Consett, County Durham · CQC Good
Office · Bishop Auckland, County Durham
Beechfield Care & Support · Newton Aycliffe, County Durham · CQC Good
Positive Care and Support · Bishop Auckland, County Durham · CQC Good
TLC Community Services · Chester Le Street, County Durham · CQC Good
Extra Care · Spennymoor, County Durham · CQC Good
Human Support Group - Appleton Lodge · Spennymoor, County Durham · CQC Good
Butterwick Hospice · Bishop Auckland, County Durham · CQC Inadequate
Potens Dipton Supported Living and Outreach · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Kelly Park · Consett, County Durham · CQC Good
Infinite Homecare · Consett, County Durham · CQC Good
Second to None Care · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Adada Care Services (Durham) · Wingate, County Durham

What home care costs

Type of care	What it costs
Hourly care visits, England Middle half of prices from 102 agencies. Median £31.00. Shown for England because too few County Durham agencies publish a rate.	£25.00 to £34.90 an hour
What County Durham pays Average hourly rate, October 2026.	£22.83 an hour
Homecare Association minimum price 2026 to 2027. The Association's estimate of the lowest price that covers the cost of delivering care. It is not a legal minimum.	£34.42 an hour
Live in care, England Middle half of prices from 62 agencies. Median £1,455.	£1,250 to £1,668 a week

Published prices come from agencies that publish rates, so treat them as a guide. Ask the agency for its own price. Powered by Orrery Intelligence.

Inspected most recently

Medsolve (UK) Limited, 4 February 2026, Good
TLC Community Services Limited, 30 January 2026, Good
Highlea Care Limited, 15 January 2026, Not yet rated

Longest since a report

Home Instead Durham, 2 May 2018, Outstanding
Portland Domiciliary Service, 3 August 2018, Requires improvement
Crescent Homecare Limited, 5 September 2018, Outstanding

Frequently asked questions about home care in County Durham

How many home care agencies are there in County Durham?

County Durham has 68 CQC registered home care agencies: 3 Outstanding, 42 Good, 2 Requires improvement, 1 Inadequate, 20 not yet rated. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.

How much does home care cost in County Durham?

Hourly care visits, England: £25.00 to £34.90 an hour. Middle half of prices from 102 agencies. Median £31.00. Shown for England because too few County Durham agencies publish a rate. Published prices come from agencies that publish rates, so treat them as a guide. Ask the agency for its own price.

Which home care agencies in County Durham were inspected most recently?

Medsolve (UK) Limited (4 February 2026), TLC Community Services Limited (30 January 2026) and Highlea Care Limited (15 January 2026) have the most recent CQC reports.

Local care news in County Durham

New 48 bed care home registered with CQC in County Durham: Willowdene Care Home (5 November 2026)

More local care news for County Durham