Which home care agencies in Hertfordshire are listed on Care Assura?

Care Assura lists three hundred and twenty seven home care agencies covering Hertfordshire, all of them registered with the Care Quality Commission. They range from national names such as Home Instead Senior Care and Bluebird Care to smaller independent providers like Kindherts Care and Wholehearted Home Care. Each profile shows the current CQC rating where one has been awarded, along with the details you need to make contact. Filtering the list by the area you need helps narrow it to agencies that genuinely cover your address.

What should I ask a home care agency in Hertfordshire before signing up?

Ask how many different carers are likely to attend and whether the same small team will be kept for your relative. Check the agency's policy on late or missed calls, how it lets you know when a regular carer is unavailable, and who answers the telephone outside office hours. Ask to see a sample care plan and find out how often plans are reviewed as needs change. Finally, request a written schedule of charges covering weekends, bank holidays and any minimum visit length.

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

A residential care home provides accommodation with personal care, so staff help with washing, dressing, meals and medication in a communal setting. A nursing home offers the same personal care but also has registered nurses on duty, which allows it to meet needs such as complex wound care, tube feeding or unstable long term conditions. Both are alternatives to home care, where support is delivered in the person's own house instead. Many families in Hertfordshire begin with home care and only consider a move when needs can no longer be met safely at home.

Can Hertfordshire County Council help pay for home care?

Yes, where a care needs assessment finds that a person has eligible needs, Hertfordshire County Council will carry out a financial assessment of income and capital. The outcome may be care funded in full, care funded in part with a personal contribution, or a decision that the person pays privately. Those who qualify for funded support can request a direct payment and use it to commission their own agency. Asking for the assessment costs nothing and does not oblige you to accept any particular provider.

How do I arrange a care needs assessment in Hertfordshire?

Contact the adult social care team at Hertfordshire County Council and explain the difficulties your relative is having at home. The assessment is free and open to anyone who appears to need care and support, regardless of savings or income. A practitioner will talk through daily tasks, safety and wellbeing, either at home or by telephone, and produce a written record of eligible needs. If you look after someone yourself, ask for a carer's assessment at the same time.

How far in advance should I start looking for home care in Hertfordshire?

Start as soon as you notice that daily tasks are becoming unmanageable rather than waiting for a crisis. Agencies with strong reputations often have limited capacity in particular areas, and arranging an assessment, comparing providers and agreeing a care plan can take several weeks. Hospital discharge adds pressure to that timetable, so having a shortlist ready is valuable even if you do not use it immediately. Reading CQC inspection reports takes time and is far easier done calmly than under deadline.

Home Care in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire has 329 CQC registered home care agencies. 153 are rated Good, 11 Outstanding, 24 Requires improvement, and 141 have not yet been rated. 165 of the 329 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Hertfordshire at a glance

What the numbers say about home care in Hertfordshire.

Hourly care visits, East of England: £26.00 to £34.30 an hour. Middle half of prices from 15 agencies.
People aged 75 and over: 113,100. Rising to 131,400 by 2035, up 16%
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 15,100. Rising to 18,600 by 2035, up 23%
People aged 85 and over: 32,700. Rising to 46,100 by 2035, up 41%
Dementia diagnosis rate: 64%. The NHS ambition is 67%.
Agencies in Hertfordshire, last 12 months: 8 opened, 15 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.

What home care in Hertfordshire involves and what to look for

Home care is support delivered in a person's own house or flat, built around the parts of the day that have become hard to manage alone. A package often starts with a single morning visit to help someone wash and dress, then grows as needs change, adding medication prompts, meal preparation, shopping or a sitting service that gives a family carer a break. Because the support comes to the person rather than the other way round, familiar routines, neighbours and pets all stay in place, which is why so many families in Hertfordshire try this route before considering a move.

Matching the package to the person

Before you contact anyone, write down what an ordinary day actually looks like and where it breaks down. Agencies differ in what they will take on: some concentrate on short personal care calls, others provide longer visits, overnight cover or live in arrangements, and a number specialise in dementia support or in helping someone home after a hospital stay. Ask directly whether an agency covers the specific postcode, because a Hertfordshire wide listing does not always mean every village is served.

Using the CQC rating properly

All three hundred and twenty seven agencies listed here are registered with the Care Quality Commission, and the ratings across Hertfordshire include Outstanding, Good and Requires Improvement, alongside agencies that are newly registered and not yet rated. A headline rating is a starting point rather than a verdict. The report underneath tells you whether calls arrived on time, how medicines were handled and what staff turnover looked like, and a Requires Improvement rating with a clear action plan can sit alongside a well run service that has since changed hands. An agency with no rating yet simply has not been inspected, so ask how long it has been operating and who leads it.

Questions worth asking every agency

Find out how many different carers will attend, whether you will be told in advance if a regular carer is away, and what happens if a call is going to be late. Ask how care plans are reviewed, how complaints are handled and how the office is contacted at the weekend. The answers reveal more about daily reliability than any brochure.

Arranging an assessment and paying for home care in Hertfordshire

The care needs assessment

Anyone who appears to need support can ask for a free care needs assessment, whatever their savings. A social care practitioner from Hertfordshire County Council will discuss washing, dressing, eating, moving safely around the home and staying connected to other people, then set out the level of support that would meet those needs. A family carer is entitled to a separate carer's assessment in their own right. It is worth requesting both early, since the resulting document is useful even when you intend to arrange and pay for care privately.

Funding and cost

Where needs are eligible, a financial assessment follows and looks at income and capital. Depending on the outcome, care may be funded in full, funded in part with a contribution from the person receiving it, or paid for privately, and those who qualify can take the money as a direct payment and choose their own agency rather than accept one arranged for them. Privately funded home care is normally charged by the hour, with higher rates at weekends, on bank holidays and for shorter calls, so ask each agency for a written schedule of charges, notice periods and any minimum visit length before you commit.

329 home care in Hertfordshire (showing 1–50)

Blueberry Hill Care · Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Caremark Three Rivers · Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Kindherts Care · Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
At Home Care · Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire · CQC Requires improvement
St Michaels Support & Care · Potters Bar, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Joy Caring Services · Stevenage, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Malakiun Care · Watford, Hertfordshire
Drama Room · Watford, Hertfordshire · CQC Requires improvement
Daisy Chain Care Team · Hitchin, Hertfordshire · CQC Requires improvement
YourLife · St Albans, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Ency Care · Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Stewardhealthcare247professionals · Baldock, Hertfordshire
Jadecare · Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Elixonn Healthcare · Stevenage, Hertfordshire
ACN Home Care Service · Watford, Hertfordshire
Ovex Care · Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
Stevenage · Stevenage, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Synergycare · Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
Caremark (Hatfield &Welwyn) · St. Albans, Hertfordshire · CQC Requires improvement
Trellis Care · Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Fortis Care · Stevenage, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Nash Homecare · Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Accedo Herts South · Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire · CQC Requires improvement
Realm Staffing Solutions · St. Albans, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Three Rivers Homecare · Watford, Hertfordshire
Homecare Living · Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
Bridgewater Home care · Watford, Hertfordshire
Devoted Home Care Services · Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Myrtle Care Providers · Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
A2Z Home Care Services · Watford, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Caremark East and Broxbourne · Ware, Hertfordshire · CQC Outstanding
Bluebird Care (East) · Hertford, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Oaktree Homecare Services · Borehamwood, Hertfordshire · CQC Requires improvement
Your Life · Hitchin, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Enable Healthcare Solutions · Hertford, Hertfordshire
Taks Healthcare Services · Stevenage, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Abundant Care Solutions · Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
Shakhera · Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
Holistic Healthcare · Potters Bar, Hertfordshire
Scope Care Services · Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Bluebird Care (Welwyn &) · Hatfield, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
The Marlowes · Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
FAST24 · Watford, Hertfordshire
Subtle Healthcare · Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Serve Homecare · Stevenage, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Helping Hands · Watford, Hertfordshire · CQC Good
Ethica Care & St Albans · Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire · CQC Requires improvement
Rainbow Home Care Services · Watford, Hertfordshire
Sufficient Social Care · Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Home Instead Senior Care · St Albans, Hertfordshire · CQC Outstanding

What home care costs

Type of care	What it costs
Hourly care visits, East of England Middle half of prices from 15 agencies. Median £31.88. Shown for East of England because too few Hertfordshire agencies publish a rate.	£26.00 to £34.30 an hour
What Hertfordshire pays Average hourly rate, October 2026.	£31.82 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

Blueberry Hill Care Limited, 26 August 2026, Good
Medow Care Services Limited, 13 August 2026, Good
Iris Care Services Limited, 6 August 2026, Good

Longest since a report

Ruby Grange Homecare Limited, 12 January 2018, Good
R4R Home Care Services Ltd/Watford, 23 February 2018, Good
La Belle Care Ltd, 15 March 2018, Good

Frequently asked questions about home care in Hertfordshire

How many home care agencies are there in Hertfordshire?

Hertfordshire has 329 CQC registered home care agencies: 11 Outstanding, 153 Good, 24 Requires improvement, 141 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 Hertfordshire?

Hourly care visits, East of England: £26.00 to £34.30 an hour. Middle half of prices from 15 agencies. Median £31.88. Shown for East of England because too few Hertfordshire 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 Hertfordshire were inspected most recently?

Blueberry Hill Care Limited (26 August 2026), Medow Care Services Limited (13 August 2026) and Iris Care Services Limited (6 August 2026) have the most recent CQC reports.

Local care news in Hertfordshire

CQC register adds a new care home in North Hertfordshire: Monread Lodge (5 November 2026)

More local care news for Hertfordshire