How do I arrange a care needs assessment in Skipton?

Contact North Yorkshire Council and ask for an adult social care assessment, either for yourself or for someone else with their agreement. The assessment is free and is not means tested. A social care professional will look at what the person manages alone and where help would let them stay independent at home. If eligible needs are identified, the council records how they should be met and considers funding as a separate step.

Can North Yorkshire Council pay for home care in Skipton?

North Yorkshire Council can contribute towards the cost of home care where an assessment identifies eligible needs. A financial assessment then looks at income and capital and decides whether the council pays in full, pays part, or whether the support is funded privately. The value of the property someone lives in is not taken into account for care delivered at home. Even where no funding follows, the assessment sets out clearly what support is needed.

How does home care compare with moving into a care home?

Home care brings support to someone in their own house, arranged in visits that can be increased or reduced as needs change. A residential care home provides accommodation with staff available at all hours, and a nursing home adds registered nurses to that rota for needs requiring clinical attention. Support at home often works well until overnight help becomes necessary or the house itself stops being practical. A care needs assessment usually helps families judge when that point has arrived.

How far ahead should we start looking for home care in Skipton?

Allow several weeks where circumstances permit, since assessments, financial checks and an agency's own capacity all take time to line up. Starting early leaves room to trial a pattern of visits and adjust it before anyone becomes reliant on it. Where a hospital discharge sets the timetable, the pace is far quicker and the hospital team will usually arrange initial support. Reading the inspection reports in advance costs nothing and makes the eventual decision considerably easier.

What should I ask a home care agency in Skipton before agreeing to anything?

Ask how many carers will visit and whether the same faces return week after week, because continuity shapes the entire arrangement. Find out how the agency covers sickness and holidays, and what happens when a visit is going to be late. Ask how staff are trained and supervised, particularly on medicines and on moving someone safely. With every agency here holding the same rating, these answers are what will tell them apart.

Home Care in Skipton

Q: Which home care agencies cover Skipton?

Six providers registered with the Care Quality Commission currently match a search for home care in Skipton. They are Daisies Care Consultants, On The Spot Homecare Service, Avalon Skipton Services, Just Ask Care and Support Community Interest Company, Dales Community Care Limited and Craven Intermediate Care service. All six hold a rating of Good from their most recent inspection. Each profile links through to the full inspection detail.

Skipton has 6 CQC registered home care agencies. 6 are rated Good. 5 of the 6 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Skipton at a glance

What the local numbers say about home care in Skipton, to help you judge the options below.

Hourly care visits, Yorkshire and The Humber: £24.99 to £36.00 an hour. Middle half of prices from 5 agencies.
People aged 75 and over: 87,700. Rising to 106,000 by 2035, up 21%
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 11,300. Rising to 14,700 by 2035, up 29%
People aged 85 and over: 23,200. Rising to 35,500 by 2035, up 53%
Dementia diagnosis rate: 60%. The NHS ambition is 67%.
Agencies in the borough, last 12 months: 1 opened, 9 closed. 142 registered today.
Choice of agencies: 28 within 10 miles. In a typical neighbourhood. The nearest is under a mile away (0.7 miles).
Compared with the rest of North Yorkshire: Fewer agencies. North Yorkshire has fewer agencies than average for the size of its older population.

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

Arranging care at home in Skipton and working out who pays

The care needs assessment

Having what somebody needs written down before you approach an agency saves a good deal of back and forth about hours and costs. Any adult who appears to need help with daily living is entitled to a free care needs assessment, and a relative may request one on their behalf. North Yorkshire Council carries out that assessment for people living in Skipton, decides which needs are eligible, and records how they should be met. Anyone giving unpaid care to a family member can also ask for a separate assessment of their own needs.

Funding and how charges are worked out

A financial assessment follows and looks at income and capital in order to decide whether the council contributes towards the cost, whether the person receiving care meets it, or whether the two share it. The value of the house someone lives in is not counted where care is delivered there, which is a real difference from residential care. Home care is charged by the hour or by the visit, so the weekly figure rises with the length and frequency of calls rather than sitting at a flat rate. A direct payment is an option for some people, allowing them to buy support from an agency they have chosen themselves.

Choosing the right agency and what to check

When the ratings all match

Daisies Care Consultants, On The Spot Homecare Service, Avalon Skipton Services, Just Ask Care and Support Community Interest Company, Dales Community Care Limited and Craven Intermediate Care service each hold a rating of Good. Because the badges are identical, the reports behind them are where the useful differences appear, so read what inspectors said about staffing, training and how each agency responds when things go wrong.

The questions that tell you most

Continuity is what families raise more than anything else, so ask how many different carers are likely to visit in a fortnight and whether you will meet them in advance. Ask how sickness and annual leave are covered, how far a call can slip from its agreed time before anyone lets you know, and who answers the telephone outside office hours. Check how medicines are prompted, given and recorded, and how often the care plan is revisited.

Practical checks worth making

Ask whether the agency has capacity in the part of Skipton where the person lives, since travel between calls shapes how reliable timings turn out to be. Find out how staff are trained and supervised, particularly on moving someone safely and on noticing when a condition is worsening. Ask for the written care plan and the schedule of charges before support starts rather than on the first morning.

6 home care in Skipton

Avalon Services · Skipton, North Yorkshire · CQC Good
Daisies Care Consultants · Skipton, North Yorkshire · CQC Good
Dales Community Care · Skipton, North Yorkshire · CQC Good
Craven Intermediate Care service · Skipton, North Yorkshire · CQC Good
On The Spot Homecare Service · Skipton, North Yorkshire · CQC Good
Just Ask Care and Support Community Interest Company · Skipton, North Yorkshire · CQC Good

What home care costs

Type of care	What it costs
Hourly care visits, Yorkshire and The Humber Middle half of prices from 5 agencies. Median £28.99. Shown for Yorkshire and The Humber because too few North Yorkshire agencies publish a rate.	£24.99 to £36.00 an hour
What North Yorkshire pays Average hourly rate, October 2026.	£26.01 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

Craven Intermediate Care service, 1 April 2026, Good
Just Ask Care and Support Community Interest Company, 5 August 2023, Good
Daisies Care Consultants, 18 June 2022, Good

Longest since a report

Avalon Skipton Services, 1 December 2017, Good
On The Spot Homecare Service, 29 September 2018, Good
Dales Community Care Limited, 27 February 2019, Good

Frequently asked questions about home care in Skipton

How many home care agencies are there in Skipton?

Skipton has 6 CQC registered home care agencies: 6 Good. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.

How much does home care cost in Skipton?

Hourly care visits, Yorkshire and The Humber: £24.99 to £36.00 an hour. Middle half of prices from 5 agencies. Median £28.99. Shown for Yorkshire and The Humber because too few North Yorkshire 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 Skipton were inspected most recently?

Craven Intermediate Care service (1 April 2026), Just Ask Care and Support Community Interest Company (5 August 2023) and Daisies Care Consultants (18 June 2022) have the most recent CQC reports.

Local care news in North Yorkshire

CQC register adds a new care home in North Yorkshire: Rosedale Nursing Home (5 November 2026)

More local care news for North Yorkshire