Home Care in Somerset

Somerset has 119 CQC registered home care agencies. 66 are rated Good, 7 Outstanding, 5 Requires improvement, and 41 have not yet been rated. 59 of the 119 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Planning and paying for care at home in Somerset

Practical questions about eligibility and cost tend to be postponed, but answering them at the outset makes everything that follows more straightforward. Knowing who assesses need and how agencies price their time removes most of the guesswork from a search.

The care needs assessment

Every adult who appears to need care and support has a right to an assessment, free of charge and with no means test beforehand. The assessment considers the shape of a day, covering getting up, personal care, meals, medication, mobility around the house and safety when alone. Requests can be made by the person, by a relative or by a professional such as a GP or a hospital discharge team. Somerset Council adult social care conducts the assessment and records the needs it judges eligible for support.

Financial assessment, direct payments and carers

A separate means test then weighs capital and income against national thresholds. Where support is agreed, families can take council arranged care or a direct payment, which places the budget with the person so they can appoint an agency of their own choosing. Self funders make their own arrangements while retaining a right to information and advice. Anyone providing unpaid care can request a carer's assessment, which may open the way to respite or practical support.

What visits cost

Charges are made by the hour or by the visit, so the weekly figure depends on how many calls are needed and how long each lasts. Distances matter in a county with scattered villages, and some agencies apply a minimum visit length or charge for travel, which is worth clarifying before anything is agreed. Weekend and bank holiday rates are usually higher. Ask for the full schedule of charges in writing along with the notice period for changes.

Choosing a home care agency in Somerset and what to check

Registration permits an agency to provide personal care; it does not indicate how well it does so. The differences worth finding concern reliability, continuity and how an agency responds when a visit cannot go ahead as planned.

Making use of the inspection reports

Ratings across these providers include Outstanding, Good and Requires Improvement, with several agencies not yet inspected. Read past the summary word into the key questions beneath it, paying particular attention to safety and leadership, since staffing and medication issues surface there. Check when the inspection took place, because an older report may describe a service under different management. Where no rating exists, ask how long the agency has operated and who the registered manager is.

Coverage and continuity

Ask directly whether the agency covers the specific address, because rounds in rural areas are built around travel time and a provider may serve one village but not the next. Establish how many carers are likely to attend over a month, how sickness is covered and whether you will be told when a call is running late. Ask who writes the care plan, how often it is reviewed and whether the family is involved.

Before and after signing

Check the contract for notice periods, rate reviews and the complaints procedure. Ask whether visits are recorded electronically and whether relatives can see the notes. Keep a simple record during the first few weeks of who attended and when, and raise any slippage early, since a well run agency will want to know.

Local care news in Somerset

• New 20 bed care home registered with CQC in Somerset: St Georges Care Home (5 November 2026)

More local care news for Somerset

Related searches

• Care Homes in Somerset
• Nursing Homes in Somerset

Home Care near Somerset

• Bridgwater
• Street
• Taunton