Choosing a Home Care Agency: 27 Questions to Ask Before You Sign Up
Home care is one of the biggest decisions a family makes — for someone they love. Here are the exact questions to ask every provider, and what good answers actually sound like.
Most families pick a home care provider after one phone call and one home visit. That’s not enough. The provider you pick will be in your loved one’s home, with their valuables, their medication, their dignity. The wrong choice can be devastating; the right choice is transformative.
The good news: a 30-minute conversation with the right questions filters out 80% of bad providers immediately. Here are the questions, organised by category, with notes on what good answers should sound like — and the red flags that should send you to a different provider.
Regulatory & legal questions (always start here)
Are you registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)?
Good answer: “Yes, our registration number is XXXX. Here’s our latest inspection report.”
Why it matters: CQC registration is legally required. If they’re not registered, walk away.
What’s your latest CQC rating?
Good answer: “Good” or “Outstanding”. “Requires Improvement” is a yellow flag. “Inadequate” is a red flag.
How long have you been operating in this area?
Good answer: 3+ years locally is solid. Newer providers can be excellent but ask about leadership experience.
Are you locally owned or part of a national chain?
Good answer: Either can work. Locally-owned often means decisions get made faster and the owner knows your case personally.
Carer recruitment & quality
Are all your carers DBS-checked?
Good answer: “Yes — enhanced DBS, renewed every 3 years.” Anything less is a red flag.
What training do your carers complete before they start?
Good answer: Care Certificate (15 standards), QCF Level 2 or 3 over the first year, plus role-specific training: dementia, medication, manual handling, safeguarding, food hygiene, infection control.
What’s your staff turnover rate?
Good answer: Below 25% annually is excellent. UK average is 30–40%. Above 50% is a red flag.
How do you decide which carer to send to my parent?
Good answer: A proper matching process — personality, interests, language, gender preference, specific clinical training. “Whoever’s available” is a red flag.
Continuity & reliability
Will my parent see the same carer each visit?
Good answer: “Yes — usually 1–2 consistent carers, with a small back-up team.” “A rotating roster” is a red flag.
Why: continuity is the single biggest determinant of care quality, especially in dementia.
What happens if our regular carer is unwell?
Good answer: A small back-up team who already know your loved one. Reads the care plan before arriving.
What’s your on-time arrival rate?
Good answer: 95%+ within a 15-minute window. Chronic lateness is a red flag.
Do you guarantee a minimum visit length?
Good answer: 1-hour minimum is the gold standard. 15-minute visits are almost always inadequate.
Care plan & oversight
Who writes the care plan, and when do you review it?
Good answer: A senior coordinator writes it after the home assessment with you and family. Reviewed every 2–4 weeks.
How often does a senior coordinator visit the home?
Good answer: Monthly, plus any time the family or carer raises a concern.
How do I know what my carer did during a visit?
Good answer: Daily care notes — written in the home, accessible to family.
How do you handle medication?
Good answer: MAR charts in the home. Errors reported transparently. Direct coordination with GP and pharmacy.
Cost & contract
What is your hourly rate (or weekly rate for live-in)?
Good answer: A clear, written number. Evasion is a red flag.
Are there any joining fees, registration fees, or assessment fees?
Good answer: No to all three.
What’s your notice period if we want to stop?
Good answer: 1–2 weeks for visiting, 4 weeks for live-in. Longer is a red flag.
What’s your cancellation policy?
Good answer: No charge with 24+ hours notice.
Funding & admin
Will you help me apply for NHS Continuing Healthcare or Local Authority funding?
Good answer: “Yes — we walk every family through what they might be entitled to.” This alone can save £400+/month.
Do you accept Direct Payments / Personal Budgets?
Good answer: “Yes” — both council Direct Payments and NHS Personal Health Budgets.
Specifics: dementia, complex, end-of-life
How are your carers trained for dementia care specifically?
Good answer: Specific dementia training beyond Care Certificate — sundowning, refusal of care, communication strategies, Mental Capacity Act.
If we need clinical care (PEG, catheter, hoist), do you provide it?
Good answer: “Yes — signed off by a registered nurse before the carer takes over.”
How do you handle end-of-life care?
Good answer: Hospice-trained carers, Macmillan/district nurse liaison, anticipatory medication support, fast-track NHS CHC funding help.
Trust signals (the gut-check questions)
Can I speak to a current client or family member as a reference?
Good answer: “Yes — we’ll arrange that with their permission.” Reluctance is a red flag.
What happens if we’re not happy with a carer?
Good answer: “Tell us — we’ll re-match at no penalty. Personality fit matters more than CV.”
Red flags that should send you elsewhere
- No CQC registration — illegal in most cases.
- Inadequate or Requires Improvement CQC rating — without a clear improvement plan.
- Very high staff turnover (50%+) — quality and continuity will suffer.
- 15-minute visits as standard.
- Long notice periods (8+ weeks).
- Pressure to sign on the spot.
- Vague or evasive about pricing.
- Won’t share the care plan with you.
Green flags — signs of a good provider
- CQC Good or Outstanding
- Locally-owned or transparent ownership
- Recent positive Google or Homecare.co.uk reviews
- Will give written pricing without chasing
- Senior coordinator personally meets you
- Free home assessment, no obligation
- Care plan written with you, not at you
- Helps navigate funding routes — including ones they don’t profit from
Got these questions? Try them on us.
Book a free conversation with our senior coordinator. Bring all 27 questions. We’ll answer every one.
Book a free conversationThe bottom line
You don’t have to ask all 27 on the first call. But ask the regulatory ones (1-4), the continuity ones (9-11), and at least one funding question (21). Get pricing in writing. Ask for a CQC report and a reference. Trust your gut on personality fit during the home assessment — if the senior coordinator feels rushed or evasive, the carers will be too.
The right provider, asked the right questions, will welcome the scrutiny. The wrong ones won’t.
Speak to your local Oath Healthcare team
CQC-regulated home care from local branches across England. Same-day call-back, free no-obligation assessment, care can start within 48 hours.
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01223 755887 Suffolk
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0115 865 6333