Domiciliary care refers to professional care and support provided in a person’s own home. It covers everything from a short daily visit to full time, live in support.

We’re Greenwood Homecare and we arrange this kind of care for families across Peterborough, Grantham and Cambridge every day. Below we’ll explain what domiciliary care involves, where the NHS fits in, what a domiciliary care worker actually does and how it’s paid for.

What Does Domiciliary Care Mean

Domiciliary care is just the formal term for home care. It comes from “domicile,” an old word for home. A domiciliary carer visits someone’s house or flat on an agreed schedule and helps with whatever that person needs, whether that’s a quick daily check in or full time, round the clock support.

It falls under social care rather than the NHS and in England it’s regulated by the Care Quality Commission, better known as the CQC. Every registered provider gets inspected and rated on things like safety, how effective the care is and whether people are treated with dignity. If you take one piece of practical advice from this post, make it this: check a provider’s CQC rating before you sign anything. It tells you far more than a glossy website ever will.

A typical package of domiciliary care might include:

• Personal care, such as washing, dressing and continence support
• Help with taking medication at the right times
• Preparing meals and keeping an eye on nutrition
• Light housework, laundry and the weekly shop
• Support getting around the house, including in and out of bed
• Simply having someone to talk to and share the day with

At Greenwood Homecare this can look like a thirty minute morning visit, an overnight stay or 24/7 live in care if that’s what’s needed. The point is that the care fits around the person, rather than the person having to fit around a rota drawn up by someone else.

What Is Domiciliary Care NHS Support

One of the questions we hear most is whether the NHS will simply pay for all of this. Unfortunately, it’s rarely that straightforward. NHS guidance on home care explains that ongoing support is arranged through your local council after a care needs assessment and whether the council contributes to the cost depends on your personal finances. In other words, this is social care territory, not automatic NHS funding.

There is a notable exception though. If someone has significant, ongoing health needs, they may be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare, sometimes shortened to CHC which can fully fund care delivered at home. Eligibility comes down to whether the primary need is a health one rather than a general care one and it’s assessed by the local Integrated Care Board rather than your GP.

So think of domiciliary care as sitting between three different worlds: the NHS, your local council and private providers like us. Most families end up somewhere in the middle which is exactly why requesting a care needs assessment from the council is worth doing early, even if you already expect to pay privately.

How Domiciliary Care Is Funded

Nobody enjoys talking about money when a parent’s health is the real concern, but understanding the basics now saves a lot of stress further down the line. Here’s roughly how it works in England at the moment:

• Savings and assets below £23,250 may mean the council contributes towards your care costs
• Above that threshold, you’re generally classed as a self funder and cover the costs yourself
• NHS Continuing Healthcare, where someone qualifies, isn’t means tested at all
• Certain benefits, Attendance Allowance being a common one, can help offset the weekly cost

These thresholds do change so it’s worth checking the latest figures published on GOV.UK rather than relying on last year’s numbers. And even families who know they’ll be paying privately often still request a council assessment, mainly so they understand exactly what they’re entitled to before making any decisions.

If live in care is more what you have in mind, we’ve written separately about how much live in care costs and how to pay for it, both of which go into far more detail than we have room for here.

What Does A Domiciliary Care Worker Do

The domiciliary care worker or home carer is the person who visits the home and provides the care. The work is not always easy but it can greatly improve someone’s daily life. A usual visit may include:

• Helping someone get washed, dressed and ready for the day ahead
• Making sure meals happen and keeping track of appetite and fluids
• Prompting or administering medication safely
• Assisting with moving around the house, including transfers and equipment
• Noticing small changes in health and flagging anything that looks off
• Being a familiar, friendly face, not just someone ticking off a checklist

This isn’t a niche corner of the care sector either. Skills for Care reported around 740,000 filled posts in domiciliary services across England in 2025, close to half of the entire adult social care workforce. That’s a lot of people quietly getting on with visits like this every single day.

Our carers go through a training programme built in house before they work unsupervised and we schedule visits based on how long a person actually needs, not a fixed slot handed down from head office. If working in this field appeals to you, have a look at what it’s actually like to work in care or go ahead and apply to become a carer with us.

Who Domiciliary Care Is For

There’s no single profile of someone who uses domiciliary care which is part of why it works so well. We support:

• Older people who want to stay independent at home, often through our elderly care service
• People living with dementia or Alzheimers, who tend to do better staying somewhere familiar, supported by  dementia and Alzheimers care
• People recovering from a hospital stay, illness or surgery, using reablement care to rebuild strength and confidence
• People living with a life limiting illness, supported through palliative care at home
• People recovering after a stroke or managing another long term condition
• Families who simply need a short break, arranged through respite care
• People who mainly want regular companionship and someone to look forward to seeing

Needs rarely stay the same for long which is why a decent provider, us included, keeps checking in and adjusting the care plan rather than expecting a family to raise every change themselves.

Choosing The Right Domiciliary Care Provider

When you’re comparing agencies, a few questions tend to separate the good ones from the rest:

• What’s their current CQC rating and when were they last inspected?
• Will the same carer visit each time or is it whoever’s available?
• How thoroughly are carers trained, checked and supervised?
• What happens if needs increase down the line?
• How much flexibility is there around visit times and length?

We have offices in Peterborough, Cambridge and Grantham. Our local teams know the areas well and are not based in a distant call centre. You can read more about who we are and the areas we cover before deciding if we are the right care provider for you.

Final Words

Domiciliary care means getting help in your own home. A carer might visit you each morning or stay with you all day and night. They can help with everyday tasks, personal care and other support you may need. Knowing how to pay for care and how the NHS and council can help will make it easier to find the right support for you or someone close to you.

If you’d rather talk it through with someone local who can visit and explain things properly, get in touch with Greenwood Homecare or book a free home assessment. We’re happy to help whether you need care starting next week or you’re just trying to plan ahead sensibly.

FAQs

What is the difference between domiciliary care and home care?

There isn’t really one. Domiciliary care is just the formal name for what most people already call home care or care at home.

Does the NHS pay for domiciliary care?

Usually not in full. It’s normally arranged through your local council and may involve a means test, though people with significant health needs can sometimes qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare which is funded completely.

How many hours of domiciliary care can I get?

That depends on the assessed need. It could be as little as thirty minutes a day, several visits spread through the day or full time live in support if round the clock care is required.

What qualifications does a domiciliary care worker need?

There’s no single qualification required before starting. However reputable providers put new carers through proper induction and ongoing training covering areas like moving and handling, medication and safeguarding, usually working towards the Care Certificate.

How do I arrange domiciliary care for a parent?

Start by requesting a care needs assessment from the local council or contact a provider such as Greenwood Homecare directly for a free home assessment to talk through what level of support would actually help.