Private Home Care in London
Private home care in London means you pay for care at home yourself and choose who provides it, without waiting for a council care package. JNP Sidona is a CQC-registered home care agency based in Lewisham, covering London, and the first step is a free home assessment with Jackie, who runs the service.
What is private home care?
It means the person who needs care, or their family, pays for it directly and makes the arrangements. You decide what help is needed, when visits happen and who provides them. You do not need a referral from a GP or a social worker, and you do not need to have been assessed by the council first.
People arrange care privately for different reasons. Some have savings above the council's limit and know they will be paying in full anyway. Some want help now and would rather not wait for an assessment. Others have a council package but want extra hours on top of it.
The bigger decision is who you arrange it with, because each route puts the responsibility in a different place.
Finding private carers in London: three ways to arrange care
1. A CQC-registered home care agency
Any organisation in England that provides personal care in people's homes and manages the carers who do it must be registered with the Care Quality Commission. The agency employs the carers, checks they are suitable, trains and supervises them, writes and reviews the care plan, arranges cover when a carer is off, and is answerable to CQC for the quality and safety of what happens. You pay the agency; you do not become anybody's employer.
This is how JNP Sidona works. You can look us up on the CQC website: we were registered on 31 October 2023 and have not yet been inspected, so we do not have a rating yet. Check any agency the same way before you sign anything.
2. Employing a private carer directly
Some families find a carer through word of mouth or an advert and pay them themselves. That can work well, but GOV.UK is clear that if you pay a carer or personal assistant directly you are classed as their employer, even when the money comes from council direct payments. According to the GOV.UK guidance on employing someone in your home, you must:
- check they have the right to work in the UK
- give them an employment contract and payslips, and pay at least the National Minimum Wage
- register as an employer with HMRC, run payroll and deduct Income Tax and National Insurance
- take out employers' liability insurance
- pay statutory payments such as sick pay, give paid holiday, and provide a workplace pension where they qualify
You cannot ask an employee to call themselves self-employed to get round this. Background checks are different too: under DBS guidance for personal employees, the carer applies for their own enhanced check through an umbrella body and shows you the certificate. You cannot apply on their behalf. Sickness and holiday cover, training and supervision are all yours to arrange.
3. Introductory agencies and carer platforms
Introductory agencies sit in between. They vet carers and introduce them to you, often for a fee, and then step back. CQC's guidance on introductory agencies says they do not need to register because they have no ongoing role in the care once the introduction is made. In practice that means they do not monitor the care, run the rota, manage cover on their own initiative or update the care plan. Those jobs fall to you and the carer. Ask any introductory service plainly who employs the carer, who is responsible if something goes wrong, and what happens when the carer is ill.
A quick test. Ask the organisation, "Are you registered with CQC for personal care, and who employs the carer?" A managed agency should answer yes and "we do". If the answer is no and "you do", you are taking on the employer's role, whatever the website looks like.
Can you get care at home without waiting for the council?
Yes. If you are paying for yourself, nothing stops you arranging care straight away. You can still ask the council for a needs assessment at the same time, and it is worth doing. The assessment is free, and so is the financial assessment, under the Care and Support Statutory Guidance. Our guides to the care needs assessment and the financial assessment explain both.
Two rules help self-funders:
- Your home does not count for care at home. When care is provided somewhere other than a care home, the value of your main home must be disregarded in the financial assessment. The national upper capital limit is £23,250, and for care at home councils may set a higher limit if they choose.
- The council must arrange home care for you if you ask, even if you pay the full cost. Under section 18 of the Care Act 2014, where your eligible needs are to be met somewhere other than a care home and your resources are above the limit, the council must still meet those needs if you ask it to. You pay for the care, and the council may charge an arrangement fee that covers only its actual costs. This duty does not extend to care home placements.
For a self-funder, then, the choice is between arranging care yourself and asking the council to arrange it and paying them back. Arranging it yourself gives you a direct say over who comes and when.
How much does private home care cost in London?
We do not publish prices, because the honest answer depends on the person. We give you a written figure after the free assessment. What drives the cost is how many hours of help are needed each week, whether visits are short or long, whether two carers are needed for moving and handling, whether care is needed at weekends and on bank holidays, and whether live-in care would suit better than visits. Our guides to home care costs in London and live-in care costs go through the factors in more detail.
Help with paying for private care
Attendance Allowance is the one most self-funders miss. It is for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care or supervision because of an illness or disability, and who have needed that help for at least six months (different rules apply near the end of life). GOV.UK gives the current weekly rates as £76.70 and £114.60. It is not means-tested, so savings and income make no difference, and you can spend it on care. Our guides cover how to apply and which rate applies.
Other routes are worth checking even if you expect to pay privately. NHS continuing healthcare is arranged and funded by the NHS for adults with complex health needs, and it can be provided at home. If your savings fall below the council's limit, the council may contribute and you can take the money as direct payments to use with an agency you choose. Our page on paying for care in London sets out each route.
What private carers help with at home
- Personal care: washing, bathing, dressing, continence and getting up or settling for the night
- Medication support, from prompting to assisting and recording
- Meals, shopping and help around the house
- Companionship, outings and appointments
- Dementia care and support for physical disabilities and sensory impairments
- Support after a hospital stay, respite for family carers, palliative care and complex care
Private care can be a few visits a week, a daily routine or a carer who lives in. It can also top up a council package; tell the social worker, so the two fit together.
How private care with JNP starts
- Call or message. Ring 0203 375 4047, or call or WhatsApp 07446 010486, and tell us what is happening.
- Free home assessment. Jackie comes to the house and talks with the person who needs care, and with family if they want them there.
- Written care plan and quote. You get a care plan that says who comes, when, and what they do, with the cost in writing.
- Care begins. We introduce the carer, and the plan is reviewed as needs change. If the match is not right, tell us and we will look at a change.
We will tell you honestly what we can staff and when. If we cannot cover what you need, we will say so.
Where in London we provide private care
Our office is in Lewisham, and we provide care across London. Live-in carers move in, so distance does not matter. For visiting care it depends on carer availability in your area, so please ask. See all the areas we serve, or go straight to Lewisham, Greenwich, Bromley, Southwark, Croydon or live-in care in Kensington and Chelsea.
Related pages
- Choosing a home care agency
- Elderly care at home
- Care for elderly parents
- 24-hour care at home
- Urgent home care
- Live-in care
- All our home care services
- Carer jobs in London
Questions about private home care
Do I need a council assessment before arranging private care?
No. If you are paying yourself you can arrange care with a registered agency straight away. A council needs assessment is still free and worth asking for, because it records your needs and can open the door to council help later if your savings fall.
Is it cheaper to employ a private carer directly?
The hourly figure can look lower, but you take on the employer's costs and duties: payroll, tax and National Insurance, holiday and sick pay, a pension where the carer qualifies, employers' liability insurance, and finding cover yourself. Compare the whole cost and the workload, not only the hourly rate.
What is the difference between an introductory agency and a home care agency?
An introductory agency introduces a carer and then has no ongoing role, so it does not have to register with CQC. A home care agency employs and manages the carers, runs the care plan and cover, and must be registered with CQC for personal care.
Can I get Attendance Allowance if I have savings?
Yes. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, so savings and income do not affect it. You need to be over State Pension age and have needed help for at least six months, unless you are nearing the end of life. You can apply online, by post, or on the helpline (0800 731 0122).
Can I pay for extra care on top of a council package?
Yes. You can buy extra hours privately alongside council-funded care. Let the social worker and both providers know, so visits do not clash and everyone works from the same care plan.
Can you provide private carers near me anywhere in London?
We cover London from our Lewisham office. Live-in care works anywhere, because the carer moves in. Visiting care depends on whether we have carers available near you, so call 0203 375 4047 and we will tell you plainly.
Is JNP Sidona CQC registered?
Yes. JNP Sidona Support Services Ltd was registered with CQC for personal care on 31 October 2023. We have not been inspected yet, so we do not have a rating. You can check our CQC profile at any time.
Talk it through with Jackie
No call centre and no obligation. Tell us what you are dealing with and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.