HOW TO HIRE · CARE & SUPPORT

How to hire a dementia carer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Dementia care at home is regulated in every UK nation. Here is the check, what to ask about training and continuity, and the help with costs.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a dementia carer in five steps

  1. Check registration and the reportLook for what it says about dementia care.
  2. Ask about dementia trainingWho has it, and how often it is refreshed.
  3. Insist on a small regular teamFamiliar faces matter most.
  4. Share the life storyRoutines, triggers, what calms.
  5. Plan aheadAsk how the agency handles changing needs and nights.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

CQC registration (England)

In England, help with washing, bathing, dressing or using the toilet, given at home to someone who cannot manage it because of age, illness or disability, is the regulated activity of personal care. An agency sending a dementia carer to do it must be registered with CQC for that activity; one that says it has applied is not yet registered.

Search the agency on CQC's site, open the location that runs your care, check 'personal care' is listed and read the latest rating. cqc.org.uk →

Care Inspectorate Wales, Care Inspectorate or RQIA

Wales: a domiciliary support service must register with Care Inspectorate Wales under Wales's 2016 social care regulation Act, unless an exemption applies, such as care for four or fewer named people at a time. Scotland: a care at home service may not operate unless registered with the Care Inspectorate. Northern Ireland: the RQIA registers domiciliary care agencies under the Domiciliary Care Agencies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007.

Wales: CIW's service directory. Scotland: the Care Inspectorate's find-care directory, with grades. Northern Ireland: RQIA's register of domiciliary care agencies. careinspectorate.scot →

Criminal record check — DBS, PVG or AccessNI

Care work with adults can get the enhanced DBS check with the adults' barred list in England and Wales, or the AccessNI equivalent in Northern Ireland; in Scotland a dementia carer in a regulated role must be a PVG scheme member. You cannot apply for a DBS check on a self-employed carer yourself — they apply and show you the certificate, which has no official expiry date.

Ask to see the dementia carer's certificate or PVG proof and read when it was issued. gov.uk →

Introductory agency, or you as the employer

An agency that only introduces a dementia carer and has no ongoing control is outside CQC registration in England and CIW registration in Wales, so no regulator inspects the care. If you hire and pay a dementia carer directly — including with direct payments — gov.uk says you are usually their employer: a contract, payslips, at least the National Minimum Wage, employers' liability insurance and payroll.

Ask in writing whether the agency employs and supervises the carer or only introduces them, and who you pay. gov.uk →

VAT

Dementia care at home is exempt from VAT only when it comes from a charity, a public body or a provider registered with CQC (England), CIW (Wales), the Care Inspectorate (Scotland) or RQIA (Northern Ireland), under the person's care plan; otherwise the standard rate applies. An independent dementia carer you book yourself is not a state-regulated provider, so that exemption does not cover them, yet a carer with income below £90,000 is not VAT-registered and charges no VAT.

Ask the dementia carer directly whether VAT will be added; a sole carer under the threshold should say no and have no VAT number to give you. gov.uk →

“How many of your dementia carers are trained in dementia, and how often is it refreshed?”

A good answer: All of them, with dates.

“Can you keep a small regular team?”

A good answer: Named carers and notice of changes.

“How do you handle distress or refusal of care?”

A good answer: Calm approaches, no force, recorded and shared with family.

“How do you support eating and drinking?”

A good answer: Prompting and help, with intake noted.

“What if my relative wanders or is not at home?”

A good answer: A written plan agreed with family.

“What does the care plan say about routines and life history?”

A good answer: It is written from what you told them.

“What happens as needs increase?”

A good answer: Reviews, longer visits, nights or live-in options.

Booking by the hour

  • The hourly rate by time of day, with the evening, weekend and bank holiday rates written down
  • The minimum booking for each visit, and what is paid if your relative is settled and the carer leaves early
  • What the family supplies — continence products, gloves, the key safe code — and what the carer brings
  • The routine agreed before the first hour: meals, medicines prompts, washing if they give personal care, and the signs that mean they should call you
  • ID checked, the rating, and insurance that covers harm in the home and any moving and handling
  • How the price changes when your relative's needs change

Walk away if

  • No dementia training to name
  • Different carers every week
  • Restrains or rushes your relative
  • No record of eating and drinking
  • Not registered for personal care
  • Will not involve family in the plan
LOW
£26
TYPICAL
£35
HIGH
£40

What a dementia carer costs: £26–£40 per hour

Dementia care at home is charged by the hour, with visits lengthening as needs grow. Dementia Care price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Dementia carers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. AssessmentNeeds, life story, routines and triggers.
  2. Care planWritten around the person.
  3. IntroductionsGradual, with family.
  4. VisitsRoutine, reassurance, personal care, meals, activity.
  5. ReviewsRegular, as the dementia progresses.

Life story
A record of a person's history and preferences.
Continuity
Seeing the same carers.
Personal care
A regulated activity.
Lasting power of attorney
A legal authority to make decisions for someone.
Respite
A break for family carers.
Care plan
The written plan.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the plan and logsThey show patterns in sleep, eating and mood.
Review oftenDementia changes; so should the plan.
Look after yourselfAsk about respite while your relative is cared for.
Review the bookingTell the next family or client how the dementia carer did. Something to fix first? The make-it-right step gives them the chance before your review goes live.

MONEY BACK

Grants that may apply

Help towards the cost of care, by nation. Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment do not depend on having a carer; direct payments follow a care needs assessment.

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Attendance Allowance

£76.70 or £114.60 a weeklower rate for help by day or by night; higher rate for help by day and night

Who: people at State Pension age or older whose disability or health condition means they need someone to help look after them

  • you do not need to have a carer to claim
  • in Scotland, Pension Age Disability Payment is claimed instead
Official details on gov.uk →
DISABILITY AND CARERS SERVICE (NORTHERN IRELAND) · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Attendance Allowance

£76.70 or £114.60 a weektax-free; the higher rate applies straight away under the end-of-life rules

Who: people at State Pension age or over who have needed help with personal care for six months

  • habitually resident in Northern Ireland
  • lived in NI, Great Britain, the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey for at least two of the last three years (not under the end-of-life rules)
Official details on nidirect.gov.uk →
SOCIAL SECURITY SCOTLAND · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Pension Age Disability Payment

£76.70 or £114.60 a weekreplaces Attendance Allowance in Scotland; not means-tested

Who: people at State Pension age with care needs from a disability or long-term condition

  • you cannot receive it and Attendance Allowance together
  • people already on Adult Disability Payment stay on it
Official details on mygov.scot →
LOCAL COUNCILS · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Direct payments

set by the council after a care needs assessmentpaid to you to arrange your own care instead of the council arranging it

Who: people aged 16 or over assessed as needing care and support, carers, disabled parents and older people needing community care

  • you must be assessed by social services first
  • if you pay someone to care for you, you may become an employer
Official details on gov.uk →
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE TRUSTS (NORTHERN IRELAND) · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Direct payments

set by the Trust from your assessed support needspaid directly to you

Who: people assessed as needing social services help, including carers and parents of disabled children

  • used for the services or equipment in your care plan
  • you can employ a personal assistant, and as the employer you are responsible for checks and records
Official details on nidirect.gov.uk →

Schemes change. The amounts above were checked on the dates shown; the official page is the one that counts.

STEP 1Write to the dementia carer firstSay what went wrong, on which date, and what you want done. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 means a dementia carer trading as a business must use reasonable care and skill; where the care fell short, section 54 lets you ask for it to be put right at no cost or for a fair cut in the price.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen a booked dementia carer gets under four stars, you choose whether they see the problem first, and we follow it up with them. Then you review.
STEP 3CQC, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or RQIAUse the agency's complaints process first. You can then tell the regulator about the care a dementia carer gave: CQC in England takes feedback on any service it registers, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland takes complaints, RQIA in Northern Ireland follows up concerns, and CIW registers services in Wales. If someone is at risk of harm, contact the council's adult social care team.
STEP 4Take it to small claimsA claim against a dementia carer for money back can go to court without a solicitor — £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a dementia carer: questions people ask

Yes, if it gives personal care — with CQC, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or RQIA depending on the nation.

Ask for DBS with the adults' barred list (England, Wales), AccessNI (Northern Ireland) or PVG membership (Scotland).

Attendance Allowance (Pension Age Disability Payment in Scotland), and direct payments after an assessment.

£26 to £40 an hour, typically around £35. Longer and evening visits cost more as dementia progresses. Our dementia care price guide explains the range; searching your town above shows dementia carers who cover it.

Not by a registered provider — VAT Notice 701/2.

Complain to the agency in writing and tell the regulator; the agency owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in care & support

How to hire: Elderly CareHow to hire: Domiciliary CareHow to hire: Live-In CarerHow to hire: Overnight CareHow to hire: Respite CareHow to hire: Companion CareHow to hire: Personal Care AssistantHow to hire: Palliative CareAll 701 hiring guides →

Dementia carers near you

Dementia carers in LondonDementia carers in ManchesterDementia carers in BirminghamDementia carers in GlasgowDementia carers in BelfastAll dementia carers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. CQC — personal care (regulated activity)
  2. Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, schedule 1
  3. CQC — search home care agencies
  4. Care Inspectorate Wales — guide to registration under the 2016 Act
  5. mygov.scot — how care is regulated
  6. RQIA — registration guidance
  7. RQIA — register of services
  8. gov.uk — DBS checks: levels and who can request one
  9. mygov.scot — PVG for personal assistants, the self-employed and people working for an individual
  10. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  11. gov.uk — employing someone to work in your home
  12. gov.uk — Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2)
  13. CQC — give feedback on care
  14. Care Inspectorate — how to complain
  15. RQIA — raise a concern
  16. gov.uk — Attendance Allowance
  17. nidirect — Attendance Allowance
  18. mygov.scot — Pension Age Disability Payment
  19. gov.uk — apply for direct payments
  20. nidirect — direct payments
  21. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  22. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  23. Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2) — 2.1 Care, treatment or instruction; 3 Bodies that provide exempt welfare services
  24. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  25. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register