HOW TO HIRE · CARE & SUPPORT · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
Overnight care at home is regulated in every UK nation. Here is the check, sleeping versus waking nights, and what to ask.
THE 60-SECOND VERSION
BEFORE YOU BOOK
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 an overnight 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 →
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 →
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 an overnight 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 overnight carer's certificate or PVG proof and read when it was issued. gov.uk →
An agency that only introduces an overnight 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 an overnight 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 →
Overnight care is exempt from VAT only when it is supplied by a charity, a public body or a provider registered with CQC (England), CIW (Wales), the Care Inspectorate (Scotland) or RQIA (Northern Ireland), as part of the person's care plan; from other suppliers it is standard-rated. A self-employed overnight carer is not a state-regulated provider and cannot use that exemption, but if their income is under £90,000 they are not VAT-registered and charge no VAT.
Ask the overnight carer, before the first night, whether VAT is added to the nightly rate; a sole carer below the threshold has none to add. gov.uk →
A good answer: A clear answer, with the price of each.
A good answer: A rule for switching to waking nights.
A good answer: Yes, named.
A good answer: Handover both ways.
A good answer: No unassessed lifting; call for help; record.
A good answer: DBS with adults' barred list, PVG or AccessNI.
A good answer: Written.
Overnight care is priced per night, with waking nights dearer than sleeping nights. Overnight 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
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.
AFTER
MONEY BACK
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.
Who: people at State Pension age or older whose disability or health condition means they need someone to help look after them
Who: people at State Pension age or over who have needed help with personal care for six months
Who: people at State Pension age with care needs from a disability or long-term condition
Who: people aged 16 or over assessed as needing care and support, carers, disabled parents and older people needing community care
Who: people assessed as needing social services help, including carers and parents of disabled children
Schemes change. The amounts above were checked on the dates shown; the official page is the one that counts.
If it gives personal care, yes — with the regulator for your nation.
A sleeping-night carer rests and helps if needed; a waking-night carer stays awake. Waking nights cost more.
Ask for DBS with the adults' barred list, AccessNI or PVG, depending on the nation.
£100 to £260 a night, typically around £230. Waking nights cost more than sleeping nights. The overnight care price guide shows what moves the figure; search your town above and settle the nightly rate, the minimum number of nights and the tasks for the night.
Not by a registered provider — VAT Notice 701/2.
Complain in writing and tell the regulator; the agency owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
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