What is domiciliary care?

Domiciliary care is one of the most searched-for terms in elderly care, and one of the least clearly explained. If you have come across it while researching options for a parent or family member, this guide explains what it means and what it covers.

Domiciliary care is any professional care delivered in a person’s own home by a visiting carer, at agreed times. It can begin with a few hours a week and increase as needs change. Understanding where your situation sits is the first step to making the right decision.

Key Insights

• Domiciliary care, also known as home care, is professional care delivered in a person’s own home, usually as visits at agreed times and charged by the hour

• Live-in care is a separate service, where one carer lives in the home and supports the person day and night

• For people living with dementia, staying in familiar surroundings can help reduce distress

• Domiciliary care is usually charged by the hour, and live-in care with one carer typically costs £1,200 to £1,500 a week

What does domiciliary care mean?

Domiciliary care is the sector term for any care or support delivered in a person’s own home, rather than in a residential or nursing facility. It’s also referred to as home care, and the two terms are used interchangeably.

The scope is wide. It can mean a few hours of weekly support with daily tasks, such as preparing meals, managing medication or having company, through to several visits a day, including evening or overnight visits where needed. Live-in care is a different service. A trained carer lives in the home and provides continuous support, day and night.

At Hometouch, we arrange domiciliary care and provide both introductory and regulated live-in care, with clinical oversight from a team founded by a dementia doctor.

What’s the difference between domiciliary care and live-in care?

Domiciliary care and live-in care are both care at home, but they work differently. Domiciliary care is visiting care: a carer comes at agreed times, and it is usually charged by the hour. Live-in care means one carer lives in the home and supports the person day and night.

Visiting care can suit people whose needs can be met in set visits, with overnight care added where night-time support is needed. Live-in care may suit people who need support through the day and night. Signs that it may be time to consider live-in care include falls, medication that needs daily support, night-time needs, or a family carer who is struggling.

Who is domiciliary care suitable for?

Domiciliary care suits a wide range of people and situations. It’s particularly well-suited to:

• People living with dementia or Alzheimer’s, where familiar surroundings and routines can help reduce distress
• People recovering after a hospital discharge or surgery, where short-term support can help with a safe return home

• People with complex health conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, stroke or neurological conditions, who need extra support with daily life

• Older people who value independence and want to stay in their own home, but need reliable support to do so safely

It is not the right option for everyone. If someone’s care needs have progressed to the point where 24-hour nursing care is required, or the home cannot safely accommodate care, a residential nursing home may be more appropriate. Our care experts can help you work through that question.

What are the advantages of domiciliary care?

One-to-one attention

In a care home, one carer usually supports several residents at once. With domiciliary care, the carer’s attention during a visit is on one person. Over time, the carer gets to know the person’s routines, preferences, medical needs and personality, and that consistency matters, particularly for people living with dementia.

Familiar surroundings

For someone living with dementia, familiar surroundings can help reduce confusion and distress, and a move can be unsettling. Care at home keeps the person in the place they know.

Flexibility as needs change

Domiciliary care adapts. As someone’s needs increase, whether gradually or after an event such as a fall or a hospital admission, the care package can be adjusted, for example with more visits or by moving to live-in care. There is no need to move home.

Cost

Domiciliary care is usually charged by the hour, so the cost depends on where you live, how many visits or hours are needed and the type of support. Live-in care with one carer typically costs £1,200 to £1,500 a week, about £170 to £215 a day. These figures are a guide, not a quote.

What are the disadvantages of domiciliary care?

Home modifications may be needed

Depending on the person’s needs and the layout of the home, some adaptations may be required, such as handrails, a stairlift, wider doorways for a wheelchair or adjustments to a bathroom. These vary significantly in cost and complexity.

Sharing personal space

Having a carer in the home is a significant adjustment, and many people and their families are uncertain about it at first. The transition takes time, and it helps when the carer is a good personal fit.

Finding the right carer

With an introductory care model, families are responsible for selecting their carer from a pool of vetted candidates. That’s a meaningful decision, and it can feel daunting. Hometouch’s personalised matching process is designed to take the weight out of that: we do the assessment, identify compatible carers and present a shortlist based on both care needs and personality fit.

How does Hometouch approach domiciliary care?

Hometouch was founded by Dr Jamie Wilson, an NHS dementia specialist, specifically to raise the standard of clinical care delivered at home. Our model combines two things that are often treated as separate: the medical rigour of a clinical team, and the personal attention of a carer who gets on well with the person they support.

Every care arrangement starts with a clinical assessment by one of our care managers. From there, we build a custom care plan, and we match each person with a carer based on both their care needs and their individual personality.

Our team includes specialist clinical managers who provide ongoing oversight, review care plans regularly, and are available around the clock if anything changes.

Frequently asked questions about domiciliary home care

What’s the difference between domiciliary care and residential care?

Domiciliary care is delivered in the person’s own home. Residential care means moving into a care facility. The two models differ in cost and continuity, and familiar surroundings can help people living with dementia feel more settled.

Is domiciliary care the same as home care?

Yes, in everyday use. Both describe care delivered in someone’s own home, usually as visits.

Is live-in care a type of domiciliary care?

Not as Hometouch uses the terms. Domiciliary care means visiting care at agreed times, usually charged by the hour, while live-in care means one carer living in the home.

How much does domiciliary care cost in the UK?

Visiting care is usually charged by the hour, and live-in care with one carer typically costs £1,200 to £1,500 a week, about £170 to £215 a day. Costs vary with the level of care required.

Can domiciliary care be funded by the NHS?

In some circumstances, yes. In England, NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) can fund care at home, including live-in care, for people whose needs are assessed as primarily a health need. Eligibility is decided by a formal assessment. Attendance Allowance and local authority funding may also be available, and funding rules differ in Scotland and Wales. The main options are listed in funding live-in care.

Is domiciliary care regulated?

In England, it depends on the provider model. CQC-regulated providers, like Hometouch’s regulated care service, are inspected and rated by the Care Quality Commission. Introductory agencies match families with self-employed carers and are not CQC-regulated. Hometouch offers both, and our care team can explain the difference.