How do we arrange a care needs assessment in Dunstable?

Contact the adult social care team at Central Bedfordshire Council and ask for a care needs assessment. It is free, it is not means tested, and anyone who appears to need care may request one. A relative, a GP or a hospital team can make the referral where the person cannot. The assessment looks at daily tasks, safety and the support already being given, and it decides what hours of care are considered necessary.

Will Central Bedfordshire Council pay for home care?

It may, following a financial assessment carried out once the needs assessment is complete. Central Bedfordshire Council considers income, savings and capital, and contributes towards the cost where these fall below the national threshold. Funding is set at a level judged sufficient for assessed needs, and it can be taken as a direct payment so the family chooses its own agency. Where savings are above the threshold, the arrangement is private between the household and the provider.

Which home care agencies cover Dunstable?

Twenty two providers registered to deliver care at home appear on this page, each registered with the Care Quality Commission. They include Civicare, The Padle Healthcare and A Caring Company, alongside others working in the same area. Every listing carries the provider name, the current CQC rating where one has been awarded and a link to the full profile. Coverage differs from street to street, so confirm that an agency visits the address concerned.

What is the difference between a care home and a nursing home?

A care home provides accommodation with personal care, such as help with washing, dressing, meals and medication. A nursing home offers the same plus registered nurses on duty at all hours for clinical care. Home care sits apart from both, since the support travels to the person rather than the person moving. Families often begin with home care and consider a move only when the hours required become unworkable.

How far in advance should we start arranging care at home?

As early as the need becomes foreseeable, because assessments take time and the better agencies are not always able to start immediately. A few weeks of notice allows you to approach more than one provider and to read the inspection reports properly. If a hospital discharge is being planned, tell the council at once, since those cases follow a quicker route. Where things are declining slowly, an assessment now prevents a rushed decision later.

What should we ask a home care agency in Dunstable before committing?

Ask how many different carers will come in a typical fortnight and whether you can meet them in advance. Ask what the agency does when a carer is off sick, how missed or late visits are handled and who answers the telephone out of hours. Check how the care plan is drawn up, how often it is reviewed and how medication support is recorded. Request the full rate card in writing, covering weekend rates, travel charges and notice periods.

Home Care in Dunstable

Dunstable has 22 CQC registered home care agencies. 8 are rated Good, 1 Outstanding, 5 Requires improvement, and 8 have not yet been rated. 10 of the 22 were last inspected more than three years ago.

Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.

Dunstable at a glance

What the local numbers say about home care in Dunstable, to help you judge the options below.

Hourly care visits, East of England: £26.00 to £34.30 an hour. Middle half of prices from 15 agencies.
People aged 75 and over: 29,400. Rising to 35,300 by 2035, up 20%
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 3,700. Rising to 4,800 by 2035, up 29%
People aged 85 and over: 7,200. Rising to 11,300 by 2035, up 57%
Dementia diagnosis rate: 66%. The NHS ambition is 67%.
Agencies in the borough, last 12 months: 2 opened, 2 closed. 48 registered today.
Choice of agencies: 146 within 10 miles. In a typical neighbourhood. The nearest is under a mile away (0.8 miles).

Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.

Arranging home care in Dunstable and working out the cost

An hour of help at breakfast can be the difference between staying at home and not, so it is worth understanding how such an arrangement is set up and paid for before ringing round.

Requesting an assessment of need

Anyone who appears to need care can ask for an assessment, and it is free and not means tested. It examines the practical shape of a day: getting up, washing, dressing, preparing food, taking medication, moving safely about the house and coping in the evening. Central Bedfordshire Council Adult Social Care carries out that assessment and the financial assessment that follows, and the support plan it produces sets out how many hours are considered necessary. A relative who has been providing support can request a carer's assessment in their own right, which occasionally leads to help that the main assessment misses.

Hourly rates and who contributes

Home care is charged by the hour or by the visit, usually at a higher rate at weekends and on bank holidays, and higher again where two carers are needed. Where the financial assessment finds savings below the national threshold, the council contributes towards the cost, and a direct payment can be taken instead so the family arranges the care itself. Above the threshold the arrangement is private. Ask any agency for its full rate card in writing, including travel charges, minimum visit lengths and the notice required to change a visit, because a weekly total often looks quite different once those are included.

Choosing a home care agency in Dunstable

There is no building to walk around, so judgement has to rest on reports, references and the quality of the answers you get on the telephone.

Making use of the inspection picture

With one agency rated Outstanding, eight rated Good, five rated Requires Improvement and eight not yet rated, this list rewards careful reading. Inspectors comment on the things that matter day to day: whether visits arrive when promised, whether medication is recorded properly, whether staff are trained and supervised, and how the office responds when something goes wrong. Where an agency is rated Requires Improvement, the report will name the specific shortfalls, and it is fair to ask the manager what has changed since. Unrated agencies are often simply new, so ask who runs them and where else those people have worked.

The questions that reveal the most

Ask how many different carers will visit over a fortnight, since continuity matters more than almost anything else. Ask what happens when a regular carer is unwell, how late a visit can run before somebody telephones, and who picks up the phone on a Sunday evening. Ask how care plans are written, how often they are reviewed and whether you can meet the carers before they start. Finally ask how complaints are logged and what was done about the last one, because the answer says a great deal about how an agency is run. Ask as well whether the same office covers evenings and weekends, and how quickly a package can be increased if someone comes home from hospital needing more help than before.

22 home care in Dunstable

APT Care & Bedford · 79 Edward Street, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 1HE
Home care · CQC Requires improvement · Run by APT Care Limited
We are a home care agency based in Dunstable, supporting people in their own homes across Central Bedfordshire and Bedford. We work with older people and with younger adults, including people living with dementia, people with learning...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
T&S Healthcare Services · First Floor Rear, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 1SU
Home care · CQC Good · Run by T&S Healthcare Services Limited
T and S Healthcare provides care and support in people's own homes across Dunstable and the surrounding part of Bedfordshire. We work with older adults, younger adults, people living with dementia, adults with learning disabilities,...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Lloyds Care Solutions · 33 Enfield Close, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU5 5PL
Home care · Run by Lloyds Care Solutions Limited
Lloyds Care Solutions provides support at home to adults in Dunstable and across Central Bedfordshire. The people we visit include older people who need help to carry on living at home, adults living with dementia, people with physical...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
YENIS CARE SERVICES · 23 Titus Grove, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU5 6GZ
Home care · Run by Yenis Care Services Limited
Yenis Care supports people in their own homes in Dunstable and the surrounding parts of Bedfordshire. We work with older people, with younger adults, with people living with dementia, and with adults who have physical disabilities. Most...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Rysvil Care Services · 19 Apex Business Centre, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU5 4SB
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Rysvil Care Services Limited
Rysvil Care provides support to adults in their own homes across Dunstable and the surrounding parts of Central Bedfordshire. The people we visit have a range of needs. We support adults living with dementia, adults with learning...
Specialisms: Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment
Ascon Care Services · Room 38, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 1JJ
Home care · Run by Ascon Care Services Limited
We are Ascon Care, a home care agency based in Dunstable and supporting adults across this part of Bedfordshire. We provide care in people's own homes. We support older people and people living with dementia, adults with learning...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Precious Homes Bedfordshire · Treow House, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU5 5QL
Home care · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Precious Homes Limited
We at Precious Homes Bedfordshire are proud to provide compassionate home care across Dunstable and the wider Central Bedfordshire community, supporting individuals to live safely, comfortably, and with dignity in the place they know best:...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
3 Bromley Gardens · Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU5 5RL
Home care · Run by Pine Healthcare Limited
We are a home care agency working in Dunstable and the surrounding parts of Central Bedfordshire, providing support to older people in their own homes. Our work is straightforward and we think it should stay that way. Most of the people we...
Specialisms: Older Person Care
The Padle Healthcare · 11 Allen Close, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU5 4DG
Home care · CQC Good · Run by The Padle Healthcare Limited
We at The Padle Healthcare are proud to provide compassionate home care across Dunstable and the surrounding communities of Central Bedfordshire, supporting people to live well and safely within the place they know best: their own home....
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Natgab Care · 14 Albion Street, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 1SA
Nursing home · Home care · Run by Natgab Services Limited
Natgab Care provides nursing care in Dunstable, and we also support people in their own homes across Central Bedfordshire. Being able to do both means people are not forced to choose between staying put and getting the level of care they...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Identity Quality Care · 30 Stamp Acre, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 1FY
Home care · Run by Identity Quality Care Ltd
Identity Quality Care supports people in their own homes across Dunstable and the wider Central Bedfordshire area. We work mainly with younger adults, with people who have learning disabilities and with autistic people. Home care done...
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism, Younger Adults
Prime Care Support · Iverforth House, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 3AS
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Primecare Support Limited
Prime Care Support provides care in people's own homes in Dunstable and across Central Bedfordshire. Our purpose is to support people to live where they want to live, with help that arrives when it should and is given by carers they know....
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Caremark · 19-21 Ashton Square, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 3SN
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Thoughtful Care Limited
We at Caremark Central Bedfordshire are proud to offer trusted home care across Dunstable and the surrounding communities, supporting individuals to live safely and comfortably within the place they know best: their own home. As a...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Violets Homecare Services · Chiltern House, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 1JJ
Home care · Run by Violets Homecare Services Ltd
At Violets Homecare, we support people across Dunstable and the wider Central Bedfordshire area to live comfortably and independently in the place they know best — their own home. We work with older adults, people living with dementia,...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment
Active Homecare · The Barn, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 1RP
Home care · CQC Outstanding · Run by Active Homecare Ltd
At Active Homecare, we provide professional and compassionate care to people in their own homes across Dunstable and the wider Central Bedfordshire area. We genuinely believe that staying in familiar surroundings makes a real difference to...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
A Caring Company · Market Chambers, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU5 6BY
Home care · CQC Good · Run by A Caring Company Limited
A Caring Company provides care in people's own homes in Dunstable and the surrounding area. We help people to carry on living where they want to be, with support that fits around the life they already have. We do not start with a menu of...
Woburn Care · 62 High Street North, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 1LE
Home care · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Woburn Care Company Ltd
We at Woburn Care are a dedicated home care agency supporting people across Dunstable and the wider Central Bedfordshire community, bringing compassionate, personalised care directly into the place people love most: their own home....
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Combined Care Wentworth House · 83, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 1JJ
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Combined Care Ltd
We at Combined Care Wentworth House are proud to provide compassionate home care across Dunstable and the surrounding areas of Central Bedfordshire, supporting people to live safely and comfortably in the place they know and love best:...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Churchill Health Care (Central Beds) · Unit 6, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 3HS
Home care · Run by Churchill Health Care Ltd
Churchill Health Care provides care and support to people in their own homes in Dunstable and across Central Bedfordshire. We want the people we visit to keep the life they have built, with support that fits around it rather than reshapes...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Azelea Care Solutions · 9 Bedford Square, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU5 5ES
Home care · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Azelea Care Solutions Ltd
We at Azelea Care Solutions are proud to offer compassionate home care across Dunstable and the wider Central Bedfordshire community, supporting individuals to live safely and comfortably in the place they know best: their own home. As a...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Biggs Healthcare · Unit 19, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU5 4SB
Home care · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Biggs Beit Ltd
At Biggs Healthcare, we provide home care support to people living in Dunstable and the surrounding areas of Central Bedfordshire. We work with a wide range of individuals, including older adults, younger adults, people living with...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Civicare (Beds Herts & Bucks) · Three Counties House, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, LU6 3BA
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Civicare (Beds Herts & Bucks) Ltd
We at Civicare (Beds Herts & Bucks) are proud to deliver compassionate home care to individuals and families across Dunstable and the wider Central Bedfordshire community. As a trusted home care agency, we bring professional, personalised...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Eating Disorders, Alcohol / Drug Misuse

What home care costs

Type of care	What it costs
Hourly care visits, East of England Middle half of prices from 15 agencies. Median £31.88. Shown for East of England because too few Central Bedfordshire agencies publish a rate.	£26.00 to £34.30 an hour
What Central Bedfordshire pays Average hourly rate, October 2026.	£27.89 an hour
Homecare Association minimum price 2026 to 2027. The Association's estimate of the lowest price that covers the cost of delivering care. It is not a legal minimum.	£34.42 an hour
Live in care, England Middle half of prices from 62 agencies. Median £1,455.	£1,250 to £1,668 a week

Published prices come from agencies that publish rates, so treat them as a guide. Ask the agency for its own price. Powered by Orrery Intelligence.

Inspected most recently

A Caring Company Limited, 6 August 2025, Good
Active Homecare, 24 July 2025, Outstanding
Violets Homecare Services Limited, 8 January 2025, Not yet rated

Longest since a report

Woburn Care, 2 February 2018, Requires improvement
Civicare (Beds Herts & Bucks) Ltd, 15 May 2021, Good
Combined Care Ltd. Wentworth House, 4 November 2021, Good

Frequently asked questions about home care in Dunstable

How many home care agencies are there in Dunstable?

Dunstable has 22 CQC registered home care agencies: 1 Outstanding, 8 Good, 5 Requires improvement, 8 not yet rated. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.

How much does home care cost in Dunstable?

Hourly care visits, East of England: £26.00 to £34.30 an hour. Middle half of prices from 15 agencies. Median £31.88. Shown for East of England because too few Central Bedfordshire agencies publish a rate. Published prices come from agencies that publish rates, so treat them as a guide. Ask the agency for its own price.

Which home care agencies in Dunstable were inspected most recently?

A Caring Company Limited (6 August 2025), Active Homecare (24 July 2025) and Violets Homecare Services Limited (8 January 2025) have the most recent CQC reports.