Can Medway Council pay for home care in Gillingham?

It can, where two separate tests are met. Medway Council first assesses whether care at home is the right way to meet the person's needs, then carries out a financial assessment of income and capital against the national thresholds. Where both are satisfied, the council funds all or part of the package and the person may be asked to contribute from their income. Funded support can be arranged by the council directly or taken as a direct payment, which lets the person choose their own agency.

How do we arrange a care needs assessment in Gillingham?

Contact the adult social care team at Medway Council and ask for a care needs assessment. Anyone who appears to need care and support is entitled to one regardless of income or savings, and a carer or family member can request it for someone else. The assessment covers personal care, mobility, medication, meals and safety at home, and it may be carried out at home, in hospital or by telephone. Keep the written outcome, since it sets out the support required and any funding decision follows from it.

How far in advance should we start looking for home care in Gillingham?

Begin as soon as it is clear that regular help would make a difference, rather than waiting for a fall or a hospital admission to force the decision. Agencies do not all have capacity in every part of Gillingham at every hour, and early morning calls are the first to fill. A few weeks allows time to read the reports that exist, speak to two or three agencies and arrange an assessment calmly. When care is needed on discharge from hospital, tell the ward team at once so both processes run together.

Which home care agencies in Gillingham are listed on this page?

Thirty one agencies appear here, including Hamilton House, Right at Home Medway, Bluebird Care (Swale), Wisteria Care, Home Instead Medway, Natura Care Solutions and Mulberry House. All are registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide personal care in people's own homes. Many carry no rating yet, so it is worth opening each profile to see what inspection evidence exists. This reflects current CQC registration data for home care agencies in Gillingham.

What should we ask a home care agency in Gillingham before signing up?

Ask how many different carers will visit in a typical fortnight and whether you will be told when the usual carer changes. Ask about the shortest visit offered, how reliably the agency keeps to its times, and what happens when a call has to be missed. Ask who writes and reviews the care plan and how quickly the package can be increased after a hospital stay. Where the agency has been inspected, ask what the report found and what has changed since.

How does home care differ from a care home or a nursing home?

Home care brings support to the person in visits of an agreed length, while they carry on living in their own house. A residential care home provides a permanent home where care staff give help with washing, dressing, meals and company throughout the day. A nursing home does everything a residential care home does and also has registered nurses on duty at all times for needs that require clinical skill. The care needs assessment is what establishes which of these arrangements fits someone best.

Home Care in Gillingham

Gillingham has 31 CQC registered home care agencies. 8 are rated Good, 2 Requires improvement, 2 Inadequate, and 19 have not yet been rated. 9 of the 31 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Gillingham at a glance

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

Hourly care visits, South East: £28.00 to £36.96 an hour. Middle half of prices from 24 agencies.
People aged 75 and over: 23,900. Rising to 26,900 by 2035, up 13%
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 3,100. Rising to 3,700 by 2035, up 21%
People aged 85 and over: 5,800. Rising to 8,500 by 2035, up 47%
Dementia diagnosis rate: 65%. The NHS ambition is 67%.
Agencies in the borough, last 12 months: 8 opened, 11 closed. 100 registered today.
Choice of agencies: 224 within 10 miles. In a typical neighbourhood. The nearest is under a mile away (0.3 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.

Planning and paying for care at home in Gillingham

The care needs assessment comes first

Before comparing agencies it helps to know how much help is actually needed and at what times of day, and an assessment of need is what establishes that. Anyone living in Gillingham can ask for one, whatever their savings, and a relative or friend can request it on someone else's behalf. It looks at washing, dressing, meals, medication, mobility and safety around the house, and it produces a written record of the support required. Carers looking after someone can also ask for a separate assessment of their own needs, which is easy to overlook and often worth having.

How funded support is decided

Money is worked out separately from need. A financial assessment measures income and capital against the national thresholds, and Medway Council social care team is responsible both for assessing need and for arranging funded support where someone qualifies. Support that is funded may be delivered by an agency the council commissions, or taken as a direct payment so that the person picks their own provider from a list like this one. Those who pay for their own care can still ask for an assessment, and it is sensible to do so because it records what is needed and simplifies any later claim.

What care at home costs

Home care is priced by the visit rather than by the week, so the bill follows the length and number of calls rather than a single headline figure. Ask each agency for its hourly rate, whether half hour calls are charged at half the rate, and what applies at weekends and on bank holidays. Ask whether there is a set up fee, what notice is needed to change the schedule, and how waking nights and sleep in cover are charged, since those sit on quite different scales.

Choosing an agency in Gillingham and what to check

Making sense of a patchy rating picture

Thirty one agencies is a lot to sift through, and the inspection record only narrows part of it. Eight agencies here hold a rating of Good, among them Hamilton House, Right at Home Medway, Wisteria Care, Home Instead Medway and Mulberry House. Two are rated Requires Improvement and two are rated Inadequate, and those reports repay careful reading. The remaining nineteen have no published rating, so nothing independent has been recorded about them, and any judgement has to come from your own enquiries and from asking how long the agency has been operating.

The questions that tell you most

Ask how many different carers a person is likely to see over a fortnight, because continuity affects the experience of home care more than anything else. Ask what the shortest visit is, whether carers are given travel time between calls, and what the agency does when a visit cannot be covered. Ask who writes the care plan, how often it is reviewed, and how quickly extra calls can be added if someone comes out of hospital needing more support.

Checking an agency before you commit

Confirm that the agency actually covers your part of Gillingham at the hours you need, since coverage rules out more candidates than quality does. Ask whether you can meet the carers beforehand, whether there is an out of hours number that reaches a person, and how complaints are dealt with. Ask for references or for the name of a district nurse or social worker who knows the agency, and start with a short trial period if the agency will agree to one.

31 home care in Gillingham

Adenosh · 107 Saxton Street, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 5EG
Home care · Run by Adenosh Limited
Adenosh provides care at home for people living in Gillingham and across Medway. We work in people's own houses and flats, fitting around lives that are already established rather than trying to rearrange them. We visit older people who...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Eating Disorders, Alcohol / Drug Misuse
The Right Healthcare Services · 7 The Boardwalk, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 1FU
Home care · Run by The Right Healthcare Services Ltd
We at The Right Healthcare Services are proud to offer dedicated home care across Gillingham and the wider Medway area, supporting individuals to live safely, comfortably, and with dignity in the place they know best: their own home. Based...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Inspire Care Agencies · 127 Canterbury Street, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 5TT
Home care · Run by Inspire Care Agencies Limited
We at Inspire Care Agencies are proud to offer compassionate home care across Gillingham and the wider Medway area, supporting people to live well and safely in the place they know best: their own home. Operating from the heart of...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Hamilton House · 84-86 High Street, Gillingham, Medway, ME8 7JH
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Jorada Limited
We at Hamilton House are proud to provide trusted home care across Gillingham and the surrounding Medway communities, supporting individuals to live well and independently in the place they know and love best: their own home. Based in the...
Right at Home · 145 Watling Street, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 2YY
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Lynch4 Care Services Limited
We at Right at Home Medway are proud to provide compassionate home care across Gillingham and the wider Medway area, supporting people to live well and safely in the place they know and love most: their own home. Based in the heart of...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
131 Trafalgar Street · 131 Trafalgar Street, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 4RP
Home care · Run by Rehoboth Recruitment Services Limited
We at 131 Trafalgar Street are proud to offer compassionate home care across Gillingham and the surrounding Medway community, supporting individuals to live safely and comfortably in the place they know best: their own home. Based in the...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Platinum Quality · 61 Castlemaine Avenue, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 2QB
Home care · Run by Platinum Quality Ltd
Here at Platinum Quality, we provide home care support to people living in Gillingham, Medway, and the surrounding area. Our aim is straightforward: to help people live comfortably and independently in their own homes, with the right level...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Bluebird Care (Swale) · 84-86 High Street, Gillingham, Medway, ME8 7JH
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Leo 1214 Limited
Bluebird Care Swale provides support at home to adults in Gillingham and across Medway and Swale. The people we work with include older people who need help to stay in their own houses, adults living with dementia, people with a learning...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Eating Disorders, Alcohol / Drug Misuse
Wisteria Care · Middlefield House, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 4FA
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Mr & Mrs S Wortley
Here at Wisteria Care, we provide home care to people living in Gillingham and the surrounding areas of Dorset. We come to you, supporting you in the place that matters most, your own home, where you feel comfortable and where life makes...
Specialisms: Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment
Rapid Care · 67 Station Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME8 7SB
Home care · Run by Rapid Care Ltd
We are a home care agency in Gillingham, supporting people in their own homes across Medway and the surrounding area. We visit older people, including many living with dementia, people with physical disabilities, people living with sight...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
AHE Care Services · 32 Balmoral Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 4PG
Home care · Run by AHE Care Services Limited
We are AHE Care, based in Gillingham, and we provide care in people's own homes across Medway. The people we visit are a broad group: older people, many living with dementia, adults with learning disabilities and autistic people, adults...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Eating Disorders
The Shrubbery · 43-45, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 4AQ
Care home · Home care · Run by Langley House Trust
The Shrubbery provides care and support to people in Gillingham and across Medway. We work with adults who need help to manage daily life, whether that support is provided in their own home or in a residential setting, and we plan it...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Platinum living care · 119a, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 2YX
Home care · Run by Platinum Living Care Limited
Platinum Living Care provides support at home for people across Gillingham and the wider Medway area. Our work is to make staying at home a realistic option, with help arriving when it is genuinely needed and the rest of somebody's life...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Younger Adults
Initial Care Services South East · 116 Marshall Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME8 0AN
Home care · CQC Inadequate · Run by Initial Care Services South East Limited
We provide care at home in Gillingham and across Medway and the south east, supporting older people and younger adults. The people we work with include those living with dementia, adults with learning disabilities, autistic people, people...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Domiciliary Care Experts · 34 Canterbury Street, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 5TX
Home care · CQC Inadequate · Run by West Kent Group Ltd
We at Domiciliary Care Experts are a home care agency proudly supporting people across Gillingham and the wider Medway area, delivering compassionate care in the one place that truly feels like home. Our team is dedicated to helping local...
Specialisms: Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability
Havilah Discovery Care · 8a High Street, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 1BB
Home care · Run by Havilah Discovery Care Services Limited
Havilah Discovery Care provides support at home to people in Gillingham and across Medway. We work with older people who want to carry on living independently, with people who have physical disabilities and with younger adults who need...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Logic Care Solutions · 4 Bloors Lane, Gillingham, Medway, ME8 7EG
Home care · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Logic Care Solutions Limited
Logic Care Solutions provides care at home for older people and younger adults across Gillingham and the wider Medway area. Our work is to make staying at home practical, whether that means a short visit each morning or regular support...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Younger Adults
Mariah Care Main Office · Suite 316 Kingsley House, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 4NT
Home care · Run by Mariah Care Ltd
We at Mariah Care are proud to offer compassionate home care across Gillingham and the wider Medway area, bringing professional support directly into the place people love most: their own home. Operating from our base in the ME postcode...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Mulberry House · 159 Barnsole Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 4JH
Home care · CQC Good · Run by PureCare Care Services Limited
Mulberry House provides care at home for people in Gillingham and across Medway. We keep what we do straightforward: reliable, respectful support in the place where somebody already lives, for as much or as little of the day as they need....
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Mental Health, Younger Adults
Right Haven for Care · Suite 308 Kingsley House, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 4NT
Home care · Run by Right Haven For Care Ltd
Right Haven for Care provides care and support to people in their own homes in Gillingham and across Medway. We work with older people and younger adults, people living with dementia, and people whose physical disability makes everyday...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
7 Byron Road · 7 Byron Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 5XX
Home care · Run by Rapha Haven Supported Living Ltd
We are based at 7 Byron Road in Gillingham, and we provide support to adults in their own homes across Medway. Much of our work is with adults with learning disabilities, autistic adults and people living with mental ill health, including...
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Younger Adults
Universal Resolutions · 37-45 Balmoral Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 4NT
Home care · Run by Universal Resolutions Ltd
We at Universal Resolutions are proud to offer compassionate home care across Gillingham and the wider Medway area, supporting people to live safely and comfortably in the place they know best: their own home. As a dedicated home care...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Alcohol / Drug Misuse
Regalia Homecare · 139 Darland Avenue, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 3AH
Home care · Run by Regalia Homecare Ltd
We provide care at home in Gillingham and across Medway. Those we visit include older adults, people living with dementia, people with physical disabilities, people living with sight or hearing loss, and younger adults. Care at home works...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
MCH House · Bailey Drive, Gillingham, Medway, ME8 0PZ
Home care · Run by Medway Community Healthcare C.I.C
At MCH House, we provide home care support to people living in Gillingham and the wider Medway area. We work with individuals across a broad range of needs, including older adults, people living with dementia, those with learning...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
The Kent Autistic Trust - 14 High Street · Brompton, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 5AE
Home care · CQC Good · Run by The Kent Autistic Trust
We are part of The Kent Autistic Trust, and from our base in Gillingham we support autistic adults and adults with a learning disability in their own homes across Medway. Autism is not a sideline for us and that focus shapes how we work....
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism
Safe Habitation Private · 56 Milton Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 5LN
Home care · Run by Safe Habitation Private Ltd
We provide care at home in Gillingham and across Medway. Those we support include older adults, people living with dementia, adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults, and people managing mental health conditions. We plan each...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health
Natura Care Solutions · Office Number 3, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 4AB
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Natura Care Solutions Limited
We are Natura Care Solutions, based in Gillingham and supporting people in their own homes across this part of Dorset. We work with older people and people living with dementia, adults managing a mental health condition, people with a...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Home Instead · 33A High Street, Gillingham, Medway, ME8 7HX
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Dera Care Limited
We are Home Instead Medway, based in Gillingham, and we provide care in people's own homes across Medway. We support older people, including a great many living with dementia, adults with learning disabilities and autistic people, adults...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Community Careline · First Floor Offices, Gillingham, Medway, ME8 7JH
Home care · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Community Careline Services Medway Limited
Community Careline provides support in people's own homes in Gillingham and across Medway. Our work is to give people enough help to carry on living in their own houses, delivered by carers they know. We visit older people needing...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Spectrum Healthcare Support · 5 London Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME8 7RG
Home care · Run by Spectrum Healthcare Support Limited
We are Spectrum Healthcare Support, and we provide support to adults in their own homes in Gillingham and across Medway. We work with people whose needs vary a great deal, and we build the support around the individual rather than fitting...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Advanced Flourish Care · 3 Ashley Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME8 6TT
Home care · Run by Advanced Flourish Care Limited
We provide care at home in Gillingham and across Medway. The people we support include older people and younger adults, people living with dementia, adults with learning disabilities, autistic people, people with mental health conditions,...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults

What home care costs

Type of care	What it costs
Hourly care visits, South East Middle half of prices from 24 agencies. Median £32.92. Shown for South East because too few Medway agencies publish a rate.	£28.00 to £36.96 an hour
What Medway pays Average hourly rate, October 2026.	£21.92 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

Domiciliary Care Experts, 5 June 2026, Inadequate
Rapid Care, 18 March 2026, Not yet rated
Initial Care Services South East Limited, 18 December 2025, Inadequate

Longest since a report

Wisteria Care, 9 May 2018, Good
Mulberry House, 26 May 2018, Good
Hamilton House, 23 March 2019, Good

Frequently asked questions about home care in Gillingham

How many home care agencies are there in Gillingham?

Gillingham has 31 CQC registered home care agencies: 8 Good, 2 Requires improvement, 2 Inadequate, 19 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 Gillingham?

Hourly care visits, South East: £28.00 to £36.96 an hour. Middle half of prices from 24 agencies. Median £32.92. Shown for South East because too few Medway 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 Gillingham were inspected most recently?

Domiciliary Care Experts (5 June 2026), Rapid Care (18 March 2026) and Initial Care Services South East Limited (18 December 2025) have the most recent CQC reports.