How do I arrange a care needs assessment in Pontefract?

Contact the adult social care team at Wakefield Metropolitan District Council and ask for a care needs assessment, either for yourself or on behalf of someone you look after. The assessment is free and is not means tested, so savings and income do not affect your right to one. Anyone providing regular unpaid care can also request a separate carer assessment in their own right. Ask for the outcome in writing, because agencies will quote against the visits and purposes it sets out.

Can Wakefield Metropolitan District Council fund home care in Pontefract?

It can, where a person has been assessed as needing support at home and the financial assessment shows they qualify for help with the cost. Wakefield Metropolitan District Council carries out both stages, agreeing the support required and then reviewing income and capital to calculate any contribution. Some people receive fully funded care, some pay a share of the hourly rate, and many arrange care privately. Those who are funded can often take a direct payment and choose their own agency rather than being allocated one.

Which providers in Pontefract offer home care?

Eighteen agencies registered to deliver personal care in people's own homes cover Pontefract, and each appears on this page with any published inspection rating. They vary widely in size, from small local services to branches of larger organisations. Capacity differs by area and by time of day, so approach more than one, especially if early morning or evening calls are needed. Every listing opens into a profile containing the inspection detail where a report exists.

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

Home care brings support to someone in their own home in scheduled visits, so their routine and surroundings stay their own between calls. A residential care home provides accommodation with personal care available day and night, which suits people no longer safe alone for long periods. A nursing home goes further still, keeping qualified nurses on site for clinical needs such as wound care or injections. Every provider listed on this page delivers care in people's own homes rather than in a residential setting.

How far ahead should I start arranging home care in Pontefract?

Home care usually starts more quickly than a residential move, but allowing two to four weeks gives time for the assessment, for meeting an agency and for agreeing the care plan properly. Where a hospital discharge is setting the timing, say so, because those referrals are handled differently. If the need is immediate, many agencies will begin with a small package and build on it once everyone can see what works. Starting sooner also leaves room to change agency if the first choice does not suit.

What should I ask when choosing a home care agency in Pontefract?

Ask how many different carers would visit across a typical fortnight, because continuity matters more than almost anything else. Find out the minimum visit length, how sickness among carers is covered, and what happens if a call is missed completely. Ask for the full rate card including weekends, bank holidays and two carer calls, and ask whether travel time is charged. Ask who answers out of hours and how quickly the office actually responds when something goes wrong.

Home Care in Pontefract

Pontefract has 18 CQC registered home care agencies. 8 are rated Good, 2 Requires improvement, and 8 have not yet been rated. 10 of the 18 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Pontefract at a glance

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

Hourly care visits, Yorkshire and The Humber: £24.99 to £36.00 an hour. Middle half of prices from 5 agencies.
People aged 75 and over: 35,200. Rising to 41,000 by 2035, up 17%
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 4,500. Rising to 5,600 by 2035, up 25%
People aged 85 and over: 8,400. Rising to 12,500 by 2035, up 48%
Dementia diagnosis rate: 64%. The NHS ambition is 67%.
Agencies in the borough, last 12 months: 2 opened, 6 closed. 78 registered today.
Choice of agencies: 220 within 10 miles. In a typical neighbourhood. The nearest is under a mile away (0.5 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 and Funding Care at Home in Pontefract

Support at home is purchased by the hour or by the visit, which makes it unlike almost every other kind of care arrangement. It can begin very small, with one call to help someone wash and dress, and expand gradually as needs change. Because the cost tracks the hours exactly, the useful first step is not ringing agencies but working out precisely what help is needed, at what times of day, and who is going to pay for it.

The Care Needs Assessment

Anyone who appears to need help at home is entitled to a free care needs assessment, and savings make no difference because this stage is not means tested. It is arranged through Wakefield Metropolitan District Council adult social care, the authority responsible for assessing what support a person needs and for arranging funded care where they qualify. The assessment records how many visits are required and what each is meant to achieve, and agencies will quote against exactly that.

Contributions and Direct Payments

A financial assessment then looks at income and capital and determines whether the council contributes, covers the cost outright, or whether the family buys care privately. Where support is funded, many people take a direct payment and commission their own care, which means choosing an agency rather than accepting whoever is allocated. Hourly rates vary between agencies and generally increase at weekends, on bank holidays and for calls requiring two carers, so ask for a written rate card covering every one of those cases.

Details Worth Settling Early

Ask what the minimum visit length is, since a fifteen minute call rarely accomplishes more than a medication prompt. Ask what happens when a regular carer is unwell, and whether travel time between visits appears on the bill.

Choosing the Right Agency in Pontefract and What to Look For

Making Sense of an Incomplete Inspection Record

Eight agencies covering Pontefract hold a Good rating, two are rated Requires Improvement and eight carry no rating at all. That last figure is the one that unsettles families, so it is worth being clear: an unrated agency has generally registered too recently to have been visited, which is not the same as having been judged poorly. Where that applies, ask how long the agency has operated, who the registered manager is, and what its own monitoring of late and missed calls shows. An agency willing to answer that plainly is usually one worth considering. Where a rating of Requires Improvement exists, read the report, since such findings often concern records and oversight rather than the care itself.

Testing for Reliability

Care at home depends on someone arriving, at roughly the right time, and on it being the same someone from week to week. Ask how many different carers a person would meet over a fortnight, how late a call must run before the office rings to warn you, and how visits are recorded and checked afterwards. Ask what the agency does when a call is missed outright, and whether relatives can see the visit logs.

Saying What Matters Most

Be explicit about priorities, whether that is a consistent carer, punctual calls at a fixed hour, or specific skills such as dementia experience or safe moving and handling. Raise it at the enquiry stage and ask for it to be written into the care plan, rather than assuming it will be understood.

18 home care in Pontefract

Cresta Healthcare · 16 Goodwood Road, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF8 2GA
Home care · Run by Cresta Healthcare Ltd
Cresta Healthcare provides care and support to people in their own homes in Pontefract and the surrounding area. We work with older people and with younger adults, and our experience covers dementia, learning disabilities and autism,...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Fulfilling Healthcare · 3 Treetop Mews, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF9 3FF
Home care · Run by Fulfilling Healthcare Ltd
Fulfilling Healthcare provides care and support in people's own homes in Pontefract and the surrounding parts of Wakefield. Our purpose is to make home a place where somebody can be properly looked after, so that staying put remains a real...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Eating Disorders
Helping Hands- 5 Towns · 22 Willow Bank Drive, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF8 2WQ
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Miss Roxanne Meeson
Helping Hands supports people in their own homes in Pontefract and the surrounding towns. We work with people living with dementia or mental ill health, and with people who have physical disabilities or sight and hearing loss. Care at home...
Specialisms: Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment
Ivy Care Services · 52 Stockingate, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF9 3RR
Home care · Run by Ivy Care Services Ltd
Ivy Care provides support to people in their own homes in Pontefract and across the Wakefield area. Home care works best when it is reliable, unhurried and delivered by people you recognise, and that is what we set out to offer. Most of...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Younger Adults
Young People's Empowerment Project CIC · Churchill House, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF8 4HY
Home care · Run by Young People's Empowerment Project CIC
We provide care and support in people's own homes in Pontefract and the surrounding part of Wakefield. We work with adults who have a learning disability and autistic adults, with people who have physical disabilities and with older...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Glimmer of Hope Care Services · 2 Grace Close, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF9 5NP
Home care · Run by Glimmer of Hope Care Services Ltd
Glimmer of Hope provides care in people's own homes across Pontefract and the Wakefield district. We support older people and younger adults, people living with dementia or a mental health condition, and people with a physical disability....
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
1 Diamond Home Care · Unit 25, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF9 4PU
Home care · CQC Good · Run by 1 Diamond Home Care Ltd
We are a home care agency in Pontefract, supporting people in their own homes across Wakefield and the surrounding towns. Those we visit include older adults, people living with dementia, adults with learning disabilities and autistic...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Malachi Care Services · Churchill House, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF8 4HY
Home care · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Malachi Care Services Ltd
Malachi Care supports people in their own homes in Pontefract and across the Wakefield district. We work with older people and people living with dementia, with adults who have a learning disability and with autistic adults, with people...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Younger Adults
Ethnatcel Care · Kyte Yorkshire Business Centre, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF8 3HR
Home care · Run by Ethnatcel Care LTD
We provide care at home in Pontefract and across the Wakefield district. Those we visit include older adults, people living with dementia, people with physical disabilities, people living with sight or hearing loss, and younger adults. Our...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Luxor Gate Health Care Services · 41 West Street, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF9 4QN
Home care · Run by Luxor Gate Health Care Services Limited
We provide care at home in Pontefract and the surrounding part of Wakefield, 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, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Alcohol / Drug Misuse
HCF The Springs · HCF The Springs, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF9 4LX
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Momentum Care And Support (Yorkshire) Limited
HCF The Springs provides support at home for people in Pontefract and across the Wakefield district. The people we visit include older people, many of them living with dementia, as well as younger adults, people with a learning disability...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
HOME CARING SERVICES · 1 Orchard Mews, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF8 2US
Home care · CQC Good · Run by HomeCaringServices Limited
At Home Caring, based in Pontefract, Wakefield, we provide personalised home care that helps people live comfortably and independently in their own homes. We work with a wide range of individuals, including older adults, younger adults,...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Just Homes Care · Westfield Centre, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF9 2PQ
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Just Homes (Care) Limited
Just Homes Care is a home care agency based in Pontefract, supporting people in their own homes across the Wakefield area. We work with older people, adults who are autistic or have a learning disability, people with mental health needs...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability
Eleanor Nursing and Social Care - Yorkshire Branch · Unit 5, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF9 4PU
Home care · Run by Eleanor Nursing and Social Care Limited
We are a home care agency based in Pontefract, supporting people across Wakefield and the towns around it in the place they know best, which is their own home. Familiar surroundings matter more than people expect. The chair by the window,...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Younger Adults
Croft Healthcare · Unit 1 Railway Avenue, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF8 4PJ
Home care · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Croft Healthcare Ltd
We at Croft Healthcare are proud to provide compassionate home care across Pontefract and the wider Wakefield area, supporting individuals to live safely and comfortably in the place they know best: their own home. Our team delivers person...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Classic Health Care Solutions · 10 Cherry Drive, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF8 2FH
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Classic Health Care Solutions Ltd
We at Classic Health Care Solutions are proud to offer trusted home care across Pontefract and the wider Wakefield area, supporting individuals to live well and safely within the comfort and familiarity of their own homes. Based in the WF...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Younger Adults
Kloay's Care · 1a Charter House, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF8 1DE
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Kloay's Care Ltd
We at Kloay's Care are proud to provide compassionate home care across Pontefract and the wider Wakefield area, supporting people to live well in the place they know best, their own home. As a dedicated home care agency rooted in the WF...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults
Peripatetic Service De Lacy Gardens · De Lacy Gardens, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF8 4GY
Home care · CQC Good · Run by Wakefield MDC
We provide support at home across Pontefract and the surrounding part of Wakefield, working wherever we are needed rather than from a fixed base. The people we support include older people and younger adults, people living with dementia,...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Alcohol / Drug Misuse

What home care costs

Type of care	What it costs
Hourly care visits, Yorkshire and The Humber Middle half of prices from 5 agencies. Median £28.99. Shown for Yorkshire and The Humber because too few Wakefield agencies publish a rate.	£24.99 to £36.00 an hour
What Wakefield pays Average hourly rate, October 2026.	£29.20 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

Croft Healthcare Ltd, 23 May 2023, Requires improvement
Helping Hands- 5 Towns, 21 December 2022, Good
Malachi Care Services, 19 October 2022, Requires improvement

Longest since a report

Kloay's Care Ltd Head Office, 15 May 2019, Good
Peripatetic Service De Lacy Gardens, 28 August 2019, Good
HCF The Springs, 3 September 2019, Good

Frequently asked questions about home care in Pontefract

How many home care agencies are there in Pontefract?

Pontefract has 18 CQC registered home care agencies: 8 Good, 2 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 Pontefract?

Hourly care visits, Yorkshire and The Humber: £24.99 to £36.00 an hour. Middle half of prices from 5 agencies. Median £28.99. Shown for Yorkshire and The Humber because too few Wakefield 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 Pontefract were inspected most recently?

Croft Healthcare Ltd (23 May 2023), Helping Hands- 5 Towns (21 December 2022) and Malachi Care Services (19 October 2022) have the most recent CQC reports.