Personal Care at Home in Slough

82 CQC-registered home care agencies in Slough. Compare ratings, read verified reviews and book care directly — free for families, no account needed.

Personal Care at Home in Slough

Personal care at home covers the hands-on tasks that many older or disabled people find difficult to manage alone: washing, bathing, dressing, toileting, continence support, help with eating and drinking, and moving safely around the home. For families in Slough, arranging this kind of care is often the first serious step into the adult social care system — and it can feel overwhelming, particularly if a parent has come home from hospital or their needs have changed quickly.

Slough is a busy, diverse town in Berkshire, with a large elderly population and a well-established care market. There are around 92 CQC-registered home care agencies operating in the area, which means there is real choice — but also a need to compare carefully. Not every agency will have the right experience for your relative's specific needs, the right availability in their postcode, or a team that speaks a language they are comfortable with. Those practical details matter as much as the headline quality rating.

CareAH is a marketplace that connects families to CQC-registered agencies. It does not deliver care itself. Its purpose is to make it easier for you to find, compare, and contact agencies in Slough so you can make an informed decision without having to search across dozens of separate websites. The information on this page is designed to give you a clear picture of what personal care involves, how it is funded locally, what to look for in an agency, and what questions to ask before you commit.

The local picture in Slough

Most personal care packages in Slough follow one of two routes: planned care arranged at home after a gradual decline in someone's condition, or an urgent package needed after a hospital discharge.

The main hospital serving Slough residents is Wexham Park Hospital, part of Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. When an older patient is medically ready to leave Wexham Park but cannot yet manage at home without support, the discharge team will typically consider one of the NHS-defined pathways. Pathway 1 covers supported discharge to a person's own home with short-term NHS reablement or community health input. Pathway 2 involves a transfer to a bedded setting for recovery before returning home. Pathway 0 is for patients who can go home with minimal or no additional support [8].

Frimley Health also operates Discharge to Assess (D2A) arrangements, in which a patient moves home and is assessed for their longer-term needs in a familiar environment rather than on a busy ward. If your relative has come home under a D2A arrangement, the assessment of whether they need ongoing funded care — and who pays for it — will happen in the weeks following discharge.

For people with the most complex clinical needs, NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) provides fully funded care regardless of financial means [2][3]. A CHC assessment looks at the nature, complexity, and intensity of a person's health needs. Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust's Integrated Care Board is responsible for CHC decisions in this area. If your relative has significant health needs, it is worth asking the discharge team at Wexham Park whether a CHC checklist has been completed before they leave hospital.

Slough Borough Council is responsible for adult social care assessments and for funding packages where NHS funding does not apply.

What good looks like

Personal care is regulated activity in England, which means agencies must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) before they can legally provide it [4]. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, providing regulated personal care without CQC registration is a criminal offence [6]. Every agency listed on CareAH is CQC-registered. If you are ever approached by an agency that is not on the CQC register, they are operating illegally and you should not use them. You can verify any agency's registration status and read their inspection reports on the CQC website at no cost [4].

Beyond registration, practical signals of a well-run agency include:

  • A clear written statement of the services covered and excluded in the care package
  • A named care coordinator you can contact directly if something changes
  • Consistent carer allocation — frequent changes of carer are disruptive for someone needing personal care
  • A documented care plan that is updated when needs change, not just at annual review
  • Clear procedures for what happens if a scheduled carer cannot attend
  • Transparent hourly rates and any additional charges (bank holiday rates, call-out fees, travel charges)
  • Experience supporting people with the condition your relative is recovering from or living with

Ask agencies directly how they handle complaints, how carers are supervised, and what training they require beyond the statutory minimum. Agencies serving Slough's diverse communities should also be able to tell you whether they can match carers by language preference or cultural background where that matters to your family.

Funding personal care in Slough

Funding for personal care in Slough depends on who assesses the need and what level of assets the person has.

Local authority funding: Slough Borough Council has a duty under the Care Act 2014 [5] to carry out a needs assessment for any adult who appears to need care and support. If the assessment concludes that eligible needs exist, a financial assessment (means test) determines how much the council contributes. The upper capital limit is currently £23,250; below £14,250, capital is generally disregarded [1]. For a needs assessment, search 'Slough Borough Council adult social care' for current contact details and opening hours.

NHS Continuing Healthcare: Where a person's primary need is a health need, NHS Continuing Healthcare funding may cover the full cost of care, regardless of savings [2][3]. Contact Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust's Integrated Care Board if you believe your relative may qualify.

Direct Payments: If Slough Borough Council agrees to fund care, your relative may be entitled to receive the budget as a Direct Payment and use it to purchase care themselves [9]. This gives more flexibility in choosing an agency.

Self-funding: If capital exceeds £23,250, the person typically funds their own care until assets reduce to the threshold [1]. Many families in this position still find it useful to use CareAH to compare agencies on quality and fit, not just price.

Questions to ask before you commit

  • 1.Which specific personal care tasks are included in the package, and which would cost extra?
  • 2.How many different carers would visit my relative each week, and how is consistency managed?
  • 3.What is the procedure if a carer cannot attend a scheduled visit at short notice?
  • 4.Do your carers have experience supporting people with the condition my relative is living with?
  • 5.Can you match a carer by language preference or cultural background if that is important to my family?
  • 6.What are your hourly rates, and are there additional charges for bank holidays, evenings, or short visits?
  • 7.How will the care plan be updated if my relative's needs change, and who is our main point of contact?

CQC-registered home care agencies in Slough

When comparing personal care agencies in Slough, look beyond the overall CQC rating to the detail of each inspection report — particularly how the agency performs on 'Responsive' (whether care is tailored to individual needs) and 'Well-led' (how managers handle problems). Check when the last inspection took place; a strong rating from several years ago may not reflect the agency's current performance. Consider practical fit as well as quality: does the agency cover your relative's specific postcode, do their available visiting times match your relative's routine, and do they have capacity to take on a new client now rather than in several weeks? In a market of around 92 CQC-registered home care agencies in the Slough area, there is genuine choice — but availability in any given week can vary. Use CareAH to contact multiple agencies at once and compare their responses on both substance and speed.

Showing top 50 of 82. See all CQC-registered home care agencies in Slough →

Frequently asked questions

What does personal care at home actually include?

Personal care covers hands-on support with washing, bathing, showering, oral hygiene, dressing, toileting, continence management, help with eating and drinking, and safe moving and positioning. It does not typically include nursing tasks such as wound management or medication administration by injection — those require a separate clinical referral. Agencies vary in what they offer, so confirm exactly which tasks are included in any proposed care package.

How many visits per day does a personal care package usually involve?

It depends entirely on the person's needs. Some people need one morning visit to help with washing and dressing. Others need four calls a day — morning, midday, teatime, and a late evening call for settling to bed. The number and timing of visits should be based on a proper assessment of what the person genuinely needs to live safely at home, not just what is cheapest or most convenient to roster.

My relative has just been discharged from Wexham Park Hospital — how quickly can care start?

Good home care agencies can often mobilise within 24 to 48 hours for urgent post-discharge needs. The hospital discharge team at Wexham Park should give you a planned discharge date as early as possible [8]. Use that lead time to contact agencies through CareAH so you are not arranging care on the day of discharge. If a Discharge to Assess pathway is in place, short-term NHS-funded reablement may bridge the gap while longer-term arrangements are made.

Can Slough Borough Council fund personal care, and how do I start the process?

Yes. Slough Borough Council has a legal duty under the Care Act 2014 [5] to assess any adult who appears to need care. If your relative is assessed as having eligible needs and their capital is below £23,250 [1], the council may fund all or part of the care. To start, search 'Slough Borough Council adult social care' for current contact details. You do not need a GP referral to request an assessment, though GP input can be helpful.

What is NHS Continuing Healthcare and could my relative qualify?

NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is fully funded care for people whose primary need is a health need rather than a social care need [2][3]. It is arranged and paid for by the NHS, so personal assets are irrelevant. Eligibility is assessed using a Decision Support Tool. If your relative has complex, unpredictable health needs — not just age-related frailty — it is worth asking the discharge team at Wexham Park to complete a CHC checklist. For independent advice, the charity Beacon offers free CHC support [10].

What is a Direct Payment and how does it work in practice?

A Direct Payment is money paid by Slough Borough Council directly to the person needing care (or a suitable representative) so they can arrange and purchase their own care [9]. This means your relative can choose their own agency rather than accepting whoever the council commissions. The money must be used for the assessed care needs and is subject to review. Direct Payments are available to most people with eligible care needs under the Care Act 2014 [5].

How do I compare personal care agencies in Slough if several seem similar?

Start with the CQC inspection report for each agency [4] — check the specific ratings for 'Responsive' and 'Well-led', not just the overall rating. Then ask each agency about carer consistency, what happens when a carer calls in sick, and how they handle complaints. Ask for a sample care plan so you can see how they document needs. Pricing matters, but the lowest hourly rate is not always the best value if it comes with high staff turnover or poor communication.

Is CQC registration legally required for a home care agency?

Yes. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 [6], any organisation providing regulated personal care in England — including washing, dressing, and toileting support — must be registered with the Care Quality Commission. Providing this care without registration is a criminal offence. You can check whether an agency is registered, and read its inspection reports, on the CQC website [4]. CareAH only lists CQC-registered agencies. If you encounter an agency that is not on the register, do not use them.

Sources

  1. [1]GOV.UK — Social care charging 2026 to 2027
  2. [2]GOV.UK — National framework for NHS continuing healthcare
  3. [3]NHS England — NHS Continuing Healthcare
  4. [4]Care Quality Commission
  5. [5]Care Act 2014 (legislation.gov.uk)
  6. [6]Health and Social Care Act 2008 (legislation.gov.uk)
  7. [8]NHS — Leaving hospital after being an inpatient
  8. [9]GOV.UK — Apply for direct payments
  9. [10]Beacon — Free NHS Continuing Healthcare advice

External sources open in a new tab. CareAH is not responsible for the content of external websites.