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Home care in Bedford

90 agencies

There are 90 home care agencies in and around Bedford on AskBart. 85% of those rated by the CQC are Good or Outstanding, against 79% nationally (CQC data, October 2026). The most recent inspection was at Hands In Harmony Home Care Services Limited in November 2023.

Free, independent advice from Janet, Claire and the AskBart teamHow we check our information

Bedford

Home care agencies (90)

Pins show each agency's office; care is given in people's own homes.

  • Outstanding
  • Good
  • Requires improvement
  • Inadequate
  • Not rated
90 agencies found

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Homesaints LimitedVerified
CQC Requires improvement

Homesaints Limited is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support in people's own homes.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
Fees on request
View agency: Homesaints Limited
No photos yet
Verified
CQC Good

Bedford Borough Council

Dame Alice Court is a home care agency based in Bedford that provides care and support in people's own homes.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
Fees on request
View agency: Dame Alice Court
Samorem Health CareVerified
CQC Good

Samorem Health Care is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support to people in their own homes.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
Fees on request
View agency: Samorem Health Care
Oak Way HouseVerified
CQC Good

Bedford Citizens Housing Association

Oak Way House is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire.

CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
Fees on request
View agency: Oak Way House
No photos yet
Verified
CQC Good

Bedford Borough Council

Tavistock Court is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support to people in their own homes.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
Fees on request
View agency: Tavistock Court
No photos yet
Verified
CQC Good

L&F Care Services

L & F Care Services is a dementia-focused care home providing specialist support for older people aged 65 and over, younger adults under 65, and people with…

Dementia
CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
Fees on request
View agency: L & F Care Services
No photos yet
Verified
CQC Requires improvement

Careville

Careville Ltd is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support in people's own homes.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
Fees on request
View agency: Careville Ltd.
No photos yet
Verified
CQC Good

McCarthy Stone

Yourlife (Bedford) is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support to people in their own homes.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
Fees on request
View agency: Yourlife (Bedford)
KS CareVerified
CQC Requires improvement

KS Care is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
Fees on request
View agency: KS Care
Right at Home BedfordVerified
CQC Requires improvement

Right at Home

Right at Home Bedford is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support to people in their own homes.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
Fees on request
View agency: Right at Home Bedford
No photos yet
Verified
CQC Good

MHA (Methodist Homes)

Ladyslaude Court is a home care agency run by Methodist Homes, based in Bedford, Bedfordshire.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
ARCO Approved
Fees on request
View agency: Ladyslaude Court
No photos yet
Verified
CQC Good

Your TL Homecare is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support to people in their own homes.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
Fees on request
View agency: Your TL Homecare
No photos yet
Verified
CQC Good

Telopea MSL is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support in people's own homes.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
Fees on request
View agency: Telopea MSL
The Caring HandsVerified
CQC Good

The Caring Hands is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support to people in their own homes.

Dementia
CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
Fees on request
View agency: The Caring Hands
No photos yet
Verified

Cera Care

Cera Bedford is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support in people's own homes.

Dementia
Fees on request
View agency: Cera Bedford
No photos yet
Verified
CQC Good

Zach's Care is a home care agency based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, providing care and support to people in their own homes.

CQC:Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
Fees on request
View agency: Zach's Care

Key facts: Bedford

Home care agencies listed90
Rated Good or Outstanding35 of 41 (85%)
Rated Outstanding3
Rated Requires improvement or Inadequate6
Bedford usual weekly rate (2025)£1,077
Most recently inspectedHands In Harmony Home Care Services Limited (November 2023)
Outstanding3
Good32
Requires improvement5
Inadequate1
Not yet rated49

Data: CQC register, updated October 2026. Figures are for the homes listed on this page.

Not sure how much care is needed?

Answer a few questions and we’ll estimate the hours a week, a visit schedule and a rough cost for care at home in Bedford — in about a minute.

Estimate care needs

CQC quality of home care in Bedford

Rated Good or Outstanding
35/ 41 rated
Outstanding
3
Newly registered (awaiting rating)
49

Every agency here is regulated by the Care Quality Commission. Each profile shows the full CQC breakdown — whether the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Care agency vs a private carer in Bedford

A private or introductory-agency carer often charges less per hour than a CQC-regulated agency — but the difference pays for cover, vetting and the legal responsibilities the agency carries for you. Here’s how the two compare.

CQC-regulated home care agency compared with a private or introductory-agency carer
 CQC-regulated agencyPrivate / introductory carer
RegulationRegistered with and inspected by the CQC — a published rating on every profileNot inspected — an individual carer is not CQC-regulated
If your carer is off sickThe agency sends a replacement, so care never stopsYou have to arrange emergency cover yourself
Employment & taxThe agency employs the carer — pay, tax, pension and insurance are handled for youYou may become the carer’s legal employer, with HMRC, pension and insurance duties
Training, DBS & insuranceCarers are trained, DBS-checked and covered by the agency’s insuranceYou check training, references and DBS yourself
Typical hourly rate£22–£28 per hour£15–£19 per hour

The higher agency rate buys the cover, training and liability an agency carries for you — the reassurance most families want when arranging care for a parent. Every agency listed on this page is registered with the CQC.

Rates are typical UK ranges, not local quotes, and vary by provider, timing and the level of care. Employing a carer directly makes you their employer — check your responsibilities on GOV.UK.

What home care costs in Bedford

Hourly (visiting) care
£22–£30per hour
Overnight (waking) care
£150–£220per night
Live-in care
£1,100–£1,600per week

Estimated typical UK ranges — actual fees depend on the agency, the hours you need, and the level of care. Always get a written quote after a needs assessment. For context, Bedford council's published cost-of-care rate was around £1,077/week (2025). Check who pays with the funding calculator.

Paying for home care in Bedford: your home is protected

This is the difference families most often miss. When your relative is cared for in their own home, the value of that home is left out of the council’s financial assessment. Move into a care home and the property is usually counted — which is why so many families worry about having to sell up. Staying at home removes that worry entirely.

The property disregard

Your main or only home is never included in the means test for care at home. The assessment looks only at savings, capital and income — the house you live in is disregarded for as long as care is provided there.

How the means test works (England)

  • Over £23,250 in savings & capital — you pay the full cost of your care (a “self-funder”).
  • Under £14,250 — your capital is ignored; you contribute only from income.
  • Between the two — a sliding scale: roughly £1 a week for every £250 of capital above £14,250.
  • Your home — disregarded throughout, because the care happens there.

Bedford council carries out a free care-needs assessment first, then a financial assessment to work out what, if anything, you pay towards care in Bedford.

Check who pays with our calculatorNHS: paying for your own care

Capital limits are the England thresholds (frozen for several years — check the current figures). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use different limits and rules. The residential-care property rules are more nuanced (a partner still living there, or a 12-week disregard, can change things). Always get a financial assessment from your council.

What later-life care costs in Bedford

Average weekly costs for the main types of care, so you can see how Bedford compares with the wider Bedfordshire area and the UK.

Average weekly care costs in Bedford, Bedfordshire and the UK
Type of careBedfordBedfordshire avgUK average
Residential care home£1,586£1,378£1,200
Nursing care home£1,586£1,430£1,500
Live-in care (est.)——~£1,400
Visiting care, 20 hrs/wk (est.)——~£460

Residential care in Bedford averages £1,586/week — about 32% above the UK average.

Care-home figures are the average advertised private weekly fee across AskBart’s listings (Bedford within ~5 miles; Bedfordshire county-wide); actual fees depend on the home, room and level of care. Home-care figures are typical UK estimates — we don’t yet hold verified local agency rates, so they aren’t shown per area. Always get written quotes. Model your own numbers with the care cost calculator.

The true cost of care at home vs a care home in Bedford

Families often compare a care-home fee to home-care hours alone — but a care home already includes the room, meals and bills, while staying at home means paying for those on top of the care. Adjust the figures for an illustrative weekly and yearly comparison, and see where a care home becomes the cheaper choice. The care-home figure is prefilled with Bedford's average private fee — adjust any number to match your own quotes.

Care home (£/week)

Household costs total £173/week. Attendance Allowance is a non-means-tested benefit (2026/27 rates £76.70 lower / £114.60 higher per week — check the current rate); it is usually payable whether you stay at home or self-fund a care home, so it is applied to every option below.

Home-care visits

35 hrs/week × £23

£978/wk

£50,856/year

£805 care + £173 bills

Lowest total cost

Live-in care

one carer, living with you

£1,573/wk

£81,796/year

£1,400 care + £173 bills

Residential care home

room, meals & bills included

£1,586/wk

£82,472/year

Where it changes over

Once the £173/week of household bills are counted, staying at home works out cheaper only up to about 61 hours of care a week. Beyond that, live-in care — where the bills are already included — usually costs less.

A guide, not a quote

Every figure is an editable estimate. Household bills vary by home and circumstances; live-in care may need two carers for high or overnight needs; and the right choice depends on the level of care needed, not just the total. Always get real quotes and a care-needs assessment before deciding.

Illustrative only — a transparent model, not a quote. See who should pay towards care in our care funding & means-test calculator, or ask Bart.

Support for staying at home in Bedford

Care at home works best alongside local health services, grants and carer support. These are the main routes to help — home adaptations are administered by Bedford council.

Home adaptations & grants

Grab rails, stairlifts and level-access showers can be part-funded by a Disabled Facilities Grant — the practical changes that let care at home succeed.

Disabled Facilities Grant

Help paying for care

Attendance Allowance is a non-means-tested benefit that helps with the cost of care at home for people over State Pension age.

Attendance Allowance

District nursing & community health

NHS community teams visit at home for wound care, medication support and ongoing conditions, alongside your care agency.

NHS care & support

Support for family carers

Advice, a carer’s assessment, respite and local support groups for relatives who help with care.

Carers UK advice

Prescription delivery

Local pharmacies can prepare weekly blister packs (dosette boxes) and deliver medicines to the door.

Find a pharmacy

Links open official NHS, GOV.UK and national charity services that localise to your postcode. AskBart is independent and isn’t affiliated with these organisations.

Common questions

How many home care agencies are there in Bedford?

AskBart lists 90 CQC-registered home care agencies in and around Bedford, 3 of them rated Outstanding.

How much does home care cost in Bedford?

Visiting (hourly) home care in Bedford typically costs £22–£30 per hour, overnight care £150–£220 per night, and live-in care £1,100–£1,600 per week. Actual fees depend on the agency and your care needs — always ask for a written quote after a free needs assessment.

Are home care agencies in Bedford regulated?

Yes. Every agency listed here is registered with and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 35 of the 41 rated agencies are rated Good or Outstanding. Each profile shows the full CQC rating across all five areas: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Weighing up your options in Bedford?

Care needs change over time. Compare the other kinds of later-life care in Bedford:

Need more support than visiting care can give?Compare care homes in BedfordThinking about downsizing to an independent community?Explore retirement living in Bedford

Near Bedford

Paying for care? See how care is funded and check what the council may pay.

Guides for families

More in our home care guides.

Talk to a care at home expert.

Choosing home care is a big decision. Get free, friendly guidance on the agencies in Bedford — no obligation, just clear answers when you need them.

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Header photo: Gary Houston, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons