Looking for a charity, care organisation or association that can help support you with home care? If you are trying to get help for specific care needs at home, there are many organisations including care regulators who can help.

Regulators

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent health and social care regulator for England. It regulates and inspects home care providers and care homes to check that they meet high standards of care.

Care Inspectorate (CI)

Care Inspectorate (CI) is the independent health and social care regulator for Scotland. It regulates and inspects home care providers and care homes to check that these care settings meet high standards of care.

Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW)

Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) is the independent regulator for social care and childcare in Wales. It regulates and inspects home care organisations and care homes to check the care settings meet high standards of care.

Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)

The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) is the independent body responsible for monitoring and inspecting the quality of health and social care services in Northern Ireland.

Charities, care associations and organisations

Action for M.E.

Action for M.E. helps individuals living with M.E. or those supporting someone with M.E./CFS of any age in the UK. It offers an M.E. friends online forum for adults.

M.E helpline 0117 927 9551.

Age UK

Age UK operates branches across the UK that aims to improve the lives of older people. The charity operates day clubs and offers advice and support online for older people and their families.

Age UK Advice Line: 0800 678 1602.

Alzheimer’s Research

Alzheimer’s Research is a charity that funds research into dementia. It aims to find a cure for Alzheimer’s.   

Alzheimer’s Society

The Alzheimer’s Society has local support services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, to help people living with dementia and those caring for them. It raises money to fund medical research to improve dementia care and find a cure for dementia.  

It offers help through its factsheets, online forum Dementia Support Forum and its dementia support helpline 0333 150 3456.

Arthritis Action

The Arthritis Action charity helps people cope with the symptoms of arthritis.It has an online forum for people with arthritis and offers access to clinical appointments.

Bipolar UK

Bipolar UK has online and face-to-face peer support groups for people with bipolar and their families. It also has an online forum and one-to-one peer support via telephone and email info@bipolaruk.org.

BRACE

BRACE is a charity raising money for research into Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia to find better treatments, earlier diagnosis and a cure. It supports researchers in South West England and South Wales.

British Deaf Association

The British Deaf Association provides information and support to help people with all levels of hearing loss.

This includes one-to-one support for a deaf person from a trained advocate and sign language courses for hearing families of deaf people.   

British Institute for Learning Difficulties

The British Institute for Learning Difficulties (BILD) offers organisations good practice services such as accreditation and training about learning difficulties, consultancy and guidance publications to help improve their support of people with learning difficulties.

British Society of Gerontology

The British Society of Gerontology is focused on research and education into the study of ageing and older adults.  

Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research is a charity funding research to help beat cancer. It provides an online cancer support forum, advice and a nurse helpline 0808 800 4040.   

Care England

Care England represents independent adult social care providers in England.

Care Forum Wales

The organisation Care Forum Wales represents health and social care providers across Wales.

Care Rights UK

Care Rights UK gives advice and support to people using care services and their relatives and friends. It provides information about care costs, social care regulation, government policy and campaigns for improvements in care. Helpline: 020 7359 8136.

Care Workers Charity

The Care Workers Charity supports current and former care workers if they need financial help (e.g. due to an injury etc.) by giving them crisis grants. The care workers need to have had paid work in the care sector. The charity also provides free mental health support from qualified therapists.

Those who can benefit include ex and current staff working in home care, supported living, care homes and day centres.

Carers UK

The organisation Carers UK gives support and information to unpaid carers.

Carers who need to talk to someone, can call Carers UK helpline 0808 808 7777.

Cinnamon Trust

The Cinnamon Trust offers free care to pets if their owners have died or gone into hospital temporarily. The charity finds the pet foster care until the owner is well enough to look after their pet again. The trust offers voluntary dog walking support for owners (who are aged 65+ or terminally ill) who can no longer exercise their pets themselves.

Eligible pet owners can call 01736 757900.  

Citizens Advice

The Citizens Advice Bureau gives the public advice and information on many issues such as how to manage the cost of living, pay off debt, apply for grants and benefits etc.

You can talk to a trained adviser online via its chat service or call its Advice line for England 0800 144 8848, Wales 0800 702 2020 or Scotland 0800 028 1456.   

Cruse Bereavement Care

Cruse Bereavement Care offers support and information to people grieving the death of someone close to them. Helpline: 0808 808 1677. 

Dementia UK

Dementia UK has specialist nurses, known as Admiral Nurses, who provide advice, practical tips and emotional support to families caring for people with dementia. 

It also has a free Dementia Helpline staffed by its dementia specialist Admiral Nurses on 0800 888 6678.

Diabetes UK

Diabetes UK gives support to people living with diabetes and their families. This includes an online forum.

To help people who have diabetes, their family and friends and people who are concerned they are at risk of diabetes, the charity has a UK helpline 0345 123 2399.

Disability Rights UK

Disability Rights UK campaigns to improve the lives of people with disabilities. This involves campaigning to change government policy to reflect the needs of those with disabilities.

It also offers guidance for people with disabilities to educate them about their rights.     

Friends of the Elderly

Friends of the Elderly provides grants for older people of state pension age, living on low incomes across England and Wales. It also offers day care services, care homes and short-term respite care for older people.

Headway

Headway aims to improve the lives of people with brain injury by offering support and information. This includes a free helpline, factsheets and publications to enable people to understand brain injury. Headway offers an emergency fund to ease the financial impact of a brain injury. 

It provides a Brain Injury Identity Card which can inform others of a person with the condition. Headway helpline: 0808 800 2244.

Hearing Dogs for the Deaf

Hearing Dogs for the Deaf trains hearing dogs to support people with hearing loss in their day-to-day lives. It trains dogs to alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds they would otherwise miss.

It provides Link UP support groups across the UK and a helpdesk which can be emailed helpdesk@hearinglink.org or phone 01844 348111.

Homecare Association

The Homecare Association is a membership body representing and supporting home care providers across the UK. It works towards ensuring everyone can live well in their own homes with home care, by campaigning for improvements in government policy etc.     

Hourglass

Hourglass is a charity focused on preventing the abuse of older people. It supports older men, women and their families who are experiencing any of the five forms of abuse: physical, psychological, financial, sexual or neglect. 

It has a free 24/7 helpline: 0808 808 8141.

Independent Age

Independent Age has a helpline and expert advisers giving free, practical support to older people who are struggling financially. It runs a grant programme for local organisations that work directly with older people in the UK.

Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support offers practical advice and emotional support. Cancer nurses are available to speak via the free Macmillan Support Line, as well as welfare rights advisors, work support advisors and financial guidance experts to help people reduce the financial toil of cancer.

The charity also provides Macmillan grants.  Macmillan Support Line 0808 239 14 92.

Macular Society

Macular Society offers information and support to people with macular disease and their family and friends. It has advice and information online about living with macular disease as well as advice from professionals via its helpline. Helpline: 0300 3030 111.

Marie Curie

Marie Curie offers hospice care and its ‘companions’ give free emotional and practical support at home, in hospital or over the phone. It provides Marie Curie nurses and offers a Support Line 0800 090 2309.

Mencap

Mencap aims to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities. It gives advice and support on topics related to learning disabilities e.g. transition to adulthood, social care, benefits, mental capacity etc. 

There is also an online forum and a learning disability helpline: 0808 808 1111/ helpline@mencap.org.uk.

MIND

MIND charity operates an Infoline offering confidential help, a legal line giving information on mental health law and provides information on mental health in print and online.

National Care Association

The National Care Association represents small and medium-sized care providers and affiliated associations. Its members benefit from business and bulk purchase discounts, legal and employment advice, as well as guidance on government policy issues.

National Care Forum

The National Care Forum (NCF) is a membership organisation for not-for-profit organisations in the care and support sector including care home providers. 

It campaigns as a voice for the care sector for improvements in government policies on social care.

National Care Helpline

The free National Care Helpline provides support and information to older people, carers and their families. Helpline: 0800 0699 784.

Parkinson’s UK

Parkinson’s UK provides advice and support to people with Parkinson’s and their families. This includes Parkinson’s advisors offering advice on medical issues, financial support etc. It has a free Parkinson’s support helpline 0808 800 0303.

Re-engage

Re-engage helps older people feel less alone in society by organising group activities, like tea parties. Activities are online or face to face. It also offers a ‘Call companions’ telephone befriending service to people aged 75+.

Samaritans

Samaritans is there for anyone needing someone to talk to if they do not feel okay or feel they are at crisis point. You might be feeling suicidal, have thoughts of harming yourself or are considering taking your own life.

As well as advice on its website, Samaritans has a free helpline that you can call 24/7 on 116 123. 

Scope

Scope is a disability equality charity in England and Wales. It gives practical advice and emotional support to people with disabilities and their families. Scope has an online forum, runs charity shops and campaigns for better disability rights.  

Scottish Care

Scottish Care is a membership organisation representing independent social care providers in Scotland including providers of care homes, nursing care, day care, home care and housing support services. 

Skills for Care

Skills for Care aims to support social care leaders, care employers and the social care workforce by driving improvements in the care sector through quality training etc.   

Stroke Association

The Stroke Association supports stroke survivors in the UK. It gives medical support to patients leaving hospital. It also has peer support groups for people with aphasia.

Its research helps improve treatments, care and rehabilitation to save lives and help stroke survivors make the best possible recovery.  

Young Dementia Network

The Young Dementia Network  is an online community of people with young onset dementia and their families. Its website has information about how to live with young onset dementia.