This regulated activity involves supporting people in their homes (or where they're living at the time) with things like washing, bathing or cleaning themselves, getting dressed or going to the toilet.
Types of service that should be registered for this regulated activity
If you plan to provide any of the following types of service then it is highly likely you will need to register for this regulated activity:
- domiciliary care agency (home care)
- extra care housing
- Shared Lives scheme
- supported living
Applications from domiciliary care agencies for the regulated activity of personal care are the most likely to be delayed or refused. If you're making an application, check that you include all the required information.
Shared Lives
If a Shared Lives scheme supports people with personal care needs then it will need to be registered for this regulated activity. The provider of the scheme should register for personal care, not the owners or providers of the individual homes.
Prisons and other custodial establishments
You do not need to register for this regulated activity to provide personal care to people detained in a prison or similar custodial establishment that you run.
If an outside provider such as a domiciliary care agency provides personal care in a prison or other custodial establishment, they will need to register for this regulated activity.
Fostering agencies
A fostering agency that is inspected by Ofsted and provides personal care to children who are placed or being placed does not need to register for this regulated activity.
Care and nursing homes
You will not have to register for this regulated activity to provide a care or nursing home service. You would need to register for 'accommodation for people who require nursing or personal care' instead.
If you are planning to also provide personal care to people in the place they live as well as your care home, you need to register for both this regulated activity and 'accommodation for people who require nursing or personal care'.
Employment or introductory agencies
You should not register if you provide carers in the role of an employment or introductory agency:
- to another organisation who will then be responsible for direct provision of the care, or
- to an individual who will then wholly take responsibility for the provision of their own care under a personal budget or private arrangement
Individuals and related third parties
You should not register if you are a carer employed by an individual or a related third party (without the involvement of an employment agency or employment business) and working wholly under the direction and control of that individual or related third party in order to meet the individual's own personal care requirements. A related third party means:
- an individual with parental responsibility (within the meaning of section 3 of the Children Act 1989) for a child to whom personal care services are to be provided
- an individual with power of attorney or other lawful authority to make arrangements on behalf of the person to whom personal care services are to be provided
- a group of individuals mentioned in either of the above 2 bulleted points making arrangements on behalf of one or more persons to whom personal care services are to be provided
- a trust established for the purpose of providing services to meet the health or social care needs of a named individual
Snippet for regulated activities
Find out more
Read the definitions for each of the 'regulated activities':
Accommodation for people who require nursing or personal care
Accommodation for people who require treatment for substance misuse
Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983
Diagnostic and screening procedures
Management of supply of blood and blood-derived products
Transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely
Snippet for personal care and accommodation
Personal care and accommodation
This document gives more information about regulated activities for personal care services provided to people living in specialist schemes such as supported living and extra care housing.
Further guidance
Personal care: ongoing role, introductory agencies and individual care workers