Which Type of Care Service Should You Provide?

In this blog, we break down the key operational differences to help you decide.

Care Home – 24/7 Support in a Shared Setting

Key features:

Care homes provide full-time accommodation and round-the-clock support. People live on-site and receive daily help with personal care, meals, routines, and wellbeing.

• Staff available 24/7
• You provide the accommodation, care, food, and all services
• Residents usually live long-term
• Fixed location with ongoing costs for property, staffing, and upkeep

Best suited for: Providers with access to suitable premises and the capacity to manage a team delivering care day and night. Ideal for those wanting to offer a stable, structured service for people who can no longer live independently.

Domiciliary Care – Flexible Support in People’s Homes

Domiciliary care (also known as “dom care”) involves visiting people in their own homes to provide personal care and support with daily tasks. Care is delivered at agreed times, and the service adapts to each person’s needs.

Key features:

• No premises required — care is delivered in clients’ homes
• Lower start-up costs and more flexibility
• Care visits range from short pop-ins to longer support sessions
• Easier to scale over time, adding clients as you grow

Best suited for: Providers looking for a more flexible, lower-cost setup. It’s a good entry point into the sector and allows you to support people to remain independent at home.

Supported Living – Independent Living with Tailored Support

Supported living allows people, often with learning disabilities, autism, or mental health needs, to live in their own home or shared accommodation, with care provided separately.

The focus is on promoting independence, choice, and inclusion, with support designed to help people build skills and confidence in daily life.

Key features:

• Care and housing are arranged separately
• People usually hold their own tenancy
• Often involves partnerships with housing providers or commissioners
• Support is tailored and can include help with life skills, health, and routines

Best suited for: Providers who want to empower people to live independently and play an active role in their communities. It’s a more complex model to set up but can be highly rewarding and impactful.

Choosing your service model is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make as a care provider. Each path has different demands and opportunities:

• Want to start small and grow gradually? Domiciliary care may be the right fit.
• Have access to a property and want to offer high-level support? Consider a care home.
• Already working in care and looking to expand into a values-led model? Supported living could be your next step.

For more detail on how CQC defines different service types, visit their official guidance: bit.ly/CQCServiceTypes