Care jobs in Darlington
Darlington has 22 registered home care services, run by 21 providers, and 19 of the 20 with a CQC rating are Good or Outstanding (95%, against 87% across England). Darlington paid agencies £20.06 an hour for home care in 2024-25, the 15th lowest of 152 councils in England. Staffing is at least 75% of what home care costs to deliver, so that rate largely sets what local agencies can afford to pay carers. The legal minimum for anyone aged 21 or over is £12.71 an hour from April 2026, and time spent travelling between visits counts towards it.
No live adverts near Darlington right now. Care employers recruit near-continuously, so approaching them directly often beats waiting for a vacancy.
- Registered care services
- 22
- run by 21 providers.
- Rated Good or Outstanding
- 95%
- 19 of 20 rated services, against 87% across England. Care Quality Commission
- What the council pays agencies
- £20.06 an hour
- Darlington, 2024-25: the 15th lowest of 152 councils in England. This is the price per hour of care, not carers' pay. Department of Health and Social Care, Adult social care finance report
- Legal minimum, 21 and over
- £12.71 an hour
- from April 2026. Travel time between visits counts towards it. GOV.UK
Care employers in Darlington
- Helping Hands DarlingtonCQC: Good, Jul 2022
- Moorlands Residential Care HomeCQC: Good, Oct 2018
- Darlington Extra Care ServicesCQC: Good, Jan 2024
- Sanctuary Supported Living (Tees Valley Care Services)CQC: Good, Feb 2019
- Kingswell Recruitment Private LimitedNot yet rated
- SJOG Hospitaller Services Northern Supported LivingCQC: Good, Aug 2023
- Home InsteadCQC: Good, Jul 2023
- Active Care In The Home – CCMSCQC: Outstanding, Oct 2018
- Heritage Healthcare North EastCQC: Good, Oct 2019
- Careline Homecare DarlingtonCQC: Good, Jan 2021
- Firstpoint Homecare DarlingtonCQC: Good, Jan 2024
- Dimensions Teesside Domiciliary Care OfficeCQC: Good, Jul 2021
- Care Matters (Homecare) Limited DarlingtonCQC: Good, Apr 2023
- Complex Care Supported LivingNot yet rated
- 247 Community SupportCQC: Good, Jan 2024
- Potensial North East Supported LivingCQC: Good, Feb 2023
- Darlington Borough Council In House Home CareCQC: Good, Dec 2023
- North East Supported LivingCQC: Good, Sept 2022
- Care TaylorMade LtdCQC: Outstanding, Sept 2021
- Springfield Healthcare (Darlington)CQC: Good, Nov 2023
- Ascot Care AgencyCQC: Requires improvement, Aug 2023
- Chinite Home Care Darlington and NortheastCQC: Good, Oct 2026
Roles in Darlington
Nearby towns
Questions about care work in Darlington
- How much do care workers get paid in Darlington?
- The legal minimum for care workers aged 21 or over is £12.71 an hour, and travel time between visits counts towards it. Darlington paid agencies £20.06 an hour for home care in 2024-25, which limits what they can pay. Local advertised pay will show here once enough adverts are live.
- How many care companies are there in Darlington?
- 22 registered home care services operate in Darlington, run by 21 providers. Each branch is registered and inspected separately, so check the record of the branch you would work for.
- Is travel time paid for care workers in Darlington?
- Time spent travelling between visits is working time and counts towards the minimum wage, averaged over your pay period. Some employers pay it separately and some build it into the hourly rate. Ask at interview, and check the employer pages here for what each provider has told us.