How much do care workers get paid in Dorchester?

The legal minimum for care workers aged 21 or over is £12.71 an hour, and travel time between visits counts towards it. Dorset paid agencies £26.91 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 Dorchester?

24 registered home care services operate in Dorchester, run by 23 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 Dorchester?

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.

Care jobs in Dorchester

Dorchester has 24 registered home care services, run by 23 providers, and all 16 with a CQC rating are Good or Outstanding. Dorset paid agencies £26.91 an hour for home care in 2024-25, the 13th highest 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 Dorchester right now. Care employers recruit near-continuously, so approaching them directly often beats waiting for a vacancy.

Registered care services: 24; run by 23 providers.
Rated Good or Outstanding: 16 of 16; of the services with a CQC rating; too few to compare with England fairly. Care Quality Commission
What the council pays agencies: £26.91 an hour; Dorset, 2024-25: the 13th highest 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 Dorchester

Roles in Dorchester

Nearby towns

Questions about care work in Dorchester

How much do care workers get paid in Dorchester?: The legal minimum for care workers aged 21 or over is £12.71 an hour, and travel time between visits counts towards it. Dorset paid agencies £26.91 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 Dorchester?: 24 registered home care services operate in Dorchester, run by 23 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 Dorchester?: 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.

What care work pays, and how to check an advert →