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Booking software for Home care providers

Mrs R. wants her usual carer, on Tuesday, for two hours — and covering an absence should not mean ringing ten families.

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The challenges facing home care providers

  • The client wants their usual carer

    It is not a preference, it is the condition of the relationship. A rota that sends someone else without warning loses the client in three weeks.

  • Cover for an absence has to be reallocated fast

    A carer off sick on a Monday morning means ten visits to replace before 9am. A shared rota allows it, a notebook does not.

  • Visits are recurring by nature

    Tuesday and Friday, two hours, all year. Rebooked by hand every week, they end up drifting and getting lost.

  • The audit trail is not optional

    Local authority funding and CQC inspection both assume you know who attended, when and for how long. What is not timestamped did not happen.

  • Every carer has their own area and hours

    The rota gets built on real availability and real journeys, not on a theoretical grid.

How Kagenda helps

  • The problem

    The client wants their usual carer

    With Kagenda

    Every session in one place, by day, week or month.

    One central calendar

  • The problem

    Cover for an absence has to be reallocated fast

    With Kagenda

    Confirmed, moved or cancelled — both you and the client are told.

    Email notifications

  • The problem

    Visits are recurring by nature

    With Kagenda

    Book a whole course of sessions at once, one after another.

    Recurring appointments

  • The problem

    The audit trail is not optional

    With Kagenda

    History, preferences and follow-up notes gathered on one record per client.

    Client records

  • The problem

    Every carer has their own area and hours

    With Kagenda

    Each service gets its own slots: some in the morning, others late in the day.

    Hours per service

The features that matter to you

  • One central calendar

    Every session in one place, by day, week or month.

  • Recurring appointments

    Book a whole course of sessions at once, one after another.

  • Client records

    History, preferences and follow-up notes gathered on one record per client.

  • Custom fields

    Ask your questions at booking time: reason, history, expectations.

  • Email notifications

    Confirmed, moved or cancelled — both you and the client are told.

  • Automatic reminders

    Texts and emails go out before every appointment, with nothing to remember.

  • Hours per service

    Each service gets its own slots: some in the morning, others late in the day.

  • Travel fees

    Charge for the journey automatically by distance, for appointments at the client.

Practical guide: Home care providers

  1. One diary per carer, with their real hours and their area. The rota gets built on availability, not intentions.
  2. Visits booked on recurrence across the year: same day, same time, same carer.
  3. One record per client, with the care notes, the keysafe code and who to contact.
  4. When someone is off, reallocate from the rota: the families concerned are told automatically.
  5. Each visit's history stays attached to the record. That is your evidence when inspection comes.
  6. A "level of independence, pets, access" field: a new carer knows what to expect before ringing the bell.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an hour of home care cost in the UK?

Around £25 to £35 an hour privately, with local authority rates typically lower and live-in care priced weekly. Set your own prices.

What registration does a home care provider need?

In England, if you provide personal care in people's homes you are carrying on a regulated activity and the provider must be registered with the Care Quality Commission under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, with a registered manager, a nominated individual and inspection against the fundamental standards. Operating unregistered is a criminal offence. Scotland registers services with the Care Inspectorate, Wales with Care Inspectorate Wales, Northern Ireland with the RQIA. Enhanced DBS checks with the adults' barred list are required for care workers. One point catches providers out repeatedly: travel time between consecutive visits counts as working time for national minimum wage purposes, and HMRC enforces it.

Can I give each carer a diary?

Yes, with their real hours and their area.

How do I book recurring visits for a year?

With recurring bookings: same day, same time, same carer.

How do I cover a carer who is off?

By reallocating from the rota. The families concerned are told automatically.

Where do I find the history of visits to a client?

In the client record, timestamped.

Ready to simplify your bookings?

Create your account in minutes and let your clients book online starting today.

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