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Domiciliary care policies and procedures
In brief
Domiciliary care policies and procedures set out how a home care agency keeps people safe in their own homes, from medication and safeguarding to lone working and missed visits. Regulators expect them to fit the service and to be followed in practice.
OpenDoc gives home care agencies domiciliary care policies and procedures, each written by a named expert and signed off by at least three. It tells you when CQC, NICE or Care Act guidance changes, and care workers can ask a question on their phone, by voice or text, in any of 51 languages. The library is free to use, and the Organisation plan is £70 + VAT a month per service with no long-term contract.
What policies does a domiciliary care agency need?
A home care agency needs the same core policies as any care service, plus several that only arise when care is given in someone's own home. The table shows twelve that matter most, and the regulation each supports in England.
| Policy | Why it matters in home care | Regulation it supports |
|---|---|---|
| Safeguarding adults | Care workers are often the only professional to see a person that day, so they need to know what abuse and neglect look like and who to tell. | Regulation 13 |
| Medication in the home | Medicines are kept and taken in the person's own home, often with family involved, so the level of support and the recording must be clear. | Regulation 12 |
| Lone working | Staff travel and work alone, often early or late, and need a way to raise the alarm and be checked on. | Regulation 12 and health and safety law |
| Missed and late visits | A missed visit can mean a missed meal or a missed dose. The policy sets out how visits are monitored and what happens when one is late. | Regulations 9 and 12 |
| Entering a person's home, keys and key safes | Staff hold keys and codes to people's homes, so access, security and what to do when there is no reply all need rules. | Regulations 10 and 13 |
| Moving and handling | Equipment and space vary from home to home, so each person needs an assessment that fits where they live. | Regulation 12 |
| Infection prevention and control | Staff move between several homes in a day and carry their own protective equipment. | Regulation 12 |
| Mental capacity and consent | Decisions are made in the person's own home, where their wishes carry particular weight. | Regulation 11 |
| Handling people's money | Shopping and paying bills for people needs receipts, records and limits. | Regulation 13 |
| Recruitment and DBS checks | Staff work unsupervised in private homes, so checks before they start matter. | Regulation 19 |
| Complaints | People and families need a simple way to raise a concern and get a reply. | Regulation 16 |
| Governance and quality assurance | The provider must be able to show how it checks quality across visits it cannot see. | Regulation 17 |
Regulations are those in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Other nations have their own standards.
How are home care policies different from care home policies?
In a care home, the building, the equipment and the staff team are under the provider's control. In home care, none of them are. Staff work alone, in homes they do not manage, with medicines the person owns and equipment that varies from house to house. That is why lone working, missed visits, key safes and medication in the home each need their own policy, and why a care home policy with the words changed will not do.
What does the CQC expect of home care policies?
An agency that provides personal care in England must register with the Care Quality Commission. The CQC assesses services against quality statements under five key questions, and policies are part of the evidence it looks at, alongside what staff do and what people say. Regulation 17 requires a provider to have systems to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of its service.
Policies need to fit the service. The CQC's registration guidance says a third-party template must suit your type of service, and that a template for residential care will not work for a home care agency. A policy that staff have not read, or that describes a different kind of service, does not help at inspection either.
What do home care agencies get with OpenDoc?
| Feature | OpenDoc |
|---|---|
| Answers on a phone during a visit | YesCare workers ask by voice or text, in any of 51 languages, and get an answer from your own approved policies. |
| Alerts when guidance changes | YesOpenDoc tells you when CQC, NICE or Care Act guidance changes, and its experts add comments you can read. |
| A named author on every policy | YesEach policy shows who wrote it, and at least three experts sign it off before it is published. |
| Side-by-side comparison of versions | YesSee exactly what changed, then accept the update or keep your own version. |
| Use your own policies | YesUpload them as PDFs or photos. The AI turns them into the template the community considers best practice. |
| AI policy summaries | YesA short summary of each policy for staff who need the main points quickly. |
| See what staff read and ask | YesNot a tick-box. You see which policies and sections staff open, and what they ask about most. |
| Free, fully managed setup | YesHealth Connect sets the service up for you at no charge. |
| Keep your policies if you leave | YesYour policies stay yours. |
| No long-term contract | YesCancel at any time from inside the app. |
| All four UK nations | YesEngland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. |
| Mock inspections, audits and staff training | YesAvailable through Health Connect. |
How do care workers use policies during a visit?
A care worker in someone's home cannot walk to the office to check a folder. With OpenDoc they ask the question on their phone, by voice or by typing, and the answer comes from the agency's own approved policies. They can ask in any of 51 languages, which matters for a workforce where many staff have English as a second language. The agency sees which policies staff open and what they ask about most, so it knows where people are unsure.
Who writes the policies?
More than 100 named experts, including GPs, former CQC inspectors and clinical leaders. Every policy shows who wrote it, each expert has a public profile, and at least three experts sign off each policy before it is published. Every expert comment stays on the record. Meet the experts.
Can I use my own policies?
Yes. Upload your existing policies as PDFs or photos, and the AI answers staff questions from them. You can keep them as they are, or have them turned into the template the community considers best practice. Policies fill in your agency's name, contacts and terms, and every edit is recorded. If you leave OpenDoc, you keep your policies.
Are you registering a new home care agency?
New services start with a set of policies chosen for their region and care setting, on the free plan. Adapt each one to how your agency will work before you submit it, because the CQC says templates must suit your type of service.
As well as the policies every new provider sends, the CQC asks home care agencies for a business plan and financial forecast, evidence of legal occupancy, service user guides, a staff training plan and an additional form for personal care providers. See every document the CQC asks for.
How much does it cost?
The OpenDoc library is free to use. The Organisation plan is £70 + VAT a month per service, or £840 + VAT a year, with unlimited users and unlimited AI use. Setup is free and fully managed. There is no long-term contract, and you can cancel at any time from inside the app.
Does it cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. OpenDoc covers all four UK nations. Home care is regulated by the Care Quality Commission in England, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, Care Inspectorate Wales, and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority in Northern Ireland.
Frequently asked questions
What policies does a domiciliary care agency need?
A home care agency needs policies covering safeguarding adults, medication in the home, lone working, missed and late visits, entering a person's home and key safes, moving and handling, infection prevention and control, mental capacity and consent, handling people's money, recruitment, complaints and governance.
Do OpenDoc policies make a home care service CQC compliant?
No policy makes a service compliant by itself. The CQC looks at whether policies fit the service and are followed in practice. OpenDoc policies are written by named experts, signed off by at least three, updated when guidance changes, and tailored by each service to how it works.
Are OpenDoc's domiciliary care policies free?
The OpenDoc library is free to use. The Organisation plan is £70 + VAT a month per service, or £840 + VAT a year, with unlimited users and unlimited AI use, and no long-term contract.
Can I use OpenDoc when registering a new home care agency with the CQC?
Yes. New services get a starter set of policies chosen for their region and care setting. The CQC says a template must suit your type of service, so adapt each policy to how your agency will work.
Can care workers use the policies on their phones during visits?
Yes. Care workers can ask a question by voice or text on their phone, in any of 51 languages, and get an answer from the agency's own approved policies.
Does OpenDoc cover home care in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. OpenDoc covers all four UK nations. Home care is regulated by the Care Quality Commission in England, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, Care Inspectorate Wales, and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority in Northern Ireland.
Can I keep using my own home care policies?
Yes. You can upload your existing policies as PDFs or photos, and the AI will answer staff questions from them. You can also have them rewritten into the best practice template. If you leave OpenDoc, you keep your policies.
Related pages
Sources
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: legislation.gov.uk
- Care Quality Commission, regulations for service providers and managers: cqc.org.uk
- CQC, What each document must include, last updated 2 February 2026
- CQC, Home care (domiciliary care) agencies, last updated 25 March 2026
