The Companionship Standard: what to ask for in writing

In September 2026 we read the public websites of 13 providers offering companionship visits across Greater Manchester and recorded what each one commits to in writing. Every one of them offers companionship as one service within a wider home-care offer. Five state some form of same-companion continuity, all of them qualified; two say the family gets a written note after each visit; three name the level of DBS check; one gives a notice period in figures; none names a backup companion the client meets in advance. The Companionship Standard is Whitegreen's answer: ten commitments, in writing, about the visit itself, so that you can compare any provider against a clear list.

Why we did this

Companionship is the part of home care that people talk about least and feel most. A provider's website will tell you at length about personal care, dementia care and live-in care, and then, somewhere down the list, "companionship". What a companionship visit actually is, who comes, whether it is the same person, what the family hears afterwards, tends to be left to the phone call.

We wanted to know what is promised in writing, because writing is what you can hold someone to. So we read the websites and recorded what they say. Then we wrote down what we commit to, on the same list, so that anyone in Greater Manchester can compare.

How we did it

On 6 September 2026 we read the public websites of 13 providers that describe companionship visits and serve at least one Greater Manchester borough: Bluebird Care (Manchester North and Salford), Caremark (Stockport), Companions In Care (Bolton), Curam, Helping Hands (Manchester), Home Instead (South Manchester and North Trafford), Homecare Services (Burnage), My Health Care Support, Ollie Care, PrimeCarers, Radfield Home Care (Altrincham, Sale and Trafford), Right at Home (South Trafford) and Visiting Angels (Manchester East). For each we read the companionship page, the how-it-works or FAQ page, and the pricing page where one existed, and recorded whether eleven things were stated.

Two honest limits. We read websites, not contracts, so a provider may commit to more in its service agreement than it publishes. And "not stated" means we did not find it on the pages we read, not that the provider does not do it. If you run one of these services and we have missed something on your site, email hello@whitegreencompanions.co.uk and we will correct it.

What we found

Companionship is a service line, not a service. All 13 offer companionship alongside personal care. We did not find a single provider in Greater Manchester whose whole business is the companionship visit. That shapes everything else: the visit is described in the language of care packages, and the things that make companionship work are rarely spelled out.

The same person, mostly. Five of the 13 state some commitment to continuity. Every one of those is qualified: a small team rather than one person, the same person "wherever possible" or "typically", or the same person with substitutes allowed. None makes a plain promise of one named companion.

What the family hears afterwards. Two of the 13 say the family gets a written record after each visit, in one case through an app. Eleven do not mention it.

Checks. Three name the level of DBS check as enhanced. Three say "DBS checked" without a level. Seven do not mention checks at all. None mentions the adults' barred list, which is the part of an enhanced check that matters most for someone working alone with an older person.

Employment. Four state that their companions are directly employed. Two are introduction platforms and say so. Seven do not say either way.

Meeting first. Four state that the first visit or assessment is free. Four describe a home visit without saying whether it costs anything. Five do not mention one.

Cover. Four say they will arrange cover when the usual carer is away. None says the client will have met that person before they need them.

Terms. One states a notice period in figures. One mentions an agreed notice period without a figure, one asks for reasonable notice, and ten say nothing about notice, deposits or minimum terms. Five state a minimum visit length, from 30 minutes to an hour. Four publish an hourly price.

Replying. One gives a written commitment on how quickly it replies to an enquiry.

None of this means the visits are poor. Many of these providers are well regarded, and several are rated by the CQC for the regulated care they do. It means that if you want to know what a companionship visit will be, you usually have to ask, and you should ask for the answer in writing.

The Companionship Standard

These are the ten things we commit to, in writing, for every client. Each one comes with the question to put to any provider.

1. One named companion, every visit

Your relative is matched with one person, on interests and temperament, and that person comes every week. Not a small team, not whoever is on the rota. Ask: will it be the same named person every visit, and what happens if we want a different one?

2. A named backup they have already met

Every regular client has one named backup companion, introduced within the first month, so that a holiday or a bout of flu never means a stranger at the door. Ask: who covers when the usual companion is away, and will we have met them first?

3. Employed, trained and insured by us

Our companions are our employees. We pay them properly, supervise them monthly and carry the employer's and public liability insurance. When something goes wrong, it is our responsibility and our phone number. Ask: is the companion employed by you or self-employed, and who holds the insurance?

4. An enhanced DBS check with the adults' barred list, and references spoken to

Every companion has an enhanced DBS check against the adults' barred list, two references taken up by telephone and a face-to-face interview before they meet a client. The barred-list check is the part designed for people who work alone with adults who may be vulnerable, and it is available to any provider whose companions shop for clients or take them to appointments. Ask: what level of DBS check, did it include the adults' barred list, and can we see it?

5. A free meet-and-greet before anything is booked

The companion we have in mind comes to the house with us, usually within five working days of the first call. Nothing is booked and nothing is charged until your relative says yes. Ask: can we meet the companion first, and does it cost anything?

6. A written note after every visit

A few lines from the companion to whichever family member your relative nominates, after every visit: what they did, how they seemed, anything worth knowing. Anything urgent is a phone call. Ask: how will we know how each visit went, and can we see an example?

7. A monthly call from a named person

One named contact at Whitegreen with a direct line, and a phone call every month to talk about how it is going and whether anything should change. Ask: who is our contact, and how often will you check in?

8. No minimum term, no deposit, one week's notice

Visits are booked by the hour and can stop on one week's notice from either side, with no deposit and no exit fee. Cancellations with more than 24 hours' notice cost nothing, and we waive the charge for a hospital admission, illness or a family emergency. Ask: is there a minimum term or a deposit, what is the notice period, and what are the cancellation exceptions?

9. A published price and a written plan

Our hourly price, minimum visit and evening and weekend rates are on our pricing page, and the same figures go into a one-page companion plan written with your relative: interests, routines, what a good visit looks like, who to call and in what order. Ask: is the price published, and will we get a written plan?

10. A plain line around personal care, and help beyond it

We are a companionship service. We do not provide personal care, and our companions can remind someone to take medication but never administer it. If personal care is ever needed, we tell you early, we help you find the right registered provider, and we can keep visiting alongside them. Ask: what do you not do, and what happens when my relative needs it?

And two more that are less a commitment than a courtesy: a person replies to every enquiry within one working hour, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm; and a complaint gets a written answer within five working days.

Using the Standard

Print the ten questions and take them to any meet-and-greet, ours included. A provider that has thought about the companionship visit will answer all ten easily and will be happy to put the answers in the service agreement. Our own answers are on this page, in the how it works page and in every client's agreement, and we would rather be measured against them than against a price.

If you would like to talk it through, ring us. The first conversation is about your relative, and it costs nothing.

Common questions

What is the Companionship Standard?

Ten written commitments about what a companionship visit will be, from who comes to what you hear afterwards. Whitegreen publishes them on this page and puts them in every client's service agreement. You can use the same list to question any provider.

Who did you survey?

Thirteen providers with a Greater Manchester presence whose websites describe companionship visits, read on 6 September 2026. The full list and the method are on this page. Where a website did not state something, we recorded it as not stated, which is not the same as the provider not doing it.

Why does "in writing" matter?

Because a promise on the phone is hard to hold anyone to. A written commitment can be checked at the meet-and-greet, again after the first month, and again if anything changes.

Does a provider need to be CQC-registered to offer companionship?

No. Companionship, outings, shopping and household help are not regulated activities. Personal care such as help with washing, dressing or the toilet is, and must come from a CQC-registered provider. A good companionship provider says plainly which side of that line it works on.

Sources

Every figure above comes from one of these. If one has moved or changed, tell us and we will correct the guide.

1. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulation 2
2. Disclosure and Barring Service, regulated activity with adults
3. GOV.UK, Employers' liability insurance
4. Whitegreen Companions, how it works
5. Whitegreen Companions, our companions