Question 1

How do I book a carer?

Accepted Answer

Navigate to the Search page, browse verified carers, and click 'Book Now' on your preferred carer's profile. Fill in the booking details and confirm your appointment.

Question 2

What information do I need to provide?

Accepted Answer

You’ll be asked to provide basic contact details, the type of support you’re looking for, preferred dates and times, and any relevant information needed to help arrange the booking.

Question 3

How long does it take to get matched with a carer?

Accepted Answer

Most bookings are confirmed within 24 hours. For urgent care needs, you can filter for carers with immediate availability.

Question 4

How much does private home care cost?

Accepted Answer

The cost of care varies depending on the type of support, location, hours required and the individual carer. Heems does not set carer rates. Independent carers on the platform set their own rates, allowing families to compare available options before choosing a carer.

Question 5

Do Heems carers set their own rates?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Heems carers are independent professionals who set their own rates based on their experience, availability and the services they offer. Heems does not determine or negotiate carer rates.

Question 6

Are Heems carers employees?

Accepted Answer

No. Heems carers are independent, self-employed professionals and are not employees of Heems.

Question 7

Can I choose my own carer?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can browse available carers, compare their profiles and rates, and choose the carer that best suits your needs.

Question 8

Do I have to sign a long-term contract?

Accepted Answer

No. There is no requirement to sign a long-term contract. You can arrange care based on your individual needs.

Question 9

How do payments work?

Accepted Answer

Payments are processed securely through Stripe.

For clients, the total cost (the carer’s agreed rate plus a clearly displayed platform service fee) is shown before confirming a booking.

For carers, payments are released after a booking is completed. During any active promotional free period, no platform fee is deducted. After the promotional period ends, the applicable platform service fee is automatically deducted from completed bookings.

Question 10

What payment methods are accepted?

Accepted Answer

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and bank transfers for regular clients.

Question 11

Can I get a refund?

Accepted Answer

Refunds are worked out day by day, using 24 hours' notice as the cut-off. Any day of care due to start more than 24 hours after you cancel is refunded in full. Any day due to start within 24 hours of you cancelling is not refunded.

The 24 hours is counted in real hours up to the exact start time, not in calendar days. If care is due to begin at 2am, your cut-off is 2am the day before.

So for a single booking, cancelling 24 or more hours ahead means a full refund, and cancelling later than that means no refund. Where a booking covers more than one day of care, you lose any day due to start in the next 24 hours and the rest is refunded.

No-shows are treated as a cancellation at the scheduled start time.

Your refund includes our platform service fee for the days being refunded, less the card processing cost we already paid when you booked. Full details are in sections 10.5 and 10.6 of our Terms & Conditions.

Question 12

How do I cancel a booking?

Accepted Answer

Go to your Bookings page, find the booking, and click 'Cancel Booking'. You will be asked for a reason, and the refund rule is shown to you before you confirm.

Refunds are worked out for each day of care separately. A day due to start 24 hours or more after you cancel is refunded. A day due to start sooner than that is not. So cancelling a single-day booking 24 or more hours ahead means a full refund, and cancelling later means none.

See 'Can I get a refund?' under Payments for how the amount is calculated, or sections 10.5 and 10.6 of our Terms & Conditions.

Question 13

The care has already happened and something went wrong. Can I still get money back?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but only for a limited time. You have 48 hours from the moment the booking finishes to raise a refund request, and your Bookings page shows the time you have left.

Open the booking, choose 'Request Refund', and tell us what went wrong. The request comes to the Heems team, not to your carer, and we review it and come back to you. Your carer is not paid until that 48-hour window has closed.

Once the 48 hours have passed the booking is settled and the carer is paid, so please raise anything as soon as you can.

Question 14

Can I reschedule an appointment?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can request a reschedule by messaging the carer through the platform, subject to their availability. Please note that requests made within 24 hours of the scheduled start time may be treated as a cancellation and handled in line with the cancellation terms in section 10.5 of our Terms & Conditions.

Question 15

What if my carer doesn't show up?

Accepted Answer

Heems may provide tools for the client to contact alternatives but makes no guarantees.

Question 16

Are all carers verified?

Accepted Answer

Yes, all carers undergo a multi-stage verification process including DBS checks, right-to-work verification, professional references, and insurance validation.

Question 17

What if I'm not satisfied with the care?

Accepted Answer

Care arrangements are agreed directly between you and the carer. If you’re unhappy, we recommend discussing this with the carer first. You can cancel future bookings in line with the booking terms, leave a review, or report concerns to Heems if they relate to safety or policy breaches. For urgent or serious issues, contact emergency services or the relevant safeguarding authority.

Question 18

How is my data protected?

Accepted Answer

We are GDPR compliant and use bank-grade encryption for all data. Your information is never shared without your explicit consent.

Question 19

How do I message my carer?

Accepted Answer

Use the Messages page in your dashboard to communicate with your carers. All messages are monitored for compliance.

Question 20

Can I share my phone number?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but we recommend using our secure messaging system for all initial communications. You can share contact details once you're comfortable.

How can we help?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

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