Adult Social Care Glossary, v 0.6

"Personal care" means--
(a) physical assistance given to a person in connection with--
(i) eating or drinking (including the maintenance of established parenteral nutrition),
(ii) toileting (including in relation to the process of menstruation),
(iii) washing or bathing,
(iv) dressing,
(v) oral care, or
(vi) the care of skin, hair and nails (with the exception of nail care provided by a person registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as a chiropodist or podiatrist pursuant to article 5 of the 2001 Order), or
(b) the prompting, together with supervision, of a person, in relation to the performance of any of the activities listed in paragraph (a), where that person is unable to make a decision for themselves in relation to performing such an activity without such prompting and supervision;

Personal care is defined in Regulation 2 (Interpretation) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. See the definition of personal care in our glossary of terms.

The regulated activity of Personal care involves providing personal care for people who are unable to provide it for themselves because of old age, illness or disability. The personal care must be provided in the place where those people who need it are living at the time when the care is provided.

For example, this includes personal care provided through domiciliary or homecare services, and housing with care or supported living services. Sometimes, people receiving personal care live in accommodation where it is a requirement of occupation that they both need and receive a care service while living there. For the care service to be correctly registered for the regulated activity of Personal care, there must be a real separation between the provision of personal care and the accommodation agreements. See additional guidance on supported living and extra care housing services.

This regulated activity also includes Shared Lives schemes (see what this means in our glossary of terms) where the provider of the scheme is registered for personal care – not the owners of the individual homes (the accommodation). If you are carrying on the regulated activity of Treatment of disease, disorder or injury, you do not also need to register for Personal care if you deliver this as part of the treatment. However, if you provide personal care to people who are not also receiving treatment for a disease, disorder or injury, you will need to register for Personal care.

Help with personal matters such as eating, drinking, washing, going to the toilet, getting up, getting dressed, going to bed, taking medicines and other things.