Personal care

1. For regulatory purposes, the term “personal care” is defined in legislation. 

England

2.  In England  “personal care” is:

1. for someone who is unable to provide it for themself by reason of:
   1. old age,
   2. illness, or
   3. disability, and
2. which is provided in a place where that person is living at the time the care is provided.¹The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 No 2936 Sch 1 para 1

3. “Personal care” means:²The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 No. 2936, reg 2(1) def: of “personal care”

1. physical assistance given to someone in connection with:
   1. eating or drinking (including the maintenance of established parenteral nutrition),
   2. toileting (including in relation to the process of menstruation),
   3. washing or bathing,
   4. dressing,
   5. oral care, or
   6. the care of skin, hair and nails (but not nail care provided by a  registered chiropodist or podiatrist), or
2. the prompting, together with supervision, of someone, 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 activity without such prompting and supervision. 

Scotland

4.  In Scotland  “personal care” means care which relates to:³Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 Sch 12 Para 20

1. the day-to-day physical tasks and needs of the person cared for (for example eating and washing); and
2. mental processes related to those tasks and needs (for example remembering to eat and wash).

Wales

5. In Wales, the equivalent definition is to the term “care” which relates to: 

1. the day-to-day physical tasks and needs of the person cared for (for example, eating and washing), and
2. the mental processes related to those tasks and needs (for example, the mental process of remembering to eat and wash).⁴Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, s.3(1)(a)