What Are Carers Not Allowed to Do? Setting Clear Expectations for Home Care in South Lanarkshire

Are you unsure what a live-in carer can and can’t help with? You’re not alone.
For many families across South Lanarkshire, the decision to welcome a live-in carer into their home brings both reassurance and questions. One of the most common concerns we hear at Home Instead South Lanarkshire is about boundaries: What support can a carer provide—and where should the line be drawn?

It’s an important conversation. While live-in carers provide a wide range of personal, emotional, and practical care, there are certain tasks they are not permitted or trained to do. This blog explains the everyday support carers offer, outlines the duties they cannot perform, and helps both clients and families understand where responsibility lies.

While carers provide essential daily support, there are tasks they are not legally or ethically permitted to carry out. These boundaries are designed to protect both the client and the carer and ensure safe, professional care at all times.

1. Medical Procedures Requiring Clinical Training

Unless a carer has received specific medical training and operates under a regulated care plan, they must not:

• Administer injections or set up IV treatments

• Insert catheters or manage stoma bags

• Change sterile dressings

• Diagnose medical conditions

• Operate clinical equipment like ventilators or PEG feeds

These tasks fall under the remit of nurses, GPs, or trained clinical professionals and are classed as regulated activities under UK care law.

2. Financial or Legal Responsibility

Carers should never:

• Manage or access a client’s bank account

• Sign legal or financial paperwork on the client’s behalf

• Accept personal gifts, money, or loans

• Inherit decision-making responsibility over legal or estate matters

This protects both parties and helps avoid misunderstandings, exploitation, or future legal issues.

3. Heavy Lifting or Physical Labour

Carers are not permitted to undertake tasks that pose a physical risk, including:

• Moving or lifting heavy furniture

• Deep cleaning ovens or scrubbing floors

• DIY or home repairs

• Gardening or window cleaning

Where necessary, carers can help source professional services to carry out these tasks safely.

4. Grooming Services or Specialist Treatments

Carers are not trained to provide cosmetic or therapeutic services, including:

• Cutting hair or shaving with clippers

• Cutting toenails or fingernails

• Foot care (unless specially trained)

• Providing massages or skin treatments

Such services should be arranged with qualified professionals like hairdressers, podiatrists, or beauticians.

5. Unauthorised Use of Medication or Equipment

Carers should only follow the care plan agreed with healthcare professionals. They must not:

• Change medication doses or schedules

• Share medications between clients

• Use specialist medical equipment without training

• Give over-the-counter treatments without approval

Even when acting with the best of intentions, unauthorised changes can cause harm.

6. Breach of Professional Boundaries

Professionalism is key to building trust and respect in care relationships. Carers must not:

• Discuss confidential client information with others

• Form romantic or over-familiar relationships with clients

• Use personal phones excessively while on duty

• Allow private matters to interfere with their responsibilities

Boundaries ensure the focus stays on the client’s needs and that the carer remains effective and respected.

Live-in carers are present throughout the day and night, but they are not on duty 24/7. Like anyone in a professional role, carers are entitled to:

• Rest breaks throughout the day

• A lunch or meal break

• An uninterrupted sleep period at night

If overnight supervision is needed—for example, waking care for someone with dementia—this should be built into the care plan and may involve additional support, such as a second carer or dedicated night care provision.

Live-in carers play an essential role in helping people live safely and comfortably in their own homes. They offer a wide range of support—from personal care and companionship to mealtime help and health monitoring.

But there are clear limits to their responsibilities. They are not nurses, cleaners, gardeners, legal advisers, or financial managers. Respecting these boundaries ensures carers can focus on what they are there to do: provide compassionate, consistent, and professional care.

At Home Instead South Lanarkshire, we work closely with families to create care plans that meet individual needs—while ensuring carers work within safe, ethical, and legal frameworks. If you’d like to speak to our team about arranging live-in care for yourself or a loved one, please visithomeinstead.co.uk/south-lanarkshire or call us on 0800 086 8686. We’re here to help you make informed, confident decisions about care.