Quick answer: A care coordinator organises the day-to-day delivery of care in a domiciliary agency, care home or supported living service: building staff rotas, matching carers to clients, handling changes and keeping care plans current. Most employers ask for experience as a care worker plus a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification in care, and the Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care is the one that moves you from the care floor into coordination. Lift College delivers it online with a work-based portfolio, so you can qualify while you are still working. Typical pay in 2026 is £26,000 to £32,000, rising to £35,000 and above for senior coordinators who progress towards the Level 5 and a registered manager post.
What does a care coordinator do?
The care coordinator is the person who makes sure the right carer is at the right door at the right time. In a domiciliary care agency that means planning hundreds of visits a week; in a care home or supported living service it means rotas, agency cover and shift handovers. The job sits between the care team and the registered manager, which is why the Care Quality Commission (CQC) looks closely at coordination when it inspects whether a service is well led.
A typical week includes:
- Building and adjusting staff rotas, including sickness and holiday cover
- Matching carers to clients by skills, continuity and travel
- Taking new referrals from local authorities, the NHS and private clients and setting up the first visits
- Keeping care plans and risk assessments up to date on the electronic care system
- Being first point of contact for carers, families and social workers when something changes
- Covering on-call phones on a rota, and sometimes covering visits when nobody else can
- Logging complaints, incidents and safeguarding concerns so the manager can act on them
The role is office based, usually Monday to Friday, which is one reason experienced care workers move into it. The trade is responsibility: when a visit is missed, the coordinator is the first person asked why.
Care coordinator salary in 2026
Care coordination is one of the first steps on the care career ladder that pays an annual salary rather than an hourly rate close to the National Living Wage.
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| Level | Typical UK salary (2026) | What moves it up |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level coordinator | £24,000 to £28,000 | First coordination role after care work |
| Experienced coordinator | £28,000 to £32,000 | Larger service, on-call allowance, Level 3 held |
| Senior coordinator or field care supervisor | £30,000 to £35,000 | Supervising other coordinators, assessing new clients |
| Deputy manager | £32,000 to £40,000 | Working towards the Level 5 |
| Registered manager | £35,000 to £55,000 | Level 5 held, CQC registration |
Sources: Coburg Banks UK care coordinator salary guide 2026 (median £29,000, range £26,000 to £32,000, London premium 5 to 15 per cent); Indeed UK average £27,976 (June 2026); live job adverts in October 2026 advertising £24,000 to £32,800. For the two management rows see our registered manager salary guide 2026 and the care worker pay 2026 guide for the rung below.
Compared with a care worker on the April 2026 National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour (about £24,800 for a 37.5-hour week), a coordinator on £29,000 earns roughly 17 per cent more, with the bigger gain being predictable hours.
What qualifications do you need to be a care coordinator?
There is no legally required certificate for the title. What employers write in adverts is consistent, though:
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| Requirement | How often adverts ask for it | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Experience in care (usually 1 to 2 years) | Almost always | Coordinators are expected to understand visits from the inside |
| Level 2 Diploma in Care, or working towards Level 3 | Very common | Shows you hold the sector qualification for your current role |
| Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care | Preferred, and often required for senior coordinator | The qualification for lead and supervisory roles |
| Care Certificate | Expected if you have worked in care | Induction standards completed in your first 12 weeks |
| Driving licence and own car | Very common in domiciliary care | Coordinators cover visits and assess clients at home |
| Confident IT use | Always | Rostering and electronic care planning systems |
The Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care (RQF) is the qualification that matters for progression. It is Ofqual regulated, awarded at Lift College by TQUK (qualification number 610/6988/7), and assessed through a portfolio of evidence from your own work rather than exams. The units on leading person-centred practice, safeguarding, duty of care and supporting others map directly on to what a coordinator does every day, which is why many services ask coordinators to hold it or start it in their first year.
If you still hear the old names, NVQ 3 and QCF Level 3 in Health and Social Care are the predecessors of the same qualification: our NVQ Level 3 Health and Social Care guide explains the renaming.
How to become a care coordinator: step by step
- Work in care first. Complete the Care Certificate in your first 12 weeks and aim for 12 to 24 months of experience. Domiciliary care experience is the most transferable, because coordination is hardest where visits are spread across a town.
- Take the Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care while you work. Your assessor gathers evidence from the shifts you already do. Most learners finish in 9 to 18 months, and you can start it as a care worker and finish it as a coordinator.
- Say yes to the office tasks. Ask to shadow the coordinator on rota days, learn the rostering system and cover the on-call phone. Every one of these becomes evidence for your portfolio and a line on your CV.
- Apply for coordinator or field care supervisor posts. Internal moves are the most common route; most adverts ask for experience plus Level 2 or Level 3.
- Plan the next step. After two or three years of coordination, the natural progression is deputy manager and then the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care, which the CQC expects registered managers to hold or be working towards. See our guide to what registered managers need.
Care coordinator vs senior care worker vs deputy manager
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| Senior care worker | Care coordinator | Deputy manager | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the work happens | On shift with clients | Office, phones and rostering | Office and floor, deputising for the registered manager |
| Typical qualification | Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care | Level 2 or 3, Level 3 preferred | Level 3 held, Level 5 in progress |
| Typical pay (2026) | £24,000 to £29,000 | £26,000 to £32,000 | £32,000 to £40,000 |
| Hours | Shifts, weekends, nights | Mostly Monday to Friday, on-call rota | Mostly Monday to Friday, on-call rota |
| Next step | Coordinator or lead practitioner | Senior coordinator or deputy manager | Registered manager |
Which course is right for you?
- You are a care worker who wants to move into coordination. Enrol on the Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care. It is the qualification adverts prefer, it is assessed from the work you already do, and it is the prerequisite most services set for senior coordinator.
- You are already a coordinator and your manager has started talking about deputising. Look at the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care. You do not strictly need the Level 3 first, but you do need a role where you can evidence management practice.
- You have never worked in care. Neither diploma is a standalone entry route, because both need workplace evidence. Start with a care worker post and the Care Certificate; our how to become a care worker with no experience guide covers that first step. The full ladder is on the health and social care qualifications hub.
Lift College courses are studied online around shifts on a monthly subscription with a 7-day free trial, named tutor support and an assessor who arranges workplace observations with your employer.
Frequently asked questions
Is a care coordinator a manager?
Not usually. The coordinator reports to the registered manager or a deputy and does not hold the CQC registration. It is the most common first step towards deputy and registered manager roles.
Do you need a degree to be a care coordinator?
No. Employers ask for care experience and a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification in care. The Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care is the management qualification the CQC expects of registered managers; a degree is not required.
Is care coordinator a stressful job?
It can be. Coordinators arrange cover when staff are off sick and usually join an on-call rota. In return the hours are more predictable than care work and the pay is an annual salary, typically £26,000 to £32,000 in 2026.
What is the difference between a care coordinator and a field care supervisor?
A coordinator plans rotas and visits from the office. A field care supervisor spends more time in clients' homes doing assessments, reviews and spot checks. Many agencies combine the titles and both usually ask for the Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care.
Can I do the Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care as a care coordinator?
Yes, provided your role involves direct work with people who use the service through assessments, reviews or covering visits. Your assessor agrees the evidence plan with your employer at the start.
Sources
- Skills for Care, The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England (workforce size and pay)
- Care Quality Commission, Regulation 7: requirements relating to registered managers
- Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications, TQUK Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care (RQF) 610/6988/7
- GOV.UK, National Living Wage rates from April 2026
- Coburg Banks, Care Coordinator Salary UK 2026; Indeed UK salary data, June 2026