Live-in care and home care in Bicester

A Day and Nightcare carer with an older person at home in Bicester

Care at home in Bicester

Live-in care: a carer living in your home, day and night, from £1,550 a week.
Home care visits: from one hour to several hours, at times that suit you.
Night care: waking nights and sleep-ins, and 24-hour care.
Care after hospital, dementia care, end-of-life care and respite.

How we arrange care in Bicester

In Bicester and its villages, Day and Nightcare provides home care visits from one hour, waking nights, sleep-ins, 24-hour care and fully managed live-in care from £1,550 a week. Care starts with a free assessment, a written quote and a written care plan. A relief carer covers a live-in carer’s holidays and time off, and a manager is on call.

Care can be paid for privately, by Oxfordshire County Council (including direct payments) or by NHS Continuing Healthcare. We have provided Discharge to Assess (D2A) care since 2014. If someone is coming home from hospital, tell us the expected discharge date. Our care team is on 01865 715780.

Arranging care and funding in Bicester

Oxfordshire County Council runs adult social care in Bicester. To ask for a care needs assessment, call the Social and Health Care team on 01865 519800 (Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm, Friday 8.30am to 4pm) or use the council’s online form; someone else can ask on your behalf. For urgent emergencies out of hours, the Emergency Duty Team is on 0800 833 408.

Read more: arranging care and funding in Bicester

A free financial assessment follows if you are eligible: above £23,250 in savings and investments you would usually pay the full cost, and your home is not counted for care at home. See council funding for care. If you help someone, ask Carers Oxfordshire’s CarersLine (01235 424715, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) about a carer’s assessment; there is no charge for it or for services provided to carers.

Council tax in Bicester is billed by Cherwell District Council. Someone who is severely mentally impaired, as stated on a doctor’s certificate, is not counted if they are also entitled to a qualifying benefit such as Attendance Allowance; Cherwell contacts the GP when you apply. A carer who lives with the person and gives at least 35 hours of care a week can also be left out of the count, if the person cared for gets a qualifying benefit, and Disability Relief can lower the band of an adapted home. See council tax discounts for care.

Urgent care and leaving hospital in Bicester

First aid unit: Bicester Community Hospital, Piggy Lane (entrance via Coker Close), has a First Aid Unit, not a minor injuries unit, and it has no X-ray. It opens weekdays 6pm to 11pm, and 8.30am to 11pm at weekends and on bank holidays. Call NHS 111 or the unit on 01865 903 976 before going. It is not an A&E.
A&E: the John Radcliffe in Headington, Oxford, and the Horton General in Banbury, both open 24 hours.

Bicester Community Hospital also has an inpatient ward, Bicester Ward, for people who no longer need an acute hospital. Oxford University Hospitals starts planning discharge when someone is admitted, and families arrange transport home unless the patient meets strict medical criteria for hospital transport. A community hospital bed, if needed, is the first one available, which may not be in Bicester. Our leaving hospital guide has the questions to ask.

Back home, Home First Oxfordshire’s reablement is free short-term help to regain independence, arranged by a professional. If needs are mainly health needs, ask about NHS Continuing Healthcare: NHS Thames Valley ICB’s Oxfordshire adults team is on 0118 982 2900.

Local help in Bicester

Carers' services, dementia support, transport, befriending and other local help, with phone numbers.

What may change soon

On 29 October 2026 the Government said it is minded to replace Oxfordshire’s councils with three unitary councils from 1 April 2029, with most of Cherwell in a new North Oxfordshire Council. This is proposed, not confirmed. Until then, the county council arranges adult social care and Cherwell District Council collects council tax.

Useful contacts in Bicester

Hospitals, local support and council services near Bicester, with links to their official pages. Open any heading for the details.

Hospitals near Bicester

If someone is coming home from hospital, tell us the expected discharge date as early as you can, and we will work with you and the discharge team on when care can start.

Bicester Community Hospital: community hospital
John Radcliffe Hospital: acute hospital
Horton General Hospital: acute hospital

Local support and charities

Bicester Community Support Service: Day service
Memory Cafe and Carer support group - Bicester (Age UK Oxfordshire): Dementia support
Caring Together Bicester (Carers Oxfordshire): Carers' support
Bicester Footcare Clinic (Age UK Oxfordshire): Age UK
Bicester Town Council: Town council

Council tax and adult social care

Bicester is in Cherwell District Council, which handles council tax, including discounts for people with a severe mental impairment, for disabled people and for some carers. Adult social care is arranged by Oxfordshire County Council. See live-in care in Oxfordshire for county-wide funding and NHS information.

Villages we visit near Bicester

Launton
Ambrosden
Arncott
Blackthorn
Bucknell
Caversfield
Chesterton
Merton
Middleton Stoney
Stratton Audley
Wendlebury

Questions about care in Bicester

Who do I call in Bicester to ask for a care assessment?

Call Oxfordshire County Council's Social and Health Care team on 01865 519800 (Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm, Friday 8.30am to 4pm), or ask for a needs assessment online. The needs assessment is free, and anyone can ask for one. The county council arranges adult social care; Cherwell District Council deals with council tax. Someone else can ask on your behalf, and a family carer can ask for their own carer's assessment through Carers Oxfordshire on 01235 424715.

Is there a minor injuries unit in Bicester?

Not a full one. Bicester Community Hospital on Piggy Lane has a First Aid Unit, which has no X-ray. It opens Monday to Friday 6pm to 11pm, and at weekends and on bank holidays 8.30am to 11pm. Call NHS 111 or the unit on 01865 903 976 before going; the entrance is via Coker Close. The nearest A&Es are the John Radcliffe in Oxford and the Horton in Banbury, both open 24 hours.

Is there a memory café in Bicester?

Yes. Age UK Oxfordshire's Bicester memory café meets in the main hall of the Methodist Church, Bell Lane, on the second Wednesday of the month, 11am to 12.30pm. It is free, for people living with dementia and the people who care for them, and a dementia adviser can connect you with local support. The same morning, 10.30am to noon, Carers Oxfordshire's Caring Together group meets at The Littlebury Hotel on Kings End.

How can someone in Bicester without a car get to hospital appointments?

Two county-wide services cover Bicester. Volunteer Driver Service (0300 3030 125) uses volunteers in their own cars when there is no reasonable alternative. Oxfordshire Comet (01865 323201) is the county council's bookable door-to-door service, weekdays 10am to 2pm, after a one-off £3 registration. Other village schemes are listed in the council's Community Transport Directory.

Do you provide live-in care in Bicester?

Yes. Day and Nightcare provides fully managed live-in care in Bicester and across Oxfordshire from £1,550 a week, with a free assessment. A trained carer lives in your home, supporting you through the day and close by at night, with our care team behind them.

Do you provide home care visits in Bicester?

Yes. We offer home care visits in Bicester and the surrounding villages, from one hour to several hours, for personal care, medication support, meals, companionship and getting up or going to bed. Please call 01865 715780 for our current prices.

Do you provide night care in Bicester?

Yes. We provide waking nights and sleep-in nights in Bicester, and 24-hour care with a day carer and a waking night carer working in shifts. Live-in care is another option: the carer lives in the home, rests at night and can help now and then.

Where do I claim a council tax discount in Bicester?

Council tax in Bicester is handled by Cherwell District Council. Someone with a severe mental impairment, which can include dementia, may be disregarded for council tax if they also get a qualifying disability benefit, which can mean a discount or a full exemption. See our guide to council tax discounts for care.

Sources and further information

Show the 18 official sources for this page

Local information checked 31 October 2026.