Care at home in Oxford
- 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 Oxford
In Oxford and the villages on its edge, 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 Oxford
Oxfordshire County Council, not the city council, runs adult social care in Oxford. 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 Oxford
A free financial assessment follows if you are eligible: with more than £23,250 in savings you would usually pay the full cost, and your home is not counted when the care is at home. See council funding for care.
Carers Oxfordshire does carer’s assessments with the county council: call the CarersLine on 01235 424715 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or complete the form online. There is no charge.
Inside the city, Oxford City Council collects council tax. It uses the term severe cognitive impairment for conditions such as dementia: with a medical certificate and a qualifying benefit such as Attendance Allowance or PIP, the home is exempt if the person lives alone, and there is up to 50% off if they live with a carer who meets the criteria. The council also does not count live-in carers who look after someone who is not their partner, spouse or child, and it can lower the band of a home adapted for a disabled person. See council tax discounts for care.
Urgent care and leaving hospital in Oxford
- Minor injuries: Oxford has no minor injuries unit. The nearest are at Abingdon and Witney community hospitals, open every day from 10am to 10.30pm, with no referral needed, for injuries from the last seven days. They are not A&Es.
- A&E: the John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Headington, has an Emergency Department and a children’s Emergency Department, both open 24 hours a day.
Oxford University Hospitals starts planning discharge when someone is admitted. Families arrange transport home; hospital transport is only for people who meet strict medical criteria. A community hospital bed is the first one available; the City Community Hospital’s rehabilitation ward is in the Fulbrook Centre on the Churchill site (01865 902 888).
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 Oxford
Carers' services, dementia support, transport, befriending and other local help, with phone numbers.
Read more: local help in Oxford
- Memory worries. The GP can refer to Oxford Health’s memory clinic at Green Tree Lodge, Warneford Hospital. After a diagnosis, Dementia Oxfordshire (01865 410 210, weekdays 9am to 5pm) matches people living at home with a local dementia adviser.
- Memory café. A free memory café meets at St Margaret’s Institute, 30 Polstead Road, on the second and fourth Wednesday, 2.30pm to 3.30pm, with a dementia adviser present.
- Memory groups. Dementia Oxfordshire’s free groups for people living with dementia and their carers include Singing at the Amp at the Ampleforth Arms, Risinghurst (first and third Wednesday, 11.45am to 12.45pm), and Cowley Young Minds, for young-onset dementia, at Shotover View, Craufurd Road (third Tuesday, 10.30am to noon). No booking is needed; before a first visit, a dementia adviser on 01865 410 210 can tell you more.
- Dementia day centres. The charity Daybreak runs the Rosewood Centre at The Clockhouse, Greater Leys (Wednesday and Friday), and the Limes Centre at St Margaret’s Institute (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday), 9.30am to 2.30pm, with a hot lunch. It provides transport to Rosewood, and to the Limes on Mondays and Thursdays; call 01865 776744 for places.
- Day opportunities. Oxford Community Support Service, off Horspath Driftway, runs weekdays with accessible transport; most places come through Adult Social Care.
- Getting about. Daybreak’s door-to-door community bus runs in the city on weekdays (01865 776744). Cumnor Contact (01865 864268, Tuesday and Thursday 9.30am to 11am, for donations) and the Wheatley Care Scheme (07505 543750) drive residents of their own villages to appointments. Oxfordshire Comet (01865 323201) covers the county.
- Hospice care. Sobell House on the Churchill Hospital site (01865 225860) gives palliative care across Oxfordshire, including at home.
- Not sure where to start? The Live Well Oxfordshire helpline is on 01235 849410.
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, including a Greater Oxford Council covering Oxford and its immediate surroundings. This is proposed, not confirmed. Until then, the county council arranges adult social care and the city and district councils collect council tax.
Useful contacts in Oxford
Hospitals, local support and council services near Oxford, with links to their official pages. Open any heading for the details.
Hospitals near Oxford
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.
- John Radcliffe Hospital: acute hospital
- Churchill Hospital: specialist hospital
- Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre: specialist hospital
- City Community Hospital: community hospital
Local support and charities
- Oxford Community Support Service: Day service
- Daybreak Rosewood Centre (Greater Leys): Dementia support
- Daybreak Limes Centre (North Oxford): Dementia support
- Daybreak community transport: Community transport
- The Memory Cafe at St Margaret's Institute: Dementia support
- Connect and Thrive activity group (Dementia Oxfordshire): Dementia support
- Greater Leys Footcare Clinic (Age UK Oxfordshire): Age UK
Council tax and adult social care
Oxford is in Oxford City 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 Oxford
- Kennington
- Botley (North Hinksey)
- Cumnor
- Wootton
- South Hinksey
- Wytham
- Wheatley
- Horspath
- Garsington
- Sandford-on-Thames
- Elsfield
- Stanton St John
Questions about care in Oxford
Who do I call in Oxford 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 for the whole of Oxford; the city council deals with council tax. Someone else can ask on your behalf. An unpaid carer can ask for their own carer's assessment through Carers Oxfordshire on 01235 424715.
Which Oxford hospital has the A&E?
The John Radcliffe Hospital on Headley Way, Headington. Its Emergency Department and a separate children's Emergency Department are open 24 hours a day. Oxford has no minor injuries unit: the nearest are at Abingdon and Witney community hospitals, open every day from 10am to 10.30pm with no referral needed. In a life-threatening emergency, call 999.
Is there a memory café or dementia day centre in Oxford?
Yes. A free memory café meets at St Margaret's Institute, 30 Polstead Road, on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, 2.30pm to 3.30pm, with a dementia adviser present. The charity Daybreak runs dementia day centres at Greater Leys (Wednesdays and Fridays) and at St Margaret's Institute (Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays), 9.30am to 2.30pm, with a hot lunch; call 01865 776744. Dementia Oxfordshire (01865 410 210) can help you choose.
Do people in Botley, Kennington or Wheatley pay council tax to Oxford City Council?
No. Botley (North Hinksey), Kennington, Cumnor and Wootton are in the Vale of White Horse, and Wheatley, Horspath, Garsington and Sandford-on-Thames are in South Oxfordshire, so those district councils send the bill and handle discounts. Adult social care is arranged by Oxfordshire County Council everywhere, on 01865 519800.
Do you provide live-in care in Oxford?
Yes. Day and Nightcare provides fully managed live-in care in Oxford 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 Oxford?
Yes. We offer home care visits in Oxford 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 Oxford?
Yes. We provide waking nights and sleep-in nights in Oxford, 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 Oxford?
Council tax in Oxford is handled by Oxford City 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 25 official sources for this page
- Oxfordshire County Council: Contact adult social and health care
- Oxfordshire County Council: Request a social care needs assessment
- Oxfordshire County Council: Paying for care at home
- Carers Oxfordshire: Contact
- Oxford City Council: Council tax discount or exemption for a severe cognitive impairment
- Oxford City Council: Council tax discounts for adults with specific circumstances
- Oxford City Council: Council tax reduction for disability adaptations
- Vale of White Horse District Council: Three new unitary councils for Oxfordshire and West Berkshire (July 2026, with the list of parishes)
- South Oxfordshire District Council: Three new unitary councils for Oxfordshire and West Berkshire (July 2026, with the list of parishes)
- Oxford University Hospitals: Emergency Departments (A&E)
- Oxford University Hospitals: Leaving hospital
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust: Minor Injury and First Aid Units
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust: City Community Hospital
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust: Memory services
- Live Well Oxfordshire: The Memory Café at St Margaret's Institute
- Live Well Oxfordshire: Daybreak Rosewood Centre, Greater Leys
- Live Well Oxfordshire: Daybreak Limes Centre, North Oxford
- Live Well Oxfordshire: Oxford Community Support Service
- Live Well Oxfordshire: Greater Leys Footcare Clinic, Age UK Oxfordshire
- Oxfordshire County Council: Community Transport Directory (September 2026)
- Sobell House: Contact us
- Sobell House: Who we are
- Oxford City Council: New minded-to decision for three unitary councils (29 October 2026)
- NHS website: Getting a care needs assessment
- Age UK Oxfordshire: Dementia support
Local information checked 31 October 2026.