Day-to-day support
What a live-in carer does
Every care plan is written around the person and their routine. Most include:
Personal care
Washing, bathing, dressing, continence care, and getting up and going to bed when you choose, always with dignity and privacy.
Medication support
Prompting or administering medicines, as agreed in your care plan.
Meals
Shopping, cooking the food you enjoy, and support with eating and drinking.
Mobility
Moving and handling, including hoists where needed, and pressure area care to keep skin healthy.
Your home
Laundry, light housework and keeping things just as you like them, pets included.
Getting out
Walks, appointments, visiting friends, church or the shops.
Companionship
Conversation, hobbies, and the reassurance of someone in the house at night.
Every task, every medication, assessments, care plans, carer notes and alerts are held in our live care monitoring system. Your carer records care in our care app as they give it, so the record is visible to our care team as it is entered. Our care team reviews records and alerts during office hours and follows up; outside office hours, the on-call manager deals with urgent alerts. With the agreement of the person receiving care, relatives can see care notes through our family app.
What to plan for
Breaks and nights
Your carer has a break each day and regular time off, and rests at night. They can help now and then during the night, for example with a trip to the toilet.
If you should not be on your own during the carer's break, or help is needed most nights, we plan extra support with you, such as 24-hour care with a day carer and a waking night carer working in shifts, which we can arrange anywhere in England.
Is it the right choice?
Who live-in care suits
Live-in care suits people who need support at different times through the day, or who feel safer with someone close by at night, and who would like to stay in their own home. People often choose it:
- When visits are no longer enough, or nights have become a worry
- When someone is living with dementiaAnd may be more settled at home with regular carers.
- For couples who want to stay togetherWhere one carer can safely meet both partners' needs; we assess each couple.
- When someone is coming home from hospital
- At the end of lifeSo someone can stay at home, with the people who matter to them close by.
- As respiteWhile a family carer takes a break.
Our role
A fully managed service
Some agencies only introduce a carer. With a fully managed service, we take responsibility for the care: the assessment, care plan and carer in how it starts, and then:
- Support for your carer
Supervision and spot checks, and our care team to call.
- Regular contact and reviews
We keep in regular touch and review the care plan as needs change.
- Cover when your carer is away
You have one main live-in carer, with a relief carer covering holidays and time off, who takes over after a full handover.
If anything worries you, call our care team on 01865 715780 in office hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm); outside office hours, a manager is on call.
Getting started
How live-in care starts
- Call us
Call us on 01865 715780 or ask for a call back. We talk through what is happening and give you an idea of cost.
- Free assessment
We assess the care needed with the person and anyone they want involved, free of charge: health, routines, the home, and what matters most to them.
- Care plan and quote
You receive a written care plan and a written quote before anything starts.
- Your carer
We match a carer to the person and their interests, not just to the tasks. We can often start within 24 to 48 hours of the assessment, depending on carer availability, and we confirm the start date once the carer is arranged.
Knowing where you stand
What live-in care costs
From £1,550 a weekOne person, with a carer who has a daily break and rests at night. A written quote before care begins.
The price includes our care team's management (the assessment, care plan, reviews, supervision and the on-call manager) and the carer's food. Break cover, if the person should not be left alone during the carer's break, and the carer's travel are extra and shown in the quote. For a couple, live-in care is from £1,800 a week, where one carer can safely meet both partners' needs (assessed for each couple). If help is needed most nights, we would suggest 24-hour care with carers in shifts, quoted after the assessment. Costs and funding explains what is included and how care can be paid for, including council funding, NHS Continuing Healthcare and Attendance Allowance.
Coverage
Where we provide live-in care
We arrange live-in care anywhere in England, from Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley to London, the South West, the Midlands, the East and the North. Live-in care anywhere in England lists every area and its towns.
Local guides by county
- Oxfordshire
- Buckinghamshire
- Berkshire
- Wiltshire and Swindon
- Gloucestershire
- Northamptonshire
- Warwickshire
- Hampshire
- Bristol
- Cornwall
- Devon
- London
- Somerset
- Surrey
“Thank you so much for listening to our needs and swiftly putting measures in place. Please pass our gratitude on to his current carer and let her know what a fabulous job she is doing.”
Your questions
More questions about live-in care
Does a live-in carer need their own room?
Yes. Your carer will need a private bedroom with a comfortable bed and somewhere to keep their things, along with use of a bathroom and the kitchen. Wi-Fi or a good phone signal helps them keep in touch with our office and their own family.
How quickly can live-in care start?
We can often start within 24 to 48 hours of the assessment, depending on carer availability. We assess the care needed, arrange a carer and confirm the start date once the carer is arranged, so it is not a guarantee until then. If someone is in hospital, tell us the expected discharge date as early as you can. Please call us on 01865 715780 and we will tell you honestly what we can arrange, and when.
Can one live-in carer look after a couple?
It depends on both partners' needs. When one carer can safely meet them, a couple can stay at home together with a single live-in carer, from £1,800 a week (£250 a week more than for one person), which can cost less than two care home places. We assess you both first, and if one carer would not be enough, we will say so. See live-in care for couples.
What if the carer is not the right match?
Please let us know. Feeling comfortable with your carer matters a great deal, and we will talk it through with you and find a carer who suits you better.
Is live-in care cheaper than a care home?
It can be. Live-in care starts from £1,550 a week for one person, which is in the same range as many care homes. For a couple it is from £1,800 a week, where one carer can safely meet both partners' needs, which can cost much less than two care home places. It also means one-to-one support in your own home. See live-in care or a care home.
Prepared by the care team at Day and Nightcare Live In Limited. Last updated 30 October 2026.