Our care, where you live
Our live-in care in Newbury
Live-in care means one-to-one support in your own home: personal care, medication support, meals, help around the house, getting out and about, and someone close by at night. Whether it suits the person, and whether one carer can support a couple, is worked out at the free assessment. Read more in live-in care explained and how it works day to day.
How we arrange live-in care in Newbury
Day and Nightcare provides fully managed live-in care in Newbury and the villages around it, from £1,550 a week. One main carer lives in the home; a relief carer covers their holidays and time off, and a manager is on call. Care starts with a free assessment, a written quote and a written care plan.
Care can be paid for privately, by West Berkshire Council (including direct payments) or by NHS Continuing Healthcare. We have provided Discharge to Assess (D2A) care since 2014. If someone is in hospital, tell us the expected discharge date (see care after hospital). Our care team is on 01865 715780.
Arranging care and funding in Newbury
West Berkshire Council runs adult social care and collects council tax. To ask for a care needs assessment, call its Adult Social Care Contact Centre on 01635 503050 (Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm, Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm), use its online enquiry form or email adultcare@westberks.gov.uk. Out of hours, the Emergency Duty Service, which covers West Berkshire, is on 01344 351 999. See our guide to council funding for care.
Read more: arranging care and funding in Newbury
A financial assessment follows. With more than £23,250 in savings your relative would usually pay the full cost, and the home is not counted when care is at home.
- Arranging care if you pay in full. West Berkshire’s 2026/27 fees and charges, approved by the council on 26 February 2026, include an administration fee of £383 a year for commissioning care for full-cost clients, and show live-in care at actual cost. You can also arrange live-in care directly with a provider.
- Carers. Ask the council for a carer’s assessment online or on 01635 503050: carers do not pay for their support, and the person you care for does not need council services. If you care for someone in West Berkshire, Age UK Berkshire, part of the Reading and West Berkshire Carers Partnership, offers free information, advice and support (0118 959 4242).
- Council tax. Ask the council about the severe mental impairment discount (it gives dementia or Alzheimer’s as examples), carers’ discounts and the disabled reduction; the council tax question below covers live-in carers. See council tax discounts for care.
Urgent care and leaving hospital in Newbury
- Minor injuries: the Minor Injuries Unit at West Berkshire Community Hospital, Benham Hill, sees people by appointment only, so call NHS 111 first. It treats injuries such as cuts, sprains and small fractures, not illnesses, with X-ray by appointment (Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6pm, weekends 9am to 5pm). It is not an A&E.
- A&E: the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, open 24 hours.
Discharge from the Royal Berkshire usually goes through its Discharge Lounge (Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 8pm, not bank holidays), where a nurse explains the medicines and discharge letter.
West Berkshire Community Hospital has two rehabilitation wards, Donnington and Highclere. Berkshire Healthcare’s Intermediate Care Service gives therapy at home to housebound adults with a West Berkshire GP, on referral by a GP or health professional.
If health needs are the main issue, ask about NHS Continuing Healthcare: NHS Thames Valley ICB’s Berkshire West team is on 0118 982 2900.
Local help in Newbury
Carers' services, dementia support, transport, befriending and other local help, with phone numbers.
Read more: local help in Newbury
- Memory and dementia. The GP can refer to Berkshire Healthcare’s older adults’ mental health service for Newbury (0118 904 3100). Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Care Adviser Service for West Berkshire, for people with dementia and their carers, is on 0118 959 6482 (weekdays, 9am to 5pm). Dementia Friendly West Berkshire’s November 2026 guide lists the Corn Exchange Memory Café in the Balcony Bar on the third Wednesday of the month, 10.30am to 12pm, pay what you can (book on 01635 522733), and the Camellia Club for people with dementia at the Fair Close Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am to 3pm (£65 a day; camelliaclub@fairclosecentre.org). Age UK Berkshire’s Memory Lane Singing Café meets at the Fair Close Centre on selected Fridays, 10.30am to 12pm (£3, booking essential, 0118 959 4242). See dementia care at home.
- Day care. The council’s Phoenix Resource Centre, Newtown Road, gives weekday day services to adults with learning or physical disabilities, frailty or dementia; ask Adult Social Care about eligibility (01635 520150).
- Getting about. Volunteer Centre West Berkshire runs Handybuses for people who struggle with public transport (01635 37111, Monday to Thursday 9am to 1pm) and a volunteer car scheme, especially for medical appointments (01635 49004, weekdays 10am to 1pm); no referral is needed. Newbury & District Cancer Care Trust drives people from anywhere in West Berkshire to hospital treatment and appointments (01635 243343, weekdays 10am to 3pm).
- Company. Age UK Berkshire’s free Getting Out and About service helps people aged 50 or over in West Berkshire reconnect with local activities, and family members can refer; it also offers free befriending visits (0118 959 4242).
- End of life. Sue Ryder’s Duchess of Kent Hospice (0118 950 5276) serves Newbury, with a community team based at West Berkshire Community Hospital, Hospice at Home and a 24/7 clinical advice line for its patients and their families.
Useful local contacts
Useful contacts in Newbury
The council, NHS teams, hospitals and local services you are most likely to need in Newbury, with links to their official pages. Open any heading for the details.
Council and care assessments
Adult social care in Newbury is arranged by West Berkshire Council. Anyone who appears to need care can ask for a free care needs assessment, whatever their savings. If the council funds care, you can usually take it as a direct payment and use it for live-in care from us.
- West Berkshire Council: ask for a care needs assessment (telephone 01635 503050); carer's assessment.
NHS Continuing Healthcare
When someone's main need is a health need, the NHS pays for all of their care through NHS Continuing Healthcare, and it is not means-tested. For Newbury it is arranged by NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (Continuing Healthcare information). See our NHS Continuing Healthcare guide.
Hospitals near Newbury
If someone is in hospital, tell us the expected discharge date as early as you can, and we will work with you and the discharge team on when live-in care can start.
- Royal Berkshire Hospital: In Reading; A&E open 24 hours; Discharge Lounge Monday to Friday 7.30am to 8pm (leaving hospital information)
- West Berkshire Community Hospital: London Road, Benham Hill, Thatcham; Donnington and Highclere rehabilitation wards; tel 01635 273 300 (leaving hospital information)
- Minor Injuries Unit, West Berkshire Community Hospital: Appointment only: call NHS 111 first; injuries, not illnesses; X-ray by appointment Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am to 5pm; not an A&E
Local support and charities
- Reading & West Berkshire Carers Partnership (Age UK Berkshire for West Berkshire carers): Carers' support (0118 959 4242)
- Alzheimer's Society: Dementia Care Adviser Service, West Berkshire: Dementia support (0118 959 6482)
- Memory Café, Corn Exchange, Newbury: Dementia support (01635 522733)
- Volunteer Centre West Berkshire: Handybus and Community Car: Community transport (01635 37111)
- Age UK Berkshire: Befriending and Getting Out & About: Befriending (0118 959 4242)
- Sue Ryder (Duchess of Kent Hospice and community teams): Hospice (0118 950 5276)
- Phoenix Resource Centre (West Berkshire Council): Day opportunities (01635 520150)
- Newbury & District Cancer Care Trust (transport to treatment): Community transport (01635 243343)
Council tax
Council tax in Newbury, including discounts for people with a severe mental impairment, for disabled people and for some carers, is handled by West Berkshire Council. See council tax discounts for care.
Villages around Newbury
- Speen
- Shaw
- Donnington
- Greenham
- Stockcross
- Curridge
- Cold Ash
- Ashmore Green
- Hermitage
- Chieveley
- Kintbury
Your questions
Questions about live-in care in Newbury
Who do I call in Newbury to ask for a care assessment?
West Berkshire Council runs adult social care. Call its Adult Social Care Contact Centre on 01635 503050 (Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm, Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm), use its online enquiry form or email adultcare@westberks.gov.uk. Out of hours, the Emergency Duty Service is on 01344 351 999. A relative who cares for someone in West Berkshire can contact Age UK Berkshire, part of the Reading and West Berkshire Carers Partnership, on 0118 959 4242 for carers' advice and support.
Is there an A&E in Newbury?
No. The nearest A&E is at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, open 24 hours. West Berkshire Community Hospital at Benham Hill, Thatcham, has a Minor Injuries Unit, but it sees people by appointment only, so call NHS 111 first. It treats injuries such as cuts, sprains and small fractures, not illnesses. In a life-threatening emergency, call 999.
Is West Berkshire Council being replaced?
Not yet. On 29 October 2026 the Government said it is minded to create three new councils for Oxfordshire and West Berkshire, including a Ridgeway Council covering West Berkshire and most of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse, from 1 April 2029. A final decision is expected before Christmas. Until then West Berkshire Council keeps running adult social care and council tax.
What help is there at home after a hospital stay in West Berkshire?
West Berkshire's Joint Care Pathway team, the Berkshire NHS Intermediate Care Team and the council's adult social care working together, arranges short-term care to help people regain their independence after hospital. This reablement normally lasts 1 to 2 weeks and no more than 6. If longer-term support is needed, the council arranges a care needs assessment, and ongoing care is charged for. If the hospital says someone can go home but needs a package of care with no reablement goals, the charge starts on the day of discharge and a financial assessment follows.
Can we get a council tax discount for dementia or a live-in carer in West Berkshire?
Possibly. Someone a doctor confirms as severely mentally impaired (the council's examples are dementia or Alzheimer's) who gets a qualifying benefit, such as Attendance Allowance or PIP, can be disregarded: if they live alone, the discount is 100%. If your relative is the only adult in the household and employs carers who do not live there as their sole or main residence, they can apply for a single person discount. A carer living there who gives at least 35 hours of care a week to someone who is not their spouse, partner or child under 18, and who receives a qualifying disability benefit, can also be disregarded. Ask the council's Council Tax Team.
How much does live-in care cost in Newbury?
Live-in care with Day and Nightcare costs from £1,550 a week in Newbury, the same as everywhere in England, for one person with a carer who rests at night. That includes our care team's management (the assessment, care plan, reviews, supervision and the on-call manager) and the carer's food; break cover and the carer's travel are extra. For a couple it is from £1,800 a week, where one carer can safely meet both partners' needs. You receive a written quote after a free assessment.
Can the council help pay for live-in care in Newbury?
Yes, if the person's care needs meet the national eligibility criteria and their savings are below £23,250 (2026/27). Adult social care in Newbury is arranged by West Berkshire Council. Ask for a care needs assessment; if you are eligible, council funding can usually be taken as a direct payment and used for live-in care from us.
Can live-in care start when someone leaves Royal Berkshire Hospital?
It can. Tell us the expected discharge date as early as you can, and we will work with you and the ward's discharge team on when live-in care can start. We can often start within 24 to 48 hours of the assessment, depending on carer availability, and we confirm the start date once a carer is arranged. We have provided Discharge to Assess (D2A) care since 2014.
Sources and further information
Show the 28 official sources for this page
- West Berkshire Council: Contact Adult Social Care
- West Berkshire Council: Care assessment and eligibility
- West Berkshire Council: Support for carers
- West Berkshire Council: Council Tax reduction, discounts and exemptions
- West Berkshire Council: Support leaving hospital (Joint Care Pathway)
- West Berkshire Council: Phoenix Resource Centre
- West Berkshire Council: Community transport groups in West Berkshire
- West Berkshire Directory: Adult Social Care from West Berkshire Council
- Bracknell Forest Council: Emergency Duty Service (EDS), run for all six Berkshire councils
- West Berkshire Council: Fees and charges 2026-27 (Appendix C)
- West Berkshire Council: Council minutes, 26 February 2026
- Oxfordshire County Council: Government announces new minded-to decision
- GOV.UK: Local Government Reorganisation moves forward in five counties
- NHS website: Royal Berkshire Hospital, accident and emergency services
- Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust: Discharge Lounge
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: West Berkshire Community Hospital
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Minor Injuries Unit
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Intermediate Care Service
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Memory clinic
- NHS Thames Valley ICB: Continuing Healthcare
- Age UK Berkshire: Carers support
- Age UK Berkshire: Getting Out and About
- Age UK Berkshire: Befriending
- Age UK Berkshire: Memory Lane Singing Cafe
- Dementia Friendly West Berkshire: What's On guide, November 2026
- Alzheimer's Society: Dementia Care Adviser Service, West Berkshire
- West Berkshire Directory: Community HandyBus and car scheme (Volunteer Centre West Berkshire)
- Sue Ryder South East (Duchess of Kent Hospice)
Local information checked 31 October 2026. Links go to the official council, NHS and charity pages.
