Live-in care in Barnstaple, Devon

Our care, where you live

Our live-in care in Barnstaple

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 Barnstaple

Day and Nightcare provides fully managed live-in care in Barnstaple 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 Devon County 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 Barnstaple

Devon County Council runs adult social care in Barnstaple. Call Adult Social Care on 0345 155 1007 (Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to 4pm) and choose the Care Direct Plus Northern team, which covers Barnstaple, Braunton, South Molton and the rest of the north. The council asks people to start with its online self-help tool, which may lead to an online self-assessment.

Read more: arranging care and funding in Barnstaple

After a hospital stay or illness, ask about the council’s free Social Care Reablement Service, typically for one to four weeks. With more than £23,250 in savings your relative pays the full cost of council-arranged care; for care at home, their home is not counted. See council funding for care.

Family carers can book a carer’s assessment through the Caring in Devon Helpline on 03456 434 435 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm), by phone or in person; the person you care for does not need to be receiving support.

North Devon Council collects council tax. It does not count qualifying carers or people with a severe mental impairment when working out who lives in a home (there is an online form for each), and a home with a room or extra space needed by a disabled person is charged one band lower. See council tax discounts for care.

Urgent care and leaving hospital in Barnstaple

A&E: North Devon District Hospital, Raleigh Park, has a 24/7 emergency service (switchboard 01271 322577).
Minor injuries: Barnstaple has no minor injuries unit, Bideford’s is closed and South Molton has none. Ilfracombe’s weekday service at Combe Coastal Practice takes no walk-ins: call before attending, or use NHS 111. It is not an A&E.

Royal Devon starts planning for home straight away and tries to get people home, or to the discharge hub, before lunchtime. The hub is on level 0 at the link corridor entrance, open 7am to 7.30pm on weekdays and 8am to 4pm at weekends and on bank holidays; its staff can collect medicines from the pharmacy.

South Molton Community Hospital’s Hugh Squier ward has 20 beds for acute and rehabilitative care, and Bideford Community Hospital is a base for the reablement team and Short Term Services.

If health needs are the main issue, ask about NHS Continuing Healthcare. NHS Devon’s East and North Devon team covers Barnstaple (d-icb.chc@nhs.net, 01392 675 414; email is preferred). Families cannot apply directly, so ask a district nurse or social worker to consider the checklist.

Local help in Barnstaple

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

What may change soon

On 29 October 2026 the Government withdrew its earlier decision on reorganising councils in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay and will decide again by early 2027. Until then, Devon County Council arranges adult social care and North Devon Council collects council tax.

Useful local contacts

Useful contacts in Barnstaple

The council, NHS teams, hospitals and local services you are most likely to need in Barnstaple, with links to their official pages. Open any heading for the details.

Council and care assessments

Adult social care in Barnstaple is arranged by Devon County 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.

Devon County Council: ask for a care needs assessment (telephone 0345 155 1007); 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 Barnstaple it is arranged by NHS Devon (NHS Devon Integrated Care Board) (Continuing Healthcare information). See our NHS Continuing Healthcare guide.

Hospitals near Barnstaple

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.

North Devon District Hospital: A&E: 24/7 emergency department and trauma unit, Raleigh Park; switchboard 01271 322577; discharge hub on level 0, 7am to 7.30pm weekdays, 8am to 4pm weekends and bank holidays (leaving hospital information)
South Molton Community Hospital: Hugh Squier ward, 20 beds; no minor injuries service; not an A&E; 01769 572164
Bideford Community Hospital: No minor injuries unit open: it is closed, so call NHS 111 for advice; not an A&E; base for the community health and social care team, including reablement and Short Term Services
Ilfracombe Tyrrell Hospital: Outpatient clinics; X-ray temporarily closed; not an A&E. Minor injuries: weekday service (Monday to Friday, hours not published) at Combe Coastal Practice, which does not accept walk-ins: call before attending or use NHS 111

Local support and charities

Caring in Devon (Devon County Council carers service): Carers' support (03456 434 435)
Devon Dementia Assessment Service, North Devon clinic (Devon Partnership NHS Trust): Dementia support (01271 443 231)
Devon Memory Cafe Consortium: Barnstaple memory cafés: Dementia support
Age Well North Devon (formerly Age Concern Barnstaple and North Devon): Community support (01271 324488)
North Devon Ring and Ride (Mid Devon Mobility): Community transport (01271 328866)
North Devon Hospice: Hospice (01271 344248)
Healthwatch in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay: Healthwatch: your independent voice on health and care (0800 520 0640)

Council tax

Council tax in Barnstaple, including discounts for people with a severe mental impairment, for disabled people and for some carers, is handled by North Devon Council. See council tax discounts for care.

Villages around Barnstaple

Pilton
Newport
Roundswell
Bickington
Fremington
Braunton
Bishops Tawton
Landkey
Swimbridge
Goodleigh
Tawstock

Your questions

Questions about live-in care in Barnstaple

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

Devon County Council runs adult social care in Barnstaple, not North Devon Council. Call Adult Social Care on 0345 155 1007 (Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to 4pm) and choose the Care Direct Plus Northern team. The council also has an online self-help tool that can lead to an online self-assessment, and staff will help if you need it. In an emergency out of hours that cannot wait until the next day, call 0345 600 0388 and choose option 1.

Is there a minor injuries unit in Barnstaple?

No. Barnstaple's hospital is North Devon District Hospital in Raleigh Park, with a 24/7 emergency service (switchboard 01271 322577). Bideford Community Hospital's minor injuries unit is closed, and South Molton Community Hospital has no minor injuries service. Ilfracombe has a weekday minor injuries service at Combe Coastal Practice, which does not take walk-ins: Royal Devon asks people to call the service before attending or use NHS 111. For advice, call NHS 111, and in a life-threatening emergency call 999.

Is there transport in Barnstaple for people who cannot use the bus?

Yes. Mid Devon Mobility's North Devon Ring and Ride (01271 328866, book weekdays 9am to 2pm) is a door-to-door minibus for older and disabled people that runs into Barnstaple on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and every other Thursday, with return journeys from £6.50; wheelchairs are welcome but not mobility scooters. Age Well North Devon's volunteer drivers take people on medical, practical and social journeys at 55p a mile plus a £5 booking fee, waived for people on Pension Credit (01271 445130, weekdays 9.30am to 3.30pm).

How much does live-in care cost in Barnstaple?

Live-in care with Day and Nightcare costs from £1,550 a week in Barnstaple, 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 Barnstaple?

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 Barnstaple is arranged by Devon County 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 North Devon District 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 29 official sources for this page

Local information checked 31 October 2026. Links go to the official council, NHS and charity pages.

Live-in care in Barnstaple