Live-in care in Bideford

Devon County Council runs adult social care in Bideford, not Torridge District 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, which lists Bideford and Northam among its areas. You can also start with the council's online self-help tool, which may lead to an online self-assessment. If your relative has a named worker, call 01392 383000. For an emergency out of hours, call 0345 600 0388, option 1.

No. Royal Devon says the minor injuries unit at Bideford Community Hospital is closed, and asks people needing non-emergency treatment to call NHS 111 or use NHS 111 online (linked in the sources below). The nearest emergency department is the 24/7 service at North Devon District Hospital, Raleigh Park, Barnstaple (switchboard 01271 322577). Castle Gardens Surgery in Torrington offers a sit-down-and-wait minor injuries service on weekdays from 8.30am to 6pm (closed 1.15pm to 2pm); it is not an A&E. In a life-threatening emergency, call 999.

Start with the GP, who can refer to the Devon Dementia Assessment Service clinic at North Devon District Hospital (01271 443 231); allow up to three hours and bring a relative or close friend. Locally, the Bideford Musical Memory Cafe meets on the second and fourth Fridays, 10.30am to 12.30pm, at Bideford Football Club on Kingsley Road, and Northam Memory Lane, run by TTVS, meets on the third Friday at Northam Hall; all are welcome, just turn up. TTVS is on 01237 420130.

Yes. Torridge Volunteer Cars, a charity at Jubilee House, Queen Street, has volunteer drivers who take people who cannot use public transport or their own car to medical, social or domestic appointments, across Torridge from Welcombe to Winkleigh and north, including Barnstaple. It charges 55p a mile from the driver's door and back (£6 minimum) plus a £5 admin fee, paid to the driver. Give at least two working days' notice: the bookings desk is on 01237 237200, Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm (not bank holidays).

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

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 Bideford 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.

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.