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Live-in care · London

Live-in care in London

How to arrange fully managed live-in care anywhere in London with our care team, starting with a free assessment, and who else to contact: which council assesses, how charges differ between boroughs, the four NHS boards for Continuing Healthcare, and London-wide help with carers, memory, transport and hospice care.

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From £1,550 a weekFree initial assessment · A written quote before care begins

A Day and Nightcare live-in carer with an older person at home in London

Our care, where you live

Our live-in care in London

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 London

Day and Nightcare provides fully managed live-in care in all 32 London boroughs and the City of London, 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 the borough 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 London

London’s local government is 32 boroughs and the City of London Corporation, and each runs its own adult social care and council tax. Ask the council where the person lives, not where you live, for a care needs assessment. The needs assessment is free, and anyone can ask for one. Each borough page gives the council’s own contact details.

Read more: arranging care and funding in London
  • Online forms first. Croydon, Haringey and Tower Hamlets, for example, ask you to use an online form and keep a phone line for anyone who has difficulty with it.
  • Carer’s assessments. In Harrow, Kingston, Merton, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham a carers’ charity carries them out for or with the council (Harrow Carers, Kingston Carers Network, Carers First and Carers Network). Elsewhere, ask the borough where the person cared for lives.

Charges differ from borough to borough:

  • Free home care. Hammersmith and Fulham says “There are no charges for receiving home care in H&F”, and Tower Hamlets stopped charging for care in the home from 1 April 2025. Elsewhere, council-arranged care is means-tested after a financial assessment.
  • Hourly charges. For people assessed as needing to contribute, council-arranged home care costs around £27.28 an hour in Merton (from 31 August 2026) and £24.26 an hour in Redbridge (2026/27, capped at £1,000 a week).
  • Arrangement fees. With savings above £23,250, many boroughs charge a fee for arranging care at home, such as £61.10 a week in Richmond and Wandsworth. You can also arrange live-in care directly with a provider.

Ask the borough about council tax discounts for severe mental impairment and for carers.

Urgent care and leaving hospital in London

  • A&E: the main 24-hour A&Es are listed under Useful contacts below, and the NHS website’s Find your nearest A&E service shows the closest to any postcode. In an emergency, call 999.
  • Urgent treatment centres and minor injuries: hours differ, and some (Hammersmith Hospital’s, for example) see only patients booked by NHS 111. Each borough page lists the nearest, with hours and how to get in. If you are unsure where to go, call NHS 111.

Short-term reablement is run by each borough; in Hammersmith and Fulham, for example, it is the free Community Independence Service.

When health needs are the main issue, ask about NHS Continuing Healthcare. A nurse, doctor or social worker involved in the person’s care can complete the first checklist. Since 1 April 2026 London has four NHS integrated care boards, each with local teams:

  • West and North London (weekdays 9am to 5pm): Barnet, Camden and Enfield 020 3198 9743 (option 1); Haringey 0203 316 8740; Islington 0203 316 8706; Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon 020 3114 7123; Ealing and Hounslow 020 3350 4091; Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham 020 3114 7220.
  • North East London: Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge 020 8221 5700 (option 4 for Fast Track); City and Hackney 020 7683 4813; Newham 020 7909 3805; Tower Hamlets 020 7771 5680; Waltham Forest 020 3644 2459.
  • South East London: Bexley 020 8176 5631; Bromley 020 8176 5644; Greenwich 020 8176 5656; Lambeth 020 8176 5733; Lewisham 020 8176 5744; Southwark 020 8176 5777.
  • South West London: Croydon and Sutton 0203 880 0296 (option 1); Kingston and Richmond 020 3968 2390; Merton and Wandsworth 020 3880 0288 (option 1).

Local help in London

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

Read more: local help in London
  • Carers. Each borough has a carers’ service, listed below and on its borough page. Carers First covers Croydon, Haringey, Merton and Waltham Forest (0300 303 1555); Carers Network covers Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham (020 8960 3033). The national Carers UK Helpline is 0808 808 7777, weekdays 9am to 6pm.
  • Memory and dementia. Memory services are reached through the GP. The Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Support Line, 0333 150 3456, is open every day: Monday to Wednesday 9am to 8pm, Thursday and Friday 9am to 5pm, weekends 10am to 4pm.
  • Getting about. Londoners of state pension age, and those with an eligible disability, can get a free Freedom Pass (0300 330 1433). TfL Dial-a-Ride is a door-to-door service for members with a long-term disability who cannot use public transport (0343 222 7777); people aged 85 or over, Taxicard members and people on higher-rate Attendance Allowance qualify automatically. Taxicard subsidises taxi and minicab trips for people with mobility or sight impairments (020 7934 9791, option 2; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays).
  • Age UK. Age UK London lists each borough’s local Age UK. There is none in Haringey or Kingston; for Kingston it points to Staywell (020 8942 8256).
  • Hospices. Lines you can call at any time: St Christopher’s (Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark) 020 8768 4500; St Joseph’s (City and Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham) 0300 30 30 400; Saint Francis (Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge) 01708 758643; Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice 020 8320 5837; Harlington Hospice (Hillingdon) 020 3824 1268. North London Hospice’s out-of-hours line (020 8152 3252, 8pm to 8am) is for people with a GP in Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Camden or Islington who are known to community palliative care. Marie Curie’s Hampstead hospice is temporarily closed to inpatient referrals. See end-of-life care.

What may change soon

  • North London Hospice: its inpatient unit moved on 1 July 2026 to Jade Ward, Edgware Community Hospital, while the Finchley unit is rebuilt; the hospice expects the new unit to open in autumn 2027.
  • St Luke’s Hospice, Harrow: its 12-bed inpatient unit is temporarily closed, and on 14 October 2026 it said it does not expect to reopen it this year. Care at home continues.

Useful local contacts

Useful contacts in London

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

Councils and care assessments

Adult social care in London is arranged by London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Brent, London Borough of Bromley, London Borough of Camden, City of London Corporation, London Borough of Croydon, London Borough of Ealing, London Borough of Enfield, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London Borough of Hackney, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, London Borough of Haringey, London Borough of Harrow, London Borough of Havering, London Borough of Hillingdon, London Borough of Hounslow, London Borough of Islington, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Lewisham, London Borough of Merton, London Borough of Newham, London Borough of Redbridge, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, London Borough of Southwark, London Borough of Sutton, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Wandsworth Borough Council and Westminster City 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.

Our guide to reducing the cost of care and funding checker explain every route.

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. In London it is arranged by London's four NHS integrated care boards (Continuing Healthcare information). We already support people whose care is funded by NHS Continuing Healthcare. See our NHS Continuing Healthcare guide.

Hospitals

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.

Local support and charities
Council tax and equipment

Council tax discounts for people with a severe mental impairment, for disabled people and for some carers are claimed from the local council: London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Brent, London Borough of Bromley, London Borough of Camden, City of London Corporation, London Borough of Croydon, London Borough of Ealing, London Borough of Enfield, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London Borough of Hackney, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, London Borough of Haringey, London Borough of Harrow, London Borough of Havering, London Borough of Hillingdon, London Borough of Hounslow, London Borough of Islington, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Lewisham, London Borough of Merton, London Borough of Newham, London Borough of Redbridge, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, London Borough of Southwark, London Borough of Sutton, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Wandsworth Borough Council, Westminster City Council. See council tax discounts for care.

Equipment such as hoists, hospital beds and bathing aids is provided after an assessment through your borough council's community equipment service (free if you are assessed as needing it). See equipment and home adaptations.

Coverage

Towns we cover in London

We provide live-in care everywhere in London, including:

Your questions

Questions about live-in care in London

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

The adult social care team of the council where the person lives, not where you live. Each of the 32 boroughs and the City of London runs its own service, and many ask you to start with an online form, keeping a phone line for anyone who cannot use it. For example, Hammersmith and Fulham is on freephone 0800 145 6095 (8.45am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) and the City of London on 020 7332 1224 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). Each borough page gives its own details. The needs assessment is free, and anyone can ask for one.

Which NHS board arranges Continuing Healthcare in our part of London?

Since 1 April 2026 London has four NHS integrated care boards. West and North London covers 13 boroughs: Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Enfield, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster. North East London covers the City, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Havering, and Barking and Dagenham. South East London covers Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. South West London covers Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth. In West and North London, Central London Community Healthcare has carried out most Continuing Healthcare assessments since 1 July 2026, but the ICB still makes the final decisions.

Do any London boroughs provide home care free of charge?

Yes, at least two. Hammersmith and Fulham says there are no charges for receiving home care, and Tower Hamlets stopped charging for care in the home from 1 April 2025. This is care arranged by the council after a needs assessment, so the first step is still to ask for one. In other boroughs council-arranged care is means-tested after a financial assessment, and people with savings above £23,250 (2026/27) pay the full cost.

Can a London council arrange care if we pay for it ourselves?

Yes, if you ask, but many boroughs charge a fee for doing it, on top of the cost of care. Richmond and Wandsworth charge a Care Arrangement fee of £61.10 a week (2026/27), Sutton £25 a week and Greenwich £5.50 a week. Redbridge charges £300 a year, Bromley £304.20 a year (April 2025 policy), Havering £210.98 a year and Southwark £200 a year (under review). Kingston charges £353 plus VAT to set up and £12.50 plus VAT a week. Bexley and Croydon say they charge a fee but give no clear current amount, so ask before you agree. You can also arrange live-in care directly with a provider.

How much does live-in care cost in London?

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

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 London is arranged by London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Brent, London Borough of Bromley, London Borough of Camden, City of London Corporation, London Borough of Croydon, London Borough of Ealing, London Borough of Enfield, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London Borough of Hackney, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, London Borough of Haringey, London Borough of Harrow, London Borough of Havering, London Borough of Hillingdon, London Borough of Hounslow, London Borough of Islington, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Lewisham, London Borough of Merton, London Borough of Newham, London Borough of Redbridge, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, London Borough of Southwark, London Borough of Sutton, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Wandsworth Borough Council and Westminster City 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.

Who arranges NHS Continuing Healthcare in London?

NHS Continuing Healthcare in London is arranged by London's four NHS integrated care boards. When someone's main need is a health need, the NHS pays for all of their care, including live-in care at home. Ask the GP, social worker or hospital discharge team for a CHC checklist assessment.

Can live-in care start when someone leaves St Mary's 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.

How would live-in care be supported in London?

Our care team supports every live-in placement, wherever it is in England: a free assessment, a written care plan, regular contact and reviews, one main live-in carer, with a relief carer covering holidays and time off, and a manager on call outside office hours. Your carer works alongside the person's own GP, community nurses and any hospice team already involved in their care.

Sources and further information

Show the 73 official sources for this page

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

Live-in care near London

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