Live-in care in Oxfordshire

Our care, where you live

Our live-in care in Oxfordshire

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.

In Oxfordshire we also provide home care visits and waking nights and sleep-ins.

How we arrange care in Oxfordshire

Across Oxfordshire, Day and Nightcare provides home care visits from one hour, waking nights, sleep-ins, 24-hour care and fully managed live-in care from £1,550 a week. Care starts with a free assessment, a written quote and a written care plan. A relief carer covers a live-in carer’s holidays and time off, and a manager is on call.

Care can be paid for privately, by Oxfordshire County Council (including direct payments) or by NHS Continuing Healthcare. We have provided Discharge to Assess (D2A) care since 2014. If someone is coming home from hospital, tell us the expected discharge date. Our care team is on 01865 715780.

Arranging care and funding in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire County Council arranges adult social care everywhere in the county, including Oxford. To ask for a care needs assessment, call the Social and Health Care team on 01865 519800 (Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm, Friday 8.30am to 4pm) or use the council’s online form. You can ask for yourself, or a family member, doctor or social worker can ask for you. For urgent emergencies out of hours, the Emergency Duty Team is on 0800 833 408.

Read more: arranging care and funding in Oxfordshire

The money rules. If you are eligible, a free financial assessment follows: with savings over £23,250 you would be expected to pay the full cost, and the home you live in is not counted. Between £14,250 and £23,250, every £250 counts as £1 a week of income. The council allows 25% of the care element of PIP, DLA or Attendance Allowance for disability-related costs, and you can ask for a reassessment if yours are higher.
If you pay in full. The council can still find and arrange care for a one-off fee of £286, plus £278.72 a year (£5.36 a week) if it also manages care at home.
Carer’s assessment. The council and Carers Oxfordshire share this. Choose an online self-assessment (about an hour, after which Carers Oxfordshire contacts you to agree it) or a supported assessment of around two hours, booked on the CarersLine, 01235 424715 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). There is no charge for the assessment or for services to carers.
Equipment. Ask the council for an occupational therapist’s assessment at home or at an equipment clinic. The council’s community equipment contract went to Millbrook Healthcare in July 2025, after NRS Healthcare failed.
Council tax. The five district councils collect it. Each lists a disregard for someone severely mentally impaired, a disregard for a carer who lives with the person, and a band reduction for a home adapted for a disabled person.

Urgent care and leaving hospital in Oxfordshire

A&E: the Emergency Departments at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington, Oxford, and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury are both open 24 hours a day, and the John Radcliffe has a 24-hour children’s Emergency Department.
Minor injuries units (for injuries from the last seven days that are not life-threatening; no referral needed; not an A&E): Abingdon and Witney community hospitals, every day 10am to 10.30pm. Townlands Memorial Hospital in Henley opens every day, but Oxford Health’s pages give 9am to 9.30pm on one and 10am to 10.30pm on another, so check opening times or call 111.
First aid units (no X-ray; call NHS 111 first): Bicester Community Hospital, weekdays 6pm to 11pm, weekends and bank holidays 8.30am to 11pm; Chipping Norton, run by South Central Ambulance Service, weekdays 5pm to 9pm, weekends and bank holidays 10am to 9pm.

Oxford University Hospitals starts planning discharge when someone is admitted. Families arrange transport home; hospital transport is only for people who meet strict medical criteria. Questions about new medicines go to the Patient Medications Helpline on 01865 228906 (weekdays 11am to 1pm). If care is set up for after discharge, the social worker asks for a financial assessment form, due within seven working days; ask them if you need help filling it in.

A community hospital bed, if needed, is the first one available, which may not be the closest. Oxford Health has inpatient wards at Abingdon (including the Oxfordshire Stroke Rehabilitation Unit), Bicester, Didcot, Wallingford, Witney and the City Community Hospital in Headington. Townlands has no inpatient beds, and Wantage Hospital lists clinics only.

Back home, Home First Oxfordshire’s reablement is free, short-term help to regain independence for people who are medically stable and have an Oxfordshire GP or pay council tax in the county. A professional refers. If needs are mainly health needs, ask about NHS Continuing Healthcare: NHS Thames Valley ICB’s Oxfordshire adults team is on 0118 982 2900 (bobicb.oxonchcduty@nhs.net).

Local help in Oxfordshire

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

What may change soon

On 29 October 2026 the Government said it is minded to replace Oxfordshire’s six councils and West Berkshire Council with three unitary councils from 1 April 2029: Greater Oxford, North Oxfordshire and Ridgeway. This is proposed, not confirmed, and an update to Parliament is due before Christmas. Until then, the county council arranges adult social care and the district councils collect council tax.

Useful local contacts

Useful contacts in Oxfordshire

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

Councils and care assessments

Adult social care in Oxfordshire is arranged by Oxfordshire 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.

Oxfordshire County Council: ask for a care needs assessment (telephone 01865 519800); carer's assessment.

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 Oxfordshire it is arranged by NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (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.

John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford (leaving hospital information)
Churchill Hospital, Oxford (leaving hospital information)
Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford (leaving hospital information)
Horton General Hospital, Banbury (leaving hospital information)
Abingdon Community Hospital, Abingdon
Bicester Community Hospital, Bicester
Chipping Norton War Memorial Hospital, Chipping Norton
City Community Hospital, Oxford
Didcot Community Hospital, Didcot
Townlands Memorial Hospital, Henley-on-Thames
Wallingford Community Hospital, Wallingford
Wantage Hospital, Wantage
Witney Community Hospital, Witney

Local support and charities

Carers Oxfordshire: Carers' support
Age UK Oxfordshire: Age UK
Dementia Oxfordshire: Other
Sobell House: Hospice
Katharine House Hospice: Hospice
Healthwatch Oxfordshire: Healthwatch: your independent voice on health and care
Live Well Oxfordshire: Local services directory

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: Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council. See council tax discounts for care.

Equipment such as hoists, hospital beds and bathing aids is provided after an assessment through Oxfordshire Integrated Community Equipment Service. See equipment and home adaptations.

Coverage

Towns we cover in Oxfordshire

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

Your questions

Questions about live-in care in Oxfordshire

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

Call Oxfordshire County Council's Social and Health Care team on 01865 519800 (Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm, Friday 8.30am to 4pm), or use the council's online needs assessment form. The needs assessment is free, and anyone can ask for one. The county council handles adult social care everywhere in Oxfordshire, including Oxford. A family member, doctor or social worker can ask on someone's behalf. For urgent emergencies out of hours, call the Emergency Duty Team on 0800 833 408.

Is reablement free in Oxfordshire?

Yes. Reablement through Home First Oxfordshire is free short-term help at home to regain independence. A professional, such as the hospital team, refers you, and how long it lasts depends on the assessment and the goals set rather than a fixed number of weeks. If you still need care afterwards, a financial assessment decides whether you contribute, from the date the council identifies a long-term need.

Who helps family carers in Oxfordshire?

Carers Oxfordshire is the county's free service for unpaid carers aged 18 or over who look after someone living in Oxfordshire. Call its CarersLine on 01235 424715 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm; voicemail at other times) or email carersinfo@carersoxfordshire.org.uk. It carries out carers' assessments with the county council, either as an online self-assessment or as a supported assessment with a worker.

Where can we get dementia support in Oxfordshire?

Start with Dementia Oxfordshire, run by Age UK Oxfordshire, on 01865 410 210 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). Everyone with a diagnosis who lives at home is matched with a local dementia adviser, and families can refer themselves. For a diagnosis, see the GP, who can refer to an Oxford Health memory clinic. The GP can also refer someone waiting for the clinic to Dementia Oxfordshire's memory support service.

Will the council changes in Oxfordshire affect our care?

Not yet. On 29 October 2026 the Government said it was minded to replace Oxfordshire's councils with three unitary councils from 1 April 2029. This is proposed, not confirmed. Until then, Oxfordshire County Council keeps arranging adult social care, and the five district councils keep collecting council tax. The decision was open to views for about three weeks, so details may still change.

How much does live-in care cost in Oxfordshire?

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

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 Oxfordshire is arranged by Oxfordshire 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.

Who arranges NHS Continuing Healthcare in Oxfordshire?

NHS Continuing Healthcare in Oxfordshire is arranged by NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board. 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 John Radcliffe 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 Oxfordshire?

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 52 official sources for this page

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