Home care costs vary across the UK. As a rough guideline, you’ll probably pay £25 per hour or more.
If that sounds like a lot, try not to worry. Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to help with paying for care costs.
In this guide, we’ll look at the costs of home care in the UK, how to get support with the cost of care, and what other expenses you might need to consider.
But first, do you need home care urgently? Find Your Room can help.
Whether you’re looking for an individual carer or a local care agency, our search tool lets you find the right care for you. Simply use the filters to choose the type of care you need, enter your location, and find care services near you.
What is home care?
Before we get started, let’s quickly explain what home care actually is. Home care is when a support worker comes to your home to help you. Depending on your needs, this might involve personal care, companionship, meal preparation, or even some housekeeping.
For many people, home care is an alternative to moving to a care home or supported living scheme. It’s a very flexible type of support, and can, in most cases, increase or decrease if your needs change.
Home care is also known as domiciliary care, care at home, home help, or home healthcare.
How much does home care cost per hour in the UK?
Home care costs in the UK will vary, depending on your location, your care needs, and the care agency or individual carer that you choose. However, on average, it will cost somewhere between £25 and £38 per hour.
There are a few factors that might make the hourly rate more expensive:
- Your care needs: If you have complex health needs or require skilled nursing support from specially-trained staff, your care may cost more. Also, if you need two or more carers during your visits, you’ll usually need to pay a higher rate.
- The time of day: Care agencies and individual carers often charge more for overnight visits, as well as visits on bank holidays and weekends.
- Location: If the care agency is based in London or the South East, they’ll have higher running costs – for example, staff wages and office rental. This means that they’ll usually charge a higher hourly rate.
- The agency or individual carer that you choose: Care agencies and individual carers set their own hourly rates. Agencies often have higher hourly costs than individual carers, but this is because they also usually cover recruitment, training, holiday or sickness cover, and all of the administration and management. If you choose to employ an individual carer, you may pay a lower rate, but you’ll need to take on more administration.
Because home care costs can vary so widely, it’s hard to give a precise hourly rate. To find out about care costs, you should contact home care agencies in your area.
How much does 24-hour care at home cost in the UK?
Some people need care at home throughout the day and night. This might be because they have complex care needs that need constant support, or because they can’t safely be left alone.
If you need 24-hour home care, it could cost between £900 and £2,000 per week.
You have several options when you’re looking for 24-hour home care. You could choose to employ one live-in carer, who will require a break overnight, or a rota of multiple care workers who will be awake and actively providing support during the day and night.
There’s no getting around it – 24-hour home care is expensive. After all, you’re paying for at 24 hours of care each day – and potentially more, if you have multiple care workers with overlapping hours.
Is home care cheaper than a care home?
Home care is usually a lot cheaper than a care home.
Lots of people choose home care to avoid care home costs, which can come to more than £1,500 per week, depending on your needs and location.
When you employ a home caregiver, you’ll only pay for the hours of care that you need.
Many people only need occasional help, or short daily care visits. If you just need some support with housekeeping, managing your medication, or bathing, you’ll probably find that home care is a lot cheaper than moving to a care home.
However, if you need 24-hour care, home care may cost the same – or even slightly more – than moving to a care home.
Other costs to consider when thinking about home care
If you’re considering the price of home care, you should also remember that you may need to pay additional costs as well.
These might include:
- Adaptations to your home: Depending on your needs and your home, you might need to make some changes to your property so that you can get around more easily. This might include smaller adaptations like installing wheelchair ramps or grab rails, or even larger jobs such as widening doorways to putting in a downstairs bathroom. You may be able to access funding from your local authority for some of these adaptations, but you will probably have to pay for some yourself.
- Disability equipment: As well as adapting your home, you may need to buy some equipment to make your life easier and safer. You might need a profiling bed, a shower chair, or specialist kitchen equipment.
- Set up costs for live-in carer’s bedroom: If you’re arranging live-in care, your carer will need a private space in your home. You may need to clear out a bedroom or buy new furniture for them.
- Higher bills: Depending on your health condition and the equipment you need, you may need to use more electricity or water, or have the heating turned on more often. You may also have higher food costs if you have live-in support or carers who work long hours.
- Gardening, cleaning, and other housekeeping support: Your carer may be able to do some light housekeeping – they might help with your laundry, changing beds, and cleaning up in the kitchen or bathroom, for example. However, you might need to hire a cleaner for additional help, and, if you have a garden, you may need support there too.
Can I get help with home care costs?
Depending on your financial and health situation, you may be entitled to some help to pay for your care.
This help might come from your local authority, if they recognise that you need care and you have less than a certain amount of income, savings and other assets. Or, if you have a primary health need, rather than just social care needs, you may qualify for NHS continuing healthcare funding.
Find out more about different care funding options, and how to check if you’re eligible.
How much will I pay for home care?
How much you’ll pay for your care depends on a few factors:
- how many hours of care you require
- your health condition and care needs
- when you need care
- your location
- your financial situation, and whether you’re entitled to any funding
- the care agency or individual carer that you choose
To find out exactly how much you’ll need to pay for home care, you should contact home care agencies or individual carers directly.
If you’ve already had a care assessment, you can share the details of your care needs with them. If you haven’t, you can ask the care service for their advice on the next steps – they may want to assess your needs themselves, and decide how many hours of care you’ll require.
To find the right home care service for you, visit the Find Your Room website or app, enter your location, and choose Home Care. We’ll find you a range of local home care providers, so you can get the support you need.
