Care costs, in plain English
Nobody wants a surprise when it comes to the cost of care for someone they love. Here are the price ranges we work within, so you have a starting point before we have even spoken. Where you fall within a range depends on the support required, the time required, and the person's needs, so we can match the level of support properly. We are happy to clarify the price before any commitments are made. The only way to know properly is an initial meeting, which is free.
Where the cost of care starts
These are ranges, not fixed prices. Once we understand the care needed, we give you a clear, detailed figure. Nothing here is a quote, and nothing is binding until it is in your care agreement.
Home care (visiting care)
from £18.18 per visit
Visits of 30 minutes, 45 minutes or an hour, for help with washing, dressing, meals, medication, shopping, housework and company. Longer or more frequent visits can be arranged.
- Charged per visit, so you only pay for the time booked
- A 30 minute weekday visit is the starting price. Longer visits, weekends and bank holidays cost more
- Where you sit within our range depends on the tasks involved and the level of support needed, and we will tell you clearly before anything starts
Live in care
from £1,125 per week
A carer lives in the home and is on hand through the day, giving one to one support and company. It is often a kinder alternative to a care home, and for a couple it usually costs less than two care home places.
- Charged per week, not per visit
- The carer sleeps at night and can be woken occasionally. If help is needed several times every night we will talk to you about adding night care
- There are five levels of live in support. After a live in care assessment we will tell you which level fits and what the weekly price is
- A small food allowance and cover for the carer's daily break may apply, and we will explain both before you decide
These ranges are a guide to help you plan. The actual cost depends on the care needed, how often we come, and when. The only way to know properly is a free chat at home, where we work out together what would actually help and where you fall within the range.
How we work out your price
We do not quote from a list, because two people asking for a morning visit can need very different things. At the free initial meeting we look at three things: what tasks are needed, how much support the person needs to do them safely, and when the visits fall. From that we tell you which part of our range you sit in, in writing, before anything starts. If your needs change later, the price is reviewed with you, never behind your back.
What your price includes
The price you are given is the whole cost. Behind every visit there is a team, and this is what that team does for you at no extra charge.
- Carers who are employed by us, not agency staff, so you see the same faces and we are responsible for them
- Every carer checked before they start: enhanced DBS check, references taken up, right to work confirmed, and identity verified
- Carers trained before their first visit and refreshed every year, in moving and handling, medication, safeguarding, infection control, dementia and first aid, with extra training for anything specific to you
- A named care lead who visits you, writes your care plan with you and your family, and keeps it up to date
- A care plan that sets out plainly what will happen at each visit, so you, your family and the carer all know what to expect, and what to do if something is not right
- Carers matched to you on personality and skills as well as availability, and changed if the match is not working
- A regular review of your care, and a change to the plan whenever your needs change, up or down, without waiting for the next review date
- Ordering and managing medication with the pharmacy and GP
- Liaison with GPs, district nurses, occupational therapists, social workers and the hospital when needed, so you are not the one chasing
- An office team on the phone during the day for appointments, changes and questions, and an on call number outside office hours for anything urgent
- Every visit recorded electronically, with live access to the care notes for family members if you want it, wherever they live
- Unannounced spot checks on our carers, and supervision for every member of the team, so standards are checked rather than assumed
- Regulated and inspected by the Care Quality Commission, currently rated Good, and rated 9.7 out of 10 by families on homecare.co.uk
If your needs change, the plan changes with them. We agree the change with you and your family, tell you what it means for the price, and put it in writing before anything alters.
Book a free initial meeting
Once we understand the support required, we will tell you exactly where you fall within the range. The meeting is free, there is nothing to sign, and you are not committing to anything.
Choose a time online
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What affects where you fall within the range
Two families can need care for very different reasons, and the cost reflects that. Here is what moves you up or down within a range.
How much support is needed
Someone who needs help with washing, dressing, medication and meals will need longer or more frequent visits than someone who wants a daily check in and a chat.
How often we come
A single visit each day costs less than four visits a day. Live in care costs more than visiting care, but it can cost less than a care home.
When we come
Daytime visits, evening visits, waking nights and weekends can each sit at a different point in the range, because the hours and the staffing differ.
Whether two carers are needed
Some situations need two pairs of hands for safe moving and handling. That affects where you fall within the range, and we will talk it through with you openly.
Night care and companionship
These services are priced as part of your overall care plan, because they slot around the visiting care or live in care you already have.
Night care
from £21.00 per hour
Two options. A sleeping night, where the carer sleeps in the home and can be woken up to three times. A waking night, where the carer is awake all night and helps as often as needed. A sleeping night is the starting price. Waking nights, weekends and bank holidays cost more. We will help you work out which one you need.
Companionship and home help
Company, a hand with the housework, a lift to the shops or an hour of proper conversation. Charged per visit, and it can be as little as one visit a week to start, at the visiting care prices above.
Funding that may be available
Care is one of the first things families worry about paying for. There is help out there, and we will point you towards it honestly, even if it means you do not need us to tell you the answer.
Local authority funding
Your council may help with the cost of care, depending on a financial assessment. We can support you through that process.
Direct payments
If the council funds your care, you may receive it as a direct payment and choose your own provider. Many of our families use direct payments.
Attendance Allowance
If the person receiving care is over state pension age and needs help with daily living, Attendance Allowance may be available and is not means tested.
NHS Continuing Healthcare
For people with complex ongoing health needs, the NHS may fund the full cost of care. This is assessed by a clinical team, not by us.
Paying privately
Many families pay for care themselves. We will talk you through the rates openly, and you are only ever invoiced after the care has happened, never in advance.
You can read more about how care is funded in our guide to care costs and funding in Berkshire.
How paying for care works
Prices are reviewed once a year in April and we tell you in writing before anything changes.
If a carer drives you in their own car, mileage is charged separately, and we tell you the rate up front.
We invoice after the care has been delivered, and we never ask for payment in advance.
There is a trial period at the start, with a short notice period either side, so you can see whether it is right before committing to anything longer. After that, there is a notice period to end or change the care.
Family members can request live access to the care records, so you can see what happened at each visit.
The full figures and terms are on our Cancellation and Fees page. Your care agreement is the full and binding version. We go through it with you before care starts, and if anything here ever differs from it, your agreement is what counts.
The only way to know properly is a free chat at home
Book a free, no obligation meeting. We will come round, listen to how things are, and tell you exactly where you fall within the range. Nothing to sign, and no pressure to go ahead.
