Live-in care costs from The Good Care Group
We have several different live-in care options available that differ in time and price, but never in quality or the tailored approach we offer all of our clients.
Our live-in care services start from as little as £995 per week for part-time care, with a variety of other options to choose from depending on your preference and care needs. Take a look at our different live-in care services and prices below:
HOW MUCH DOES LIVE-IN CARE COST IN THE UK?
There are many factors that impact live-in carer costs in the UK including the health of the person receiving care, the conditions they are living with and the type of provider you use to receive care in your own home. The range of weekly fees will differ dramatically from provider to provider.
At The Good Care Group our expert care manager will meet with you and your family at home, or in hospital if you are waiting to be discharged to undertake a comprehensive assessment of your needs covering not just your care and support needs, but all your choices, preferences and social requirements and how you wish to live your life in your own home. We will then provide a quotation for the live-in care package that will best meet your needs.
Live-in care costs are quoted as a weekly inclusive price based on a person’s assessed needs – there are no extras.
This makes it very straightforward for families to plan the annual live-in care cost for their loved one. Care homes will charge a weekly fee for care and some separate out the care and accommodation costs, in addition to charging monthly for extras like hairdressing, newspapers, therapy appointments like chiropody and social events and activities. This can make it more challenging for families to plan the total cost of care over the course of a year.
Once the inclusive weekly fee is agreed with you, there will not be an increase in live-in care costs unless there is a significant change to the care your loved one needs. Annual inflationary rises in live-care costs are usual practice with all providers in the sector and will need to be considered by families when looking at the longer term.
What does the cost of live-in care cover on a weekly basis?
As you consider the cost of live-in care for the older generation, you may be wondering what your care costs cover on a weekly basis. At The Good Care Group, our inclusive weekly fee includes all of the following:
- A live-in care package completely tailored to your unique care needs
- A fully managed service where we manage and pay your care team
- Carefully matched and highly skilled carers for you to choose from
- Unrivalled expertise in complex medical conditions
- 24/7 access to emergency support and expert advice
- Access to free family education events and support programmes
Live-in care cost considerations
Live-in care costs vs. care home costs
24-hour live-in care costs are typically in line with a care home, and sometimes less. The cost of a care home can vary significantly depending on the standards of care and the environment, as well as the location of the care home. Care homes are typically more expensive in the South East of England. If nursing care or specialist care of conditions, like dementia, Parkinson’s or Multiple Sclerosis is needed, or for those requiring stroke care, cancer care or palliative care, then the weekly fee can be considerably higher. When considering a care home, it is important to ask them what is included in the weekly fee as there are generally optional extras, such as trips or hairdressing all of which can add up over the course of a year.
The weekly cost of receiving quality, award-winning care in a care home can range from £1,600 to £2,000 per week, depending on the level of care provided and the room you choose in the home. If you are a couple live-in care really is a cost-effective option. In a care home you would be charged double for two bedrooms. With live-in care there is only a nominal live-in care cost if two people receive care at the same address.
With live-in care you have the added value of being able to keep your family home and the fee you pay for your care is purely for the quality support you receive and not the room and board of a residential home.
Benefits of live-in care
When considering the cost of live-in care compared to the cost of care in residential or nursing home, it is worth looking at the compelling benefits of receiving care at home.
- One-to-one care and support around the clock – one-to-one care simply cannot be achieved in any care home.
- A uniquely developed, highly personalised plan of care designed to meet your care needs whilst addressing how you wish to live your life – none of the rigid timetables or set routines experienced in a care home.
- Specialist and complex care provided by highly trained carers delivered in the comfort of your own home. Familiar surroundings and routines are paramount in helping those living with specialist conditions, like dementia or Parkinson’s.
- No need to move out of your much-loved home, with all the upset and disruption that brings. The family home can then be kept in the family, instead of being sold to fund care home fees. Staying at home means you can keep control of your life, with all your treasured memories and possessions around you.
- With live-in care you can keep your pet and the carer will support looking after it, and if you have a dog will be happy to walk it for you. Pets are generally not permitted in care homes.
- Considerable and proven benefits to overall health and wellbeing, with much needed peace of mind and reassurance for family members.
- Those who require couples care can stay together as a loving couple, whilst receiving individual care plans. Couples may be split up to be cared for in different areas of a care home.
Live-in care costs for elderly vs. domiciliary care costs
Domiciliary care at home, sometimes called hourly care or visiting care is usually provided by a domiciliary care agency. A visiting carer from the agency you choose will visit you in your home, usually daily, sometimes twice or three times a day to support your care needs. Carers will support you with personal care and will enable you to have meals as and when you need them. Domiciliary care is suitable for those with low to medium needs and for someone who does not need around the clock care.
Domiciliary care is charged at an hourly rate and will be paid directly to the domiciliary care agency. It is usually paid on either a weekly or monthly basis depending on the arrangement you have with the agency. Hourly rates for domiciliary care range from anything from £15 to £30 per hour, depending where in the country you receive your care.
The cost of live-in care is often cheaper than the total cost of domiciliary care at home. When a person is receiving domiciliary care, provided by a domiciliary care provider it is likely that you will be charged extras for additional services to support the person’s specific care needs, for example dementia, Parkinson’s or for someone with high or complex needs, on top of the cost of a carer visiting. These extras add up and can become costly over time.
When a person’s needs increase and a greater number of hours are needed each day to provide the care they require, a domiciliary care agency will continue to charge by the hour, which can become very costly. The total hourly cost to provide domiciliary care to someone who requires 24-hour care and support will certainly exceed the price of an inclusive live-in care service.
Introduction agency vs. fully managed live-in care provider
It is important when considering live-in care costs that you think about the differences in costs and benefits between using an introductory agency, who charge you a fee to introduce you to a carer who you employ and pay yourself and manage directly, or using a fully managed and regulated live-in care provider, who provide greater levels of management and service delivery to ensure you get the highest quality live-in care.
There are many reassuring benefits to using a fully managed service. As a fully managed service, The Good Care Group directly employs its professional carers – we never use agency staff. All carers go through a robust and rigorous recruitment process and are trained to the highest level before they are placed with a client. Uniquely, we are the only live-in care provider to use a situational judgement test during the recruitment process to ensure those we hire have the aptitude to deliver the high-quality care our clients should expect. You will be supported by a dedicated regional manager and a care manager, with support from a central service centre. Our managers only look after a small portfolio of clients, which means you and our care teams get unrivalled levels of support.
The Good Care Group is a regulated service, which means the quality of its care is regulated by The Care Quality Commission (CQC), something introduction home care agencies are not. As a family you cannot be assured of the quality of the service the carer you are introduced to will provide. We are proud to be the only live-in care provider in the UK to have achieved an ‘Outstanding’ rating in all five areas in our last inspection. Read our CQC report here. We are completely accountable for the care we provide, which eliminates worry and provides reassurance to families that their loved one is in safe hands and receiving the best care.
Once an introduction agency introduces a carer to you and you pay the one-off charge to them for that service, that is the typically the end of their involvement in the arrangement. Families are then left to supervise, manage and organise all aspects of the care for their loved one, which for most is time consuming, frustrating and sometimes unmanageable. Most people who require long term care will need a team of two carers to provide the support they need.
This means you will be responsible for managing a rota, paying the carer and organising sickness and holiday cover. Carers introduced through an introductory agency are self-employed and have not necessarily had any training before being placed with a client.
With a fully managed and regulated service all these worries are simply taken away and you have all the reassurance you need about the quality of care being provided and the level of service you will receive – making life easier for all the family.
Price is a factor in the quality of care provided and the level of service the provider offers, so should be considered with many other factors including:
- Whether the provider employs its carers directly, how they train them and develop their skills to ensure high quality care is provided
- How the service is managed – a fully managed service where you have around the clock support will generally command a higher weekly fee, but you need to consider the drawbacks of not using a managed service and constraints of family time
- Whether the provider offers specialist care of conditions, nurse-led care where carers are trained to carry out the duties of a district nurse or whether input is provided from an expert Occupational Therapist – this will typically result in a higher weekly fee
- Whether they measure improvements in health outcomes of its clients and can evidence how they do this
- How the quality of care is monitored and measured – is there a focus and commitment to quality assurance
- Is the provider regulated and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – introduction agencies are not so you cannot be assured of the quality of the service you receive
- Does the provider optimise technology in the service it offers? This could be by giving the family a way to stay connected to the programme of care their loved one receives via a secure website. This allows family members, as well as healthcare professionals to access daily care records and care plans, providing a reassuring window for families who live away from their loved ones.
Live-in care for couples
Live-in care for couples is fast becoming the preferred choice when one or both of you require long term care instead of moving into a care home. Even the best care homes generally do not have double bedrooms for couples to share together, living the life they always have. If you both have different needs you could find yourselves being split up and cared for on different floors or units within the home, which many will find very distressing as it results in couples not spending quality time together.
With live-in care there is one inclusive weekly fee for providing care at the same address, with a nominal charge to provide couples care. In a care home costs can be double for two separate packages of care and accommodation, making the choice to move into a care home not as cost effective for couples.
Respite live-in care costs
Our cost of live-in care for a respite is subject to a full assessment of your loved one’s needs. We also offer discounts for a repeat or for a series of respite bookings. It is worth considering that live in respite care is comparable to the care offered in a care home, with all the compelling benefits of staying in the comfort, familiarity and safety of your own home and surroundings.
Specialist and complex medical care costs
We have over 10 years’ experience in supporting people to live well at home with several complex conditions, like dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis or for those needing stroke care, cancer care or palliative care, that require specialist care and medical support. If a person has a more specialist plan of care this generally involves a higher weekly live-in care cost.
However, it is worth noting that live-in care from a fully managed and regulated provider who employs and trains its professional carers to provide specialist support for these conditions is far cheaper than using a domiciliary provider, who provides hourly or visiting care at home. If you are living with a condition that involves specialist medical or complex care and are receiving hourly care, there will be additional charges on top of the cost for the visit to support you, which quickly add up and can become costly.
WHAT ARE THE ADDITIONAL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH LIVE-IN CARE?
In terms of live-in care, all costs are quoted on a weekly basis according to the results of your needs assessment. There are no extra or hidden fees. The only additional cost to consider is a food allowance. We cover the travel expenses of our carers to and from their placements.
Financing live-in care costs
Many families are faced with having to fund live-in care themselves (referred to as self-funding care). For these families there are options to help with live-in care costs, including a Care Fees Annuity, which is an insurance policy you purchase to cover the cost of your care, or by realising capital in your assets through an Equity Release scheme. Read the Live-in Care Hub’s guide to funding and financing care at home here.
Case study : How Eric financed live-in care
Eric and Alma had been married for over 65 years. Sadly, Eric’s deteriorating health meant that a move into a care home seemed an inevitable end to their life together. Alma and the family wanted him to stay at home but knew that this would not be an easy decision, as Eric needed specialist personal care and Alma was unable to provide this. As a potential solution, the family considered having a live-in-carer and both arranged a meeting with The Good Care Group. Following our assessment, we knew we could deliver a live-in care package to meet their needs.
Expert advice from Symponia
To help them explore the best way to fund the care they needed, they talked through the option of equity release with the local Symponia member, who suggested that the whole family became involved in the discussions. Symponia is an organisation dedicated to providing independent financial advice to families so they can finance their private care fees. A key decision was how much money should be released. Did the family just take enough for one year and continue to draw down each subsequent year, until the maximum sum had been exhausted?
Exploring an immediate care plan
To help the family get the peace of mind they desired, the advisor suggested they explored an Immediate Care Plan. They calculated the income Eric and Alma received, by way of pensions and other investments and compared that to their expenses, which had to take into account not only the household costs, which largely remained unchanged, but importantly Erics care costs.
After assessing Eric’s health, the cost of the Immediate Care Plan, with a built in automatic 5% inflation was £92,000. Eric and Alma then used equity release to by the Care Plan. As their property was valued at over £500,000, the release of equity was just under 18.5% of the total value.
This meant that Eric was able to receive the high-quality care at home he needed and they both had the peace of mind that his needs would be provided for, for the remainder of his life. Much needed reassurance when they needed it.
Why choose The Good Care Group?
We have been providing high quality, live-in care to families in England and Scotland for over 10 years. At the heart of our award-winning service is enabling people to live independently in their own home with an improved quality of life. Our approach to care at home means our clients can achieve improved health and well-being. For families they benefit from peace of mind and reassurance that their loved one is receiving the very best care and support.
A perfectly matched care team
A live-in care service usually involves two carers working a two-week rotation. They will be carefully matched working with you and your family. We make sure they are skilled and equipped to meet all your care and support needs. Our focus on matching means the chosen care team shares common interests and backgrounds. We know this means life is enjoyable for everyone. Your care team really gets to know you and your needs, which means you get the consistency of care.
Expertly trained carers
All our professional carers are required to complete our leading training programme before they care for our clients. Our programme has been created with leading charities and clinical experts. It goes beyond mandatory requirements in the care sector. Carers are then equipped to provide high-quality care and support for those living with specialist conditions. Our carers never stop learning new skills to further enhance the care they provide.
Continuity of care
Unlike an agency we employ our carers. This means they are committed to us, as we are to them. Carers enjoy the security of being employed, which means they stay with us longer. Those who work for agencies move around more. For families this means that you get continuity and consistency of the same care team caring for your loved one. This means high-quality care can be achieved with improved outcomes and no disruption to your loved one’s life.
In-house clinical experts
We have a dedicated team of in-house clinical experts. This includes a specialist consultant nurse, who also provides Admiral Nurse services to those living with dementia. Our management team consists of nursing professionals. They guide our carers to provide safe and effective nurse-led care at home. We also have our own in-house Occupational Therapist (OT) who works closely with healthcare professionals and our care teams. Our OT provides guidance and advice that enables people to live well in their own home with any equipment they may need. These experts lead, monitor and support our care teams to deliver best practice nurse-led care at home.
Innovative care technology
Unlike any other live-in care provider, we have our own online care community. Families, healthcare professionals and carers can access up to date information about the care being provided. It enables more effective monitoring, which means issues can be responded to efficiently. For our families it provides a reassuring window into the care their loved one is receiving. Our carers also use the online community to share ideas and support each other. It provides a vital connection which is important when remote working. Carers will use the online community so their clients can enjoy time online. This includes video calls with family, so they feel connected. Clients can use it to shop online or browse the web.
Improving health outcomes
Every decision we make is driven by delivering improved health outcomes for our clients. Our digital technology allows us to predict risk and shape the care we provide. We measure health outcomes.
We want to know we are improving the quality of our clients’ lives every year.
Our health and well-being aim to reduce:
- Behaviours that challenge
- Antipsychotic drugs in dementia care
- Falls in the home
- Hospital admissions
- Readmission to hospital
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Chest infections
- Carer stress
- They aim to promote:
- Independence
- Well-being
- Excellent nutrition and hydration
- Enjoyment in life
Highest service rating from care regulators in England and Scotland
Unlike introduction agencies we are fully regulated in England and Scotland. This means the care and support we provide is regularly inspected. We are the only dedicated live-in care provider in England to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We have achieved this rating in all five measures – safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. In Scotland, our service has been inspected by the Care Inspectorate (CI). It has achieved the highest rating of a 6 (Excellent) for quality of care and support and 5 (very good) for staffing, management and leadership. We know this provides families with peace of mind that their loved one is receiving the best possible care.
A fully managed service
Families benefit from our fully managed service delivered by care experts. This means you do not need to worry about supervising and managing the carer looking after your loved one. Our professional carers are supervised by an experienced care manager and supported by clinical experts. We provide this support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your dedicated care manager will be on hand to support you, your loved one and our carer teams. We invest in our care management team to ensure they have enough time to give the support everyone needs. With our fully managed service, families do not have the burden of managing the care arrangement themselves. We know this means families can have peace of mind, whilst enjoying quality time with their loved one. They do not have to worry about the tasks of caring.
Local teams with national coverage
We operate throughout England and Scotland with a local approach to management of our teams near you. Each dedicated care manager local to you has only a small number of clients to support. This means they can provide higher levels of monitoring and support than other home care providers. It also means a highly personalised approach to care can be delivered.
View more about our live-in cost care services
Talk to us about your live-in care needs
Call our friendly and approachable team today to arrange an assessment of your care needs. This will give you a better understanding of the cost of live-in care.