A new local care service in London from leading home care provider, The Good Care Group
How much does home care cost per hour in the UK?
On average, the cost of home care in the UK is between £23 to £34 per hour. However, the total cost of home care can vary depending on the type and level of care required. For example, full-time, live-in care is more expensive than if you only need a few hourly visits several times a week. The cost of home care can also depend on whether you use a private carer through an introductory service or a fully managed care provider like Cherished Home Care.
Where you live in the UK can also make a difference, with home care often being more expensive in the south of England than in the north, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
Cherished Home Care hourly costs
At Cherished Home Care, we provide fully managed care services. This means the home carers who visit you are employed and fully managed by us, so you don’t have to worry about finding cover if your carer is unwell or on holiday.
Our hourly care is available from £29 per hour, but the final price depends on your exact care needs. In order to confirm our costs upfront, we will first provide a free care assessment to enable us to assess your needs and determine how we can best provide cost-effective support fully tailored to your needs.
If you decide to go ahead with our home care services following your assessment, as a thank you, we will refund your setup fee four weeks after receiving our support.
How does the cost of hourly home care compare to other types of care?
Hourly visits can be one of the most cost-effective types of care as you only pay for the care you receive. For example, if you require a Cherished home carer to visit three times a day, every day of the week, the cost would be:
3 x £29 = £87 a day
£87 x 7 days a week = £609 a week
This is more cost-effective than paying for live-in home care, which starts from £1,095 per week at Cherished Home Care.
However, if you need more frequent daily visits, live-in care may be more cost-effective. So, it’s important to get an assessment of your care needs before you decide whether hourly visits or live-in home care are best for you.
What funding is available to help pay for home care costs in the UK?
If you are looking into home care for yourself or your loved one, then you may be considering what funding is available. There are two main Government funding options: social care funding and NHS continuing healthcare funding.
Social care funding
Anyone with less than £23,250 in savings may be eligible for help funding the cost of home care from their local council through social care funding.
The amount the council pays depends on the support you need and how much you can afford. You need to undergo a care needs assessment with your local council so they can assess the help you require, and a means test which looks at how much you can afford to pay towards your home care.
The table below shows how much you may need to pay towards your hourly care costs based on the current Government care means test:
However, these rules could soon change, as the Government is planning to introduce a care cost cap in October 2025. This will mean that even where someone has significant assets, and is self-funding their care plan, they will not spend more than £86,000 on their personal care over their lifetime. There are also plans to raise the capital threshold so you will be able to have more in savings before needing to start paying for care.
NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) funding
Funding is also available through the NHS continuing healthcare (CHC). However, this is only available to people with long-term, complex health needs whose care needs meet specific requirements.
Choosing the right home care for you
Although we know that the cost of home care will be a factor in the care you choose, it’s important to remember that getting the right care for your needs should be the priority.
At Cherished Home Care, we are committed to providing flexible, reliable and affordable home care that is fully tailored to your individual needs. Our free, no obligation care assessment is designed to provide you with comprehensive insight into the care you need as well as upfront detail of the cost of providing the care you require.
To arrange home care for you or a loved one from Cherished Home Care, simply call 0203 728 7572 and speak to one of our friendly advisors. They will help answer any questions you have about home care and how much it costs.
Alternatively, you can book a free care assessment to discover more about your care requirements and the cost of care.