Elderly careBerkshire

Types of elderly care in Berkshire

An older person in Berkshire can have care at home, from a visit a week to a carer who lives in, or move into a care home. Carers cover the whole county and 147 care homes across the 6 council areas of Berkshire take older people. This page sets out each kind of care, what it costs here and who provides it, with carers and client reviews from nearby.

By James Bowdler, founder of PrimeCarers  ·  Updated October 2026  ·  9 min read · See every kind of care, with local prices

Every kind of care

Every kind of care in Berkshire, with what it costs here

Each row is a level of help, with the price on PrimeCarers and how much of it there is locally.

The kinds of care in Berkshire

From the least help to the most. Each row links to its section below.

  1. Visiting carePersonal care and help at set times£18 to £25 an hourCarers across the region
  2. Overnight careA sleeping or waking night£130 to £160 a night0 of the nearest carers do nights
  3. Live-in careA carer living in, day and night£1,050 to £1,190 a week53 live-in carers within reach
  4. Care homeA room, meals and care, away from homeabout £1,160 a week83 homes without nursing across the 6 council areas of Berkshire
  5. Nursing homeA care home with nurses on shiftabout £1,410 a week64 nursing homes across the 6 council areas of Berkshire

Visit and live-in prices are what carers near Berkshire charge on PrimeCarers, our fee included, October 2026. Night prices are the range on PrimeCarers. Care home counts are from CQC registrations across the 6 council areas of Berkshire. Care home fees are UK averages, because too few homes here publish theirs.

Care homes

Care homes and nursing homes in Berkshire

147care homes across the 6 council areas of Berkshire take older people
64of them provide nursing
97are registered to care for people with dementia
6,511beds between them

100 of the 129 with a Care Quality Commission rating are rated good or outstanding, 12 of them outstanding, and 28 are rated requires improvement or inadequate. Few homes here publish their fees; across the UK a residential place costs about £1,160 a week and a nursing place about £1,410. A live-in carer here costs £1,050 to £1,190 a week, so for one person the two cost about the same, and for a couple live-in care costs far less.

Elderly care in Berkshire helps you weigh care at home against a care home, and care at home or a care home goes through what to ask a home before choosing it.

Agencies or private carers

Home care agencies and private carers in Berkshire

241 home care agencies for older people across the 6 council areas of Berkshire

Registered with the Care Quality Commission, and 109 of the 140 with a rating are rated good or outstanding. An agency usually charges £28 to £35 an hour and chooses which of its carers comes.

Private carers

Self-employed carers near Berkshire charge £18 to £25 an hour on PrimeCarers, our fee included, and you choose who comes.

Every carer on PrimeCarers has passed an enhanced DBS, identity and right-to-work check and an online interview before they appear (how we check carers). Agency or private carer compares the two, and the best home carers in Berkshire profiles the best-rated private carers nearby.

Paying for care

Help paying for care in Berkshire

Attendance Allowance is not means tested and can go towards any of these. The council assesses needs for free and contributes once savings fall below £23,250, and NHS Continuing Healthcare pays in full when needs are mainly health needs. Funding home care in Berkshire sets out each route and who to contact.

Questions

Questions families in Berkshire ask about the types of care

Away from home, 147 care homes across the 6 council areas of Berkshire take older people, 64 of them with nursing and 97 registered to care for people with dementia.

For one person it is usually about the same: a live-in week here is typically £1,120 with our fee included, against about £1,160 for a care home place. For a couple, one live-in carer costs about £1,350 a week, far less than two care home places. Care at home or a care home goes through the decision.

A nursing home is a care home with registered nurses on shift, for people who need nursing as well as care, such as wound care or complex medication. Of the 147 care homes across the 6 council areas of Berkshire that take older people, 64 provide nursing. 97 are registered to care for people with dementia. The difference between a nursing home and a care home explains how to tell which is needed.

Often, yes. Attendance Allowance is not means tested and helps with the cost of care at any level. The council contributes once savings fall below £23,250, and the NHS pays in full when needs are mainly health needs. Funding home care in Berkshire sets out each route.

Home care by town in Berkshire

Each town page shows the carers who list it as home, with their rates and reviews.

See who could help in Berkshire

Search the carers near Berkshire by the kind of care you need, with their photos, experience, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

Free to searchNo obligationID and DBS checkedYou choose the carer