Emergency care
Care that starts today or tomorrowinstead of next month
A fall, a discharge, a carer who did not turn up. Tell us what has happened and we ring back within 30 minutes and start calling vetted carers near you. We cannot promise cover, but we will always look, and we usually find it.
3,500+ vetted carers across the UK
How fast
What is realistic today, tomorrow and this week
The sooner you need someone, the fewer carers are free, so here is what each timescale usually looks like and what helps us find them.
What is realistic
A carer for this evening or tonight, most of the time. Fewer to choose from, and it may be a different carer from the one who continues next week.
What we need from you
A phone number we can reach you on now, the postcode, and what the care is for. We ring back within 30 minutes and start calling carers.
Typical reasons
A fall, a discharge that happened this morning, a carer who did not turn up.
What is realistic
Usually a choice of two or three carers, and often the one who becomes the regular. A first visit or night can be booked before you go to bed.
What we need from you
The same details, plus anything that narrows the search: driver, dementia experience, a language, hoist training.
Typical reasons
A discharge date set for tomorrow, a family carer who is ill, a sudden change overnight.
What is realistic
The normal process, faster. You see the profiles, message the ones you like, interview by phone or video, and book. Most families are sorted in two or three days.
What we need from you
Nothing beyond a postcode. Search yourself, or ask us to shortlist.
Typical reasons
A planned discharge, a holiday cover gap, a family carer who needs to go back to work on Monday.
When it is needed
Six reasons families ring us on the day
Most emergency care is a fortnight of cover while something settles, and then either stops or becomes the regular arrangement.
The urgent care finder
Tell us what has happened. We ring back within 30 minutes.
This form goes straight to the team. We start calling carers near you as soon as it lands, and we do not stop at the first one who says yes unless they are right.
The carer’s normal rate
Carers charge what they always charge, £18 to £25 an hour, nights from £130. Nobody is marked up because you are in a hurry.
One £40 arrangement fee
When you ask us to find the carer through the urgent finder rather than searching yourself. It covers the ringing round. Search yourself and there is no fee at all.
You still have the final say
We put a carer in front of you; you decide. Nothing is booked, and nothing is charged, until you say yes.
Prefer to talk? 0203 369 3624. Or search the carers yourself, free.
Safety first
Someone coming into their home? We take that seriously.
Letting a carer into the home of someone you love takes trust. We've built every layer of protection so that trust is earned, not assumed.
Vetting that never stops
Enhanced DBS, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview before a carer appears, then continuous DBS monitoring for as long as they work. We check that a carer is caring; their skills and training are for you to check with them.
Insured and above board
Every visit is insured, contracted and paid securely online after care happens. No cash, no informal arrangements.
A real person who knows you
Your own account manager and a UK support team who know you, your carer and your situation, not a call centre script.
Help when plans change
If your carer is unwell or away, our team will always do their best to find you vetted cover at short notice.
What clients say
Our Latest Carer Reviews
Margaret N
"Excellent - Lovely lady. My mother is so pleased with the work she does in helping her."
Read the full review
Julia S
"Julia is a highly skilled and companionate carer who is able to give so much of herself and adapt to any situation."
Read the full review
Andres Felipe C
"My son who he is caring for automatically welcomed Andres and can be heard laughing & having fun with Andres."
Read the full reviewQuestions families ask
Emergency care, answered
We ring back within 30 minutes of the urgent finder being sent, or straight away if you phone, and start calling carers near you. For the same day we usually find someone; for tomorrow we usually find a choice. We cannot promise cover and will not pretend to, but we always look. What is realistic at each speed.
The carer’s rate is the same as always, £18 to £25 an hour and nights from £130. If you ask us to find the carer for you through the urgent finder there is a one-off £40 arrangement fee. Search and book yourself and there is no fee. How the finder works.
Often, for this evening or tonight, if the postcode has carers free. The trade-off is choice: the carer who can come today may not be the one who continues. Many families book today’s cover and choose the regular carer tomorrow.
Yes, and it is the most common reason we are called. Wards will often release someone once care is confirmed. Tell us the discharge date and what the ward says is needed, and we will have visits or nights arranged before transport is booked. Leaving hospital: what to arrange.
Usually. Tell us the visit times and what the carer did, and we will look for someone who can pick up the routine. Many families use this as the moment to move to a private carer they choose. Moving from agency care.
The same carers, the same checks: Enhanced DBS, ID and right to work and an online interview before they can appear, with continuous DBS monitoring after. Speed does not change who is on the platform. How we vet carers.
That is most emergency care. You book the visits or nights you need and stop when things settle. Our contract asks for 48 hours’ notice to end hourly care, which is short enough for cover that tapers off. Live-in is 7 days once the first week has been worked.
Sometimes within a day or two, more often within the week, depending on which live-in carers are free near you. For the first night or two, an overnight carer is usually quicker. Temporary live-in care.
Yes. A carer in the house tonight is often the fastest thing we can arrange, and it is what most families need first after a fall or a frightening evening. Overnight care.
A phone number we can reach you on now, the postcode where care is needed, when it is needed, and a sentence on what has happened. Anything that narrows the search, such as dementia experience or a driver, helps.
Guides
Read while you wait for the call back
Short, practical, and about the situations that bring people here.
- Leaving hospital: what to arrange
- Do you need someone to take you home after surgery?
- Caring for someone at home after surgery
- Moving from agency care to a private carer
- When to consider respite care
- Overnight care
- Hourly care
- Can I hire a live-in carer temporarily?
- What carers are not allowed to do
- Help paying for care
- The cost of care
- How we vet carers
- Hospital discharge and post-operative care
Something has happened. Start here.
Ring us, or send the urgent finder, and we will be looking for a carer near you within the half hour.