Live-in care in Brighton and Hove

Most live-in carers based within about an hour of Brighton and Hove advertise between £1,050 and £1,185 a week on PrimeCarers, with our fee included, and a typical week is £1,117. That is £160 a day for someone there day and night. Complex care, such as advanced dementia or hoisting, starts from about £1,260 a week. Each carer sets their own rate, and the figure to plan around is the one on the profile of the carer you choose. The cost of live-in care in Brighton and Hove goes through the figures in full, with an estimator.

You can see who is available today and message them straight away. Most families are talking to two or three carers within a day or two, and a start within a week or two is common. Some carers can begin within days, particularly when someone is coming home from hospital. Of the carers nearest Brighton and Hove, 97 offer live-in care, so there is usually somebody who can start when you need them. If you need someone this week, emergency care explains what to do and what we can help with.

Yes. Before a carer appears on PrimeCarers they have passed an enhanced DBS check, an identity check and a right-to-work check, and had an online interview with our team. Their DBS is then kept on the Update Service and monitored continuously for as long as they work. We check that a carer is caring; their skills, qualifications and training are for you to check with them, and every profile shows their experience and reviews so you can. How we vet carers sets out each step.

For one person the two land close together. A typical live-in week in Brighton and Hove is £1,117, and the average care home in England charges £1,160 a week for one resident, or £1,410 with nursing. At home you keep paying the household bills and the carer's food, so add those before you compare. For a couple the difference is large: one live-in carer costs about £1,350 a week for both of you, while a care home charges two fees, about £2,320. The care home comparison has a calculator for your own numbers.

Sometimes, and it is worth asking before you assume not. The council contributes towards care at home once savings fall below £23,250, after a care needs assessment and a financial assessment. Ask adult social care for both; the needs assessment is free and you are entitled to it whatever your savings. Attendance Allowance is separate: it is not means tested, most people over State Pension age who need help with personal care qualify, and it is paid whatever your savings. Where the need is mainly a health need, NHS Continuing Healthcare can cover the full cost. Funding live-in care in Brighton and Hove explains how to apply.

Whatever the day needs. Help with washing and dressing, meals, medication prompts, laundry and keeping the house straight, company, appointments and outings, and a hand at night if it is needed. A live-in carer works around your relative's routine rather than the other way round, and takes a daily break of about two hours, which is usually when family visit or a neighbour pops in. A live-in carer's daily routine walks through a typical day, and how many hours they work covers the breaks and the nights.

Yes. A live-in carer needs a room of their own with a bed and somewhere to keep their things, and meals, which most families budget at £5 to £10 a day on the weekly shop. They do not need an en suite or anything else beyond a comfortable home. If the house is small, say so when you message carers; some are happy with a box room and some are not, and it is better settled before anyone arrives. Where live-in carers sleep and what a live-in carer needs cover the details.

Yes. Live-in carers move in for the placement, so a village is no harder to cover than a town, and a carer from the next county is as available as one from the next street. 23 of the 43 carers nearest Brighton and Hove who advertise a rate have a car, which matters more in the countryside for shopping, appointments and getting out. Mileage is only chargeable if you agree it in advance and in writing, and 55p a mile is the usual figure.

Usually, yes. One live-in carer looks after both partners for typically around £1,350 a week, about a fifth more than care for one person and far less than two care home places. 36 of the 43 nearest carers say on their profile that they will care for a couple. Where the two of them need very different things, such as one with dementia and one who is frail but sharp, it is worth reading live-in care for couples before you talk to anyone.

Most live-in carers work in stints of two to six weeks and then take a week or two off, and they will tell you their pattern when you first talk. The usual answer is a second carer from the same search who covers those weeks and gets to know your relative too, or family stepping in. If a carer is unwell or needs time away unexpectedly, our team will always do their best to help you find vetted cover at short notice. How live-in care works explains the rota in more detail.

No. PrimeCarers is an introductory service. The carers are self-employed and set their own rates; you choose the carer, and the contract is between you and them. We do the checks before a carer appears and keep their DBS monitored, set up the contract, handle the invoicing and payment, and insure the care while the carer works. That is why a live-in week on PrimeCarers typically costs £1,117 in Brighton and Hove when an agency charges £1,400 or more for the same week, and why the carer sees far more of it. Agency or private carer sets out the differences.

PrimeCarers charges nothing to stop or change care. The notice you give your carer is in the contract between you: 48 hours until 168 hours of care have been worked, and 7 days after that. Days already agreed are payable if you cancel them, unless the reason is an unplanned hospital stay, illness, or something else you and the carer agree, and a carer can always waive that at their discretion. Bank holidays are charged at one and a half times the carer's normal rate and Christmas Day at double, which is also in the contract.