Live-in careDerbyshire

The best live-in carers in Derbyshire

81 live-in carers are based within about an hour of Derbyshire. This page puts the best-rated of them first, with the reviews their clients wrote and what the carers say about themselves, and then sets out how to tell a good live-in carer from an adequate one before anyone moves in.

By James Bowdler, founder of PrimeCarers  ·  Updated September 2026  ·  8 min read · See the top-rated carers in Derbyshire

Part of our guide to live-in care.

Top-rated carers

The best-rated live-in carers in Derbyshire

The live-in carers based nearest Derbyshire, best-rated first, with the rate each has set. A carer without reviews is newer to PrimeCarers, not worse; read their profile and talk to them.

In their own words

How the carers in Derbyshire describe themselves

A profile is written by the carer, and the first few lines tell you a great deal: what they enjoy about the work, who they have cared for, and how they talk about the people they look after.

I've spent fifteen years caring for people across Nottingham, and my week can look quite different from one day to the next: a few hours here, an overnight stay there, sometimes moving in as a live-in carer for a while.

Photo of carer Stephanie S.Stephanie S.Based in Nottingham · 15 years experienceProfile →

Cooking and baking are more than a hobby for me. I like to bring people together, whether that's a card game, a puzzle, or just a chat over a cup of tea.

Photo of carer Temitayo O.Temitayo O.Based in Sheffield · 3 years experienceProfile →

I once accompanied a district nurse on a home visit the day after a patient had been discharged from hospital.

Photo of carer Ernest C.Ernest C.Based in Chesterfield · 18 years experienceProfile →

Families tend to tell me the same thing: that I bring a calm, steady presence into the house, especially overnight when everything feels harder. That calmness is not an act.

Photo of carer Kai J.Kai J.Based in Chesterfield · 24 years experienceProfile →

My care career has taken me through hospitals, nursing homes and supported living settings, and that variety has taught me to stay steady no matter what a day brings.

Photo of carer Gertrude M.Gertrude M.Based in Chesterfield · 20 years experience · Speaks Chichewa and ShonaProfile →

When I'm not with clients, you'll likely find me out on a walk, pottering in the garden or settled in with some knitting and a good book, small things that keep me steady and give me plenty to chat about with the people…

Photo of carer Ashley C.Ashley C.Based in Chesterfield · 17 years experienceProfile →

8

of the 8 list dementia care on their profile

8

of the 8 have used a hoist

4

languages spoken between them besides English

8

of the 8 will look after a pet

From the profiles of the carers shown on this page.

What good looks like

What separates a good live-in carer from an adequate one

Families who have had both describe the difference the same way. It is rarely about qualifications, and almost always about these six things.

They notice

A good carer sees that your mother has stopped finishing her tea, or that the stairs took longer this week, and says so before it becomes a fall or an infection.

They keep to your relative’s day, not theirs

Breakfast when it has always been, the radio programme, the walk after lunch. The routine is the care, with dementia especially.

They talk to the family

A short message at the end of the day, the honest word when something is worrying them, and no surprises. Ask a carer how they keep families informed and listen for a habit, not a promise.

They are careful with the boring things

Medication at the right time, fluids in hot weather, skin checked when someone is in bed a lot. Reviews that mention these are worth more than reviews that mention kindness alone.

They know what they do not know

A carer who says "I have not done PEG feeding, but I have done stoma care and would want training" is telling you the truth. That matters more than a list of conditions ticked on a profile.

They can live in someone else’s house

Tidy, easy company, happy to eat what your relative eats, and able to take their two hours a day without making a fuss about it. Live-in care is a shared home before it is anything else.

Worth weight when you compare

  • Reviews that describe specific things the carer did, rather than general praise.
  • Years of live-in experience, as opposed to hourly visits: the rhythm is different.
  • Experience with your relative’s condition, said in their own words at interview.
  • A car, if your relative lives outside a town or wants to get out.
  • How they take their daily break and their weeks off, and who covers.

Worth less than it looks

  • A long list of conditions ticked on a profile: most carers tick most boxes.
  • The lowest rate. It usually means less experience with complex needs, which is fine if the needs are not complex.
  • A carer who agrees with everything you say. You want one who asks questions.
  • Certificates on their own. We do not verify training, so ask what a course covered and when.

How to compare

How to choose between live-in carers in Derbyshire

Four steps, and most families are talking to carers within a day. The interview is where the decision is made, so the questions are set out in full.

  1. 1

    Write down a typical day and the hard parts

    Half an hour
    Morning routine, meals, medication, what your relative enjoys, what goes wrong at night, and the one thing the last arrangement got wrong. This becomes your first message to every carer and the yardstick for every profile.
  2. 2

    Shortlist three from the search for Derbyshire

    Free
    Match experience to your list first, rate second. Read the reviews for specifics. Rule out nobody for having no reviews yet; rule in anyone whose profile answers your hard parts unprompted.
  3. 3

    A video call or a visit with each

    This week
    Twenty minutes each is enough. Use the questions below, and let your relative meet them if they can: their reaction is data too.
  4. 4

    Agree a two-week trial, then decide

    Week 1 to 2
    Say it is a trial for both sides. Agree the rate, the break, the cover for weeks off, and how you will hear from them. The contract, invoicing and payment are set up on PrimeCarers.

Questions to ask every live-in carer at interview

0 of 11 ticked

Experience

Living together

Keeping us informed

What we check

What every carer on this page has passed, and what is yours to check

PrimeCarers is an introductory service. We check that a carer is caring and safe to introduce; whether they are right for your relative is a judgement only you can make, and the page above is built to help you make it.

Enhanced DBS, kept live

Checked before a carer appears and kept on the DBS Update Service, monitored continuously for as long as they work through PrimeCarers.

Identity and right to work

Photo identity verified, and the right to work in the UK checked, before the profile goes live.

An online interview

A conversation with our team about their experience, how they approach care and how they talk about the people they have looked after. It is not a clinical test.

What we do not verify

Training certificates, qualifications and references. Carers can put these on their profile; ask about them at interview, and ask to see anything that matters to your relative’s care.

How we vet carers sets out each check in detail, and checking a carer yourself covers the questions to ask about training and references.

Questions

Questions families in Derbyshire ask about choosing a live-in carer

By what their clients said and what they have done, not by anything we write. The carers on this page are the live-in carers based nearest Derbyshire, ordered by their average client rating, then by how many reviews they have, then by years of experience. Every rating and review comes from a client who booked through PrimeCarers, and reviews are checked before they appear and never edited. 3 of the 12 carers shown have been reviewed, 3 of them at five stars. A carer with no reviews yet is not a worse carer, just a newer one to PrimeCarers, and their profile and interview tell you as much.

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 this page shows you how. How we vet carers sets out each step.

Yes, and you should. Message the carers you like through PrimeCarers with a short description of a typical day, then arrange a video call or a visit. Meeting is free and nothing is booked until you say so. Most families talk to two or three carers before choosing, and a good carer will ask you as many questions as you ask them. How to interview live-in carers has the questions that matter.

Then you change carer, and the same search shows who else is available. Notice under the contract is 48 hours until 168 hours of care have been worked and 7 days after that, and PrimeCarers charges nothing to stop or change care. It is worth agreeing at the start that the first two weeks are a trial for both sides; most carers suggest it themselves. Our team can help you find cover in the meantime.

Usually. 40 of the 43 nearest carers with a rate on their profile say they will care for a couple, and one carer for two people costs about £1,350 a week, a fifth more than for one rather than double. Where the two need very different things, read live-in care for couples before you talk to anyone.

Yes. Between them, the carers on this page speak Chichewa, GA, Shona and Twi as well as English, and the search can filter by language. For someone whose first language has come back to them with dementia, a carer who shares it changes everything.

Many will, and the profile says so. 8 of the 8 carers on this page list the pets they are happy to care for. Feeding and letting a dog out are part of daily life; long walks and vet trips are worth agreeing before the carer arrives. Can a live-in carer look after a pet? covers what to ask.

The carers on this page advertise £147 to £160 a day, which is £1,026 to £1,120 a week with our fee included, and a typical week in Derbyshire is £1,050. The best-rated are not the most expensive: rating follows kindness and reliability, and price follows experience with complex needs. The cost of live-in care in Derbyshire goes through what changes the figure.

Ready to meet the live-in carers in Derbyshire?

See every live-in carer who could come, with their photos, experience, rates and reviews, and talk to your favourites for free. Nothing is booked until you say so.

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