The options
Ten routes to care at home after a hospital stay
The free routes come first, because they may cover the first weeks. The order of the paid providers is not a ranking.
1.The hospital discharge team (NHS)
NHS route
- What it publishes
- The NHS guide to leaving hospital. The ward plans the discharge with you, most people go home, and many hospitals use a "discharge to assess" approach, where needs are assessed once the person is home. Planning to leave hospital (NHS)
- Published price
- Free.
- Suits
- Everyone. Ask the ward what care will be in place on the day, and who to call if it does not arrive.
2.Reablement and intermediate care (council and NHS)
NHS route
- What it publishes
- Short-term care at home to help someone recover after a hospital stay, a fall or an illness. The NHS says most people receive it at home, and that it is free, usually for a maximum of 6 weeks. Care to support recovery (NHS)
- Published price
- Free, usually for up to 6 weeks.
- Suits
- Anyone expected to regain some independence. Ask the ward whether it will be offered before you arrange paid care.
3.Royal Voluntary Service, Home from Hospital
Charity
- What it publishes
- A volunteer Home from Hospital service, run with NHS partners, with regular contact for up to six weeks. It is available in some areas. Its hospital services page
- Published price
- No price published.
- Suits
- Someone who lives alone and needs company, shopping or a check-in call, rather than personal care.
4.British Red Cross
Charity
- What it publishes
- Support at home after leaving hospital and help with everyday tasks, where available. Some services need a referral from a health or care professional, and what is offered varies across the UK. Its home care services page
- Published price
- No price published.
- Suits
- Practical help in the first days at home, alongside other care.
5.Helping Hands
CQC-registered managed agency
- What it publishes
- An after-hospital care page, offering visiting care or 24-hour care at home. Its pages say the care assessment can be done in hospital. Its after-hospital page
- Published price
- Live-in care from £1,675 a week; respite live-in from £345 a day. On its cost page reviewed 17 April 2026.
- Suits
- A discharge where you want an employing agency to assess on the ward and cover the care.
6.Trinity Homecare
CQC-registered managed agency
- What it publishes
- A hospital discharge care page covering temporary care, reablement-style support, visiting care and live-in care. Its hospital discharge page
- Published price
- Live-in care from £1,694 a week, on its live-in page reviewed 19 October 2026.
- Suits
- Families who want one managed provider for both visits and live-in care during recovery.
7.The Good Care Group
CQC-registered managed agency
- What it publishes
- A convalescent care page for full-time live-in care during recovery. Its cost page says a care manager can meet you in hospital while you wait to be discharged. Its convalescent care page
- Published price
- Respite care from £285 a day; full-time live-in care from £256 a day. On its cost page (no date shown; seen 19 October 2026).
- Suits
- Recovery with complex or clinical needs, where nurse-led oversight matters.
8.Hometouch
Both: an introductory service and a CQC-registered managed service
- What it publishes
- A hospital discharge page saying it can typically have a self-employed carer in place within 24 to 72 hours of first contact. Its hospital discharge page
- Published price
- Introductory care from £1,400 a week; regulated care from £1,500 a week. On its pricing page (no date shown; seen 19 October 2026).
- Suits
- A discharge date a few days away, where you want a choice of model.
9.Elder
Introductory service: you hire a self-employed carer
- What it publishes
- A convalescent care page for short-term live-in care after a hospital stay, saying care can often be arranged within 24 hours. Its convalescent care page
- Published price
- Short-term care from £684 for 3 days, or from £1,595 a week. On its pricing page (no date shown; seen 19 October 2026).
- Suits
- A few weeks of live-in help where the family can direct a self-employed carer.
10.PrimeCarers
Introductory service: you hire a self-employed carer
- What it publishes
- This site. You can search for a self-employed live-in carer near the home, message them before the discharge date, and agree a start. Before a carer appears we check their ID, their right to work and an enhanced DBS (or PVG in Scotland, Access NI in Northern Ireland) issued within the last 2 years, and we interview them online. We do not verify references, qualifications or training, so ask the carer about those yourself. Discharge is tomorrow and there is no care
- Published price
- £1,050 to £1,400 a week, typically £1,120, fee included (PrimeCarers rates, October 2026).
- Suits
- Recovery at home where the main needs are personal care, meals, company and someone there at night.
- Worth knowing
- We are weaker where recovery needs clinical care, such as wound care, catheter care or rehabilitation exercises led by a therapist. Those come from the NHS or a nurse-led agency. Carers on PrimeCarers are self-employed and we cannot guarantee a replacement.
Each provider’s own page was checked on 19 October 2026. Prices and services change, so confirm them with the provider before you rely on them.
How to choose
Working out what to arrange before the discharge date
Find out what the NHS and council will provide first. Paid care then fills the gaps, not the whole week.
Ask the ward whether reablement or intermediate care will be offered, how many visits a day that means, and when it ends. If your relative cannot be left alone overnight, visits will not be enough, and a live-in carer for the first few weeks is often simpler than a rota of visits. Where recovery involves nursing tasks, choose a nurse-led agency or make sure the district nurse is arranged. On PrimeCarers a live-in week runs from £1,050 to £1,400, fee included.
Ask before discharge
- What free care has been arranged, for how long, and who to ring if it does not arrive
- Whether a provider can meet you or assess on the ward
- What a short stay costs, and the notice to end it
Do not assume
- That free reablement includes someone staying overnight
- That a care worker can do nursing tasks such as wound care
Discharge is tomorrow and there is no care has the steps to take if the date comes before the care.
Questions
Questions about care after hospital
Some of it can be. The NHS says intermediate care and reablement are free, usually for a maximum of 6 weeks. Longer-term care is means-tested by the council, unless the person qualifies for NHS continuing healthcare.
The hospital ward and discharge team plan the discharge, and the council arranges any care it is funding. Private care, such as a live-in carer, is arranged by the family with a provider of their choice.
Providers publish different times. Helping Hands and Trinity Homecare say within 24 hours for emergency or urgent care, Elder says often within 24 hours, and Hometouch says 24 to 72 hours, all subject to availability.