Question 1

How much does home care cost?

Accepted Answer

Home care visits are charged by the length of the visit, so you only pay for the time you need — our current rates are published openly on our fees page. After your free care needs assessment we'll give you a clear written cost for your exact package before anything starts, with no hidden charges.

Question 2

How much does live-in care cost?

Accepted Answer

Live-in care is charged at a weekly rate that depends on the level of support needed — one person or a couple, and the complexity of care. Current rates are on our live-in care fees page. For couples especially, live-in care frequently compares favourably with the combined cost of two care home places, and the fee covers a fully managed, regulated service — not just an introduction.

Question 3

What is live-in care and how does it work?

Accepted Answer

Live-in care means a dedicated, trained carer comes to live with you in your own home, providing support throughout the day shaped entirely around your routine — from personal care and medication to cooking, housekeeping, companionship and getting out and about. It's a genuine one-to-one alternative to moving into a care home. A full care needs assessment happens before care begins, and every client has their own bespoke care plan. Our live-in care page explains the service, the types of live-in care available, and what a typical day looks like.

Question 4

Do you provide dementia care?

Accepted Answer

Yes — dementia care is one of our core services. All our care workers are trained to understand the different stages of living with dementia as part of their induction and ongoing training, and familiar routines in a familiar home are one of the most powerful ways to support someone living with dementia. We support people with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia and mixed dementia. Visit our dementia care page to learn more, including our dementia workshop.

Question 5

Which areas do you cover?

Accepted Answer

We provide home care visits across Surrey, Berkshire and East Hampshire from our Godalming office. Our live-in care service covers the south of England — including Surrey, Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Wiltshire. See the full list on our where we cover page — and if you're just outside these areas, call us anyway, as we can often still help.

Question 6

Are you CQC registered — and how are you rated?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Carers at Home is registered with the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and social care in England, and has been since we were established. CQC registration means we are inspected against national standards for safety, effectiveness, leadership and care — something a privately hired carer or an introduction website is not. At our most recent inspection our Godalming service was rated Good overall, with Outstanding for Caring. You can read our inspection reports in full on the CQC website and see our profile on the NHS website.

Question 7

What financial help is available towards care at home?

Accepted Answer

More than most families realise. The main routes in England are: Attendance Allowance — a tax-free, non-means-tested benefit for people over State Pension age who need help or supervision. For 2026/27 it pays £76.70 or £114.60 a week, and your savings and income make no difference to eligibility. Local authority funding — if your savings and assets are below £23,250 (2026/27, England) the council may contribute to your care following a care needs and financial assessment; below £14,250 your capital is disregarded entirely. Direct payments — council funding paid to you, so you choose your own care provider. NHS Continuing Healthcare — full NHS funding, not means-tested, for people whose needs are primarily health-based. Our paying for care page explains each route, and we're happy to point you in the right direction when we assess your needs.

Question 8

How does live-in care compare with moving into a care home?

Accepted Answer

With live-in care you keep your home, your routines, your neighbours, your garden and your pets — and you receive one-to-one attention, rather than sharing carers with a whole home of residents. Couples stay together. Family can visit whenever they like, with no visiting hours. Financially it often compares well with a good care home, particularly for couples, where one live-in carer replaces two sets of care home fees. See our live-in care comparison and live-in care fees pages.

Question 9

How quickly can care start?

Accepted Answer

Often within a few days of your first call, and faster when it's urgent — for example when someone is being discharged from hospital. We prioritise urgent situations: where needed, a member of our senior care team can visit the hospital before discharge to prepare the care plan, so support is in place from the moment your relative arrives home. This is how our reablement care service works. For live-in care, matching the right carer usually takes a little longer than arranging visits, but we can often put temporary support in place while that happens.

Question 10

Am I tied into a long-term contract?

Accepted Answer

All new care packages — home care visits and live-in care alike — begin with a minimum initial period of six weeks. Setting care up properly takes real time and effort — the home assessment, writing your care plan, and carefully matching and introducing your care team — and the six-week minimum reflects that investment while giving the arrangement a fair chance to settle in. Beyond that there's no long-term tie-in: care continues for as long as you want it, and you can end it with a short notice period set out plainly in your care agreement before anything begins, so there are no surprises. Care can also be paused, for example during a hospital stay or a family holiday.