Skip to content
Money is an important part of any decision on long-term care. Though your top priority will be to get the best care for yourself or a loved one, you will probably also need to consider how much the care costs and how you are going to pay for it.
In this section, we explore the cost of live-in care and the main methods of paying for it. We also look at how live-in care fees compare with residential care home charges and explain how you can arrange and pay for specialist and respite live-in care.
Please feel free to get in touch with Vitality live-in care advisers to discuss your needs.
How much does live-in care cost?
Vitality Home Health’s live-in care fees are usually comparable to those of a care home but the care you receive is very different. Our personal assistants provide full-time care at home that is proven to improve health and wellbeing.
Our live-in care fees cover your entire service, including the arrangement, delivery and management of your care. Because you stay in your own home, you do not have to pay for accommodation – all your fees go towards receiving a high-quality service.
The exact cost of your care will depend on your needs. To work out your needs, we visit your home and conduct a full, no-obligation assessment. Once we have confirmed the cost, you have 30 days to consider your options and decide how you want to arrange your care.
Funding options for live-in care
There are four main options for funding long-term care, whether it is provided by a live-in personal assistant or in a care home:
- Local authority funding
- NHS continuing healthcare
- Self-funding
- State benefits
Local authority funding – everyone is entitled to have their long-term social care funded by their local authority. However, it’s means tested, which means that the local authority will assess your financial assets to see if you’re eligible for funding.
NHS continuing healthcare is for people with complex healthcare needs and is arranged and paid for by the NHS. Eligibility is determined by an assessment, which means healthcare professionals look at your needs and recommend the level of care you should receive.
Self-funding – if you don’t qualify for local authority or NHS funding, you will need to pay for your care yourself. Most people in the UK who need long-term care pay towards the cost of it. Self-funding options include using your pension and savings or releasing equity from your property. A member of your family can also arrange a financial policy to cover your care fees.
State benefits – you may qualify for state benefits such as attendance allowance, personal independence payments, pension credit and Council Tax reductions. While such benefits won’t cover all your care fees, they can make a valuable contribution if you are self-funding.
Live-in care versus a care home
When comparing the costs of a care home and live-in care, it’s worth considering how much of the fees go towards care. In a care home, some of your fees are also used to cover your food and accommodation, and there can be extra charges for other services such as hairdressing, chiropody and hospital appointment support.
With live-in care, a bigger proportion of your care fees go towards the one-to-one care you receive. And, of course, there’s the added advantage that you get to stay in your own home.
More about what our fees cover
Vitality Home Health’s live-in care fees have no hidden extras and there is no VAT to be added. Your fees won’t change other than for an annual inflation increase or unless your care needs change.
Fees are paid weekly and monthly and cover:
- Fully managed care service – we employ, manage, train and develop our live-in personal assistants
- One-to-one round the clock care
- A team of two dedicated personal assistants working a rota to ensure there are no gaps in your care
- 24/7 support from our management team
- Personal assistant holidays and sickness cover by highly skilled team members (no agency staff)
- Personal assistant travel to and from your home
- Reassurance that a personal assistant is there overnight
Live-in care costs with Vitality live-in care are consistent across England but a supplement is added for remote locations that require taxi access.
Advantages of managed care
Vitality live-in care provides a fully managed live-in care service, using personal assistants recruited through a rigorous process. Agency staff are never used and we are accountable for your care, providing peace of mind for you and your family.
Some other care providers introduce customers to a personal assistant, charging a one-off fee to cover the interviewing process and vetting. However, such assistants are not employed by the care provider and work on a self-employed basis. The person receiving care (or their family) is responsible for organising and paying for the personal assistants, including finding cover for holidays and sickness.
As a managed care provider, Vitality live-in care looks after all aspects of your care, including sudden sick leave and holiday cover. We are also registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which inspects providers to ensure standards of care are met.
When selecting a live-in care provider, we recommend you refer to CQC reports to determine the standard of care provided by the company.
Specialist and respite care
Live-in care is also suitable for specialist health conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s and cancer, and for people who need respite care. Vitality live-in care can help you arrange this care and advise you on funding options.