Live-in care in London

If you have spent decades on the same London street, the thought of leaving it can be harder than the thought of needing help. The corner shop that knows your order, the neighbours who wave from the bus stop, the place of worship you have attended for years, the GP surgery that holds your whole history. Live-in care exists so that none of that has to be given up. A carer moves into the spare room, and life carries on where it always has.

For London families, this often makes practical sense as well as emotional sense. The city is enormous, and families are stretched across it. A daughter in Walthamstow cannot easily be in Richmond every morning, and many adult children have moved further still, to other parts of the country or abroad. A live-in carer means someone is there around the clock, not just for personal care and medication prompts but for company, cooking, and the reassurance that a fall in the night will not go unnoticed.

MeddyCare is a CQC-registered introductory agency. We do not employ carers or run care homes. Instead, we introduce London families to vetted, self-employed live-in carers, and you contract with your chosen carer directly. That keeps the relationship personal and the pricing honest, because you can see exactly what your carer charges and why.

What live-in care costs in London

Across the UK, live-in care typically costs between £1,200 and £1,800 per week. London tends to sit toward the upper end of that range, largely because the cost of living is higher here for carers too.

The comparison most London families make is with care home fees, and London care homes are among the most expensive in the country. Live-in care is often broadly comparable in cost, and for couples it can work out considerably better value, because one carer supports both people for a single fee rather than two separate care home places.

Every carer on MeddyCare sets their own weekly rate, and you see it before you ever speak to them. There are no hidden charges layered on top, and no vague "prices from" figures that turn out to apply to nobody. What the carer quotes is what you pay, and our own fee is shown transparently alongside it.

Paying for care in London

Broadly, there are three routes.

Self-funding. Many families pay privately, sometimes with help from a pension, savings, or rental income. Because you contract the carer directly through MeddyCare, you are not paying an agency's employment overheads on top.

Council support. Adult social care in London is organised borough by borough, so your first port of call is the adult social care team at your local borough council, whether that is Camden, Croydon, Barnet, or any of the others. Ask for a needs assessment. It is free, councils must carry one out if someone appears to need care and support, and it establishes what help your relative needs regardless of who ends up paying. If the council does contribute, ask about Direct Payments, which let you receive the money and choose your own provider, including a self-employed live-in carer.

NHS Continuing Healthcare. If your relative's needs are primarily health needs, for example after a serious diagnosis or a long hospital stay, they may qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare, which is not means-tested. The criteria are strict, but it is always worth asking the GP, hospital discharge team, or district nurse whether an assessment is appropriate.

Whatever your situation, a needs assessment from your borough is a sensible first step. It costs nothing and it clarifies everything that follows.

How MeddyCare works in London

1. Tell us what you need. Share the situation in plain terms: the person, the condition, the home, the routines that matter. It takes a few minutes.
2. Meet matched carers. We introduce you to vetted, self-employed carers who fit your needs. Every carer is DBS-checked, interviewed, and reference-checked before they join MeddyCare. You speak to them, and you choose.
3. Care begins. Your chosen carer moves in, and a MeddyCare Care Coordinator stays alongside you, checking in regularly and helping if anything needs adjusting.

Common questions from London families

How quickly can live-in care start?

Typically within days. When a hospital discharge is looming, we aim to move faster, and in urgent cases we can often arrange for care to begin within 48 hours. Tell us your timeline and we will be straight with you about what is realistic.

Can couples get live-in care?

Yes, and it is one of the strongest arguments for it. One carer supports both people in their own home, for one cost. Compared with paying for two care home places in London, the difference can be substantial, and the couple stays together.

Does the carer need their own bedroom?

Yes, by law. A live-in carer must have a private bedroom of their own. It does not need to be large or grand, just a clean, private space with a bed. If you are unsure whether your home is suitable, ask us and we will talk it through honestly.

Who actually employs the carer?

The carers we introduce are self-employed professionals, and your family contracts with them directly. MeddyCare handles the vetting, the matching, and the ongoing coordination, but the working relationship is between you and your carer. That is what makes us an introductory agency, and it is also what keeps costs clear.