Visiting Care
Priced per visit, from 30 minutes upwards. Costs scale with visit length, frequency and timing, a morning call costs less than a full day of support.
Costs & Funding
How home care is priced, what help exists with the cost, and how to get a personalised quote, explained without jargon.
The straight answer first
What does home care cost?
It depends on how much support you need and when you need it, which is why any provider quoting a single number before assessing you is guessing. Visiting care is priced by the hour (with 30-minute visits available), while live-in care is priced as a weekly package. Evenings, weekends and specialist care can carry different rates.
What we promise: after your free, no-obligation assessment you receive a clear, itemised, personalised quote, no hidden charges, no surprises, and no paying for support you don’t need.
How pricing works
Pay for the care you actually use
Live-in Care
A weekly package covering round-the-clock support. Often compares favourably with a care home, especially for couples, who share one package instead of paying two sets of fees.
Nights & Specialist Care
Waking nights, sleep-overs and condition-led specialist support are quoted individually, because the skill mix and hours vary so much between packages.
Help with the cost: the three routes
1. Local authority funding
Ask your council (Lancashire County Council for Preston) for a free care needs assessment: everyone is entitled to one. If you have eligible needs, a financial assessment follows. Broadly: savings and assets above the English threshold (currently £23,250) mean self-funding; below it, the council contributes on a sliding scale. Importantly for home care, the value of your home is disregarded while you or your partner live in it. If funded, you can usually take the money as a direct payment and choose your own CQC-registered provider, including Flexecare.
2. NHS funding
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) covers the full cost of care, including at home, where needs are primarily health-based; it is not means-tested but is assessed by the NHS. After a hospital stay, ask about intermediate care / reablement, which is often free for up to six weeks and can bridge into longer-term arrangements.
3. Benefits (widely underclaimed)
- Attendance Allowance: for people over State Pension age needing help with personal care; not means-tested.
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP): for working-age adults with care or mobility needs.
- Carer’s Allowance: for family members providing substantial unpaid care.
Self-funding, sensibly
For individuals paying for care privately, transparency and fairness are essential. You should expect a written, itemised quote, flexible terms with only reasonable notice requirements, invoices that accurately correspond to the agreed care package, and regular reviews to ensure fees reflect current needs. This means costs should decrease when support requirements reduce, not only increase when they rise. At Flexecare, we put these commitments in writing from the outset.
This page is general guidance, not financial advice. Thresholds and schemes change and individual situations differ, check current figures with your local authority, the NHS, or an independent adviser. We’re also happy to point you to the right door: call 01772 369045.
Money questions
Costs & funding FAQs
Costs vary with the hours, timing and type of support in your package, visiting care is charged per visit, live-in care per week. After a free assessment you receive a personalised, itemised quote so you can see exactly what you would pay and why.
Possibly, yes, through local authority funding (means-tested, with your home disregarded while you live in it), NHS Continuing Healthcare for primarily health needs, and non-means-tested benefits such as Attendance Allowance. Always request the free council needs assessment before assuming you must self-fund.
For lower and moderate levels of need, usually, because you pay only for the hours used. For round-the-clock needs the comparison narrows, though live-in care is often comparable and keeps couples together with a single package.
Yes, in both directions. Reviews adjust the package, and the bill, to match reality. Short-term increases after a setback wind back down as you recover.
Ready to talk about care?
Speak to our Preston team about support at home, from 30-minute visits to full live-in care. Your assessment is free, friendly and carries no obligation.