Elderly care at home in London: complete 2026 guide

Elderly care at home in London ranges from a 30-minute daily visit to full-time live-in care, delivered by carers who help with washing, dressing, meals, medication and company. As of 2026, most London agencies charge roughly £30–£40 an hour for visiting care, and live-in care typically costs £1,300–£1,800 a week. Your borough council, the NHS and benefits such as Attendance Allowance can help with the cost.

Arranging care in West Sussex instead? Read our guide: Home Care for the Elderly: What Families Need to Know.

At a glance

• Every older person who appears to need care can ask their London borough for a free Care Act needs assessment.
• As of 2026, visiting care in London typically costs £30–£40 an hour; the Homecare Association’s minimum sustainable price for England is £34.42 an hour (2026/27).
• Council funding is means-tested: above £23,250 in savings you pay the full cost, and your home is not counted for home care (DHSC, 2026/27).
• Attendance Allowance pays £76.70 or £114.60 a week in 2026/27, with no means test.
• Care after a hospital stay, called reablement, is free for up to six weeks.

What is elderly care at home?

Home care (also called domiciliary care) means trained carers come to your relative’s home to help them live safely and independently. It lets people stay in familiar surroundings, near neighbours and routines, rather than moving to a care home.

Care can include:

• Personal care: washing, bathing, dressing, toileting and continence care.
• Meals and drinks: preparing food and making sure your relative eats and drinks enough.
• Medication support: prompting or giving medicines as set out in the care plan.
• Mobility: help getting up, moving around and getting into bed safely.
• Household help: light cleaning, laundry and shopping.
• Companionship: conversation, trips out and help staying in touch with friends.

Any agency that provides personal care in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

What types of home care are there?

Many families start with a morning visit and add more as needs change.

How much does elderly care at home cost in London?

As of 2026, typical private prices in London are shown below. Sources vary, and prices depend on care needs, provider and postcode (Homecare Association, Which? and market price data, 2026).

A few points to bear in mind:

• Short visits cost more per hour. 30-minute visits often cost 20–30% more per hour, and many agencies set 30-minute or 1-hour minimums. NICE says home care visits should usually be at least 30 minutes.
• The Homecare Association minimum price for England is £34.42 an hour for 2026/27. Which? advises self-funders to expect to pay at least this.
• London live-in care is not always dearer than the UK average. Some datasets put London slightly below it.
• Care homes cost more for most people. In London, residential care typically costs £1,450–£1,750 a week, and nursing homes £1,680–£2,000.

For a borough-by-borough view, see our guide to home care costs in London. Always ask for a written quote that shows weekend and bank holiday rates.

Who pays for elderly care at home?

Council funding

Contact the adult social care team in the borough where your relative lives. There are 33 councils in Greater London (32 boroughs and the City of London), and each runs its own assessments. Our directory of London borough adult social care contacts explains how to start.

Step 1: needs assessment. This is free for anyone who appears to need care, whatever their money. To be eligible, your relative must be unable to achieve two or more everyday outcomes, such as eating, washing, dressing, using the toilet or using the home safely, with a significant impact on their wellbeing.

Step 2: financial assessment. If your relative has eligible needs, the council works out what they can afford to pay:

For home care, the value of your relative’s home is not counted. After charges, people over Pension Credit age must be left with at least the Minimum Income Guarantee: £241.45 a week for a single person in 2026/27 (DHSC).

The £86,000 lifetime care cost cap was cancelled in July 2024, and no replacement cap exists. Our guide to the home care means test in London goes through the rules in detail.

Direct payments

If the council funds care, your relative can take the money as a direct payment and choose their own agency or personal assistant. All London councils offer them.

NHS funding

• Reablement: short-term care, often after hospital, is free for up to six weeks.
• NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC): if your relative’s needs are mainly health needs, the NHS pays the whole cost of care at home, with no means test. The ICB should usually decide within 28 days of a positive checklist.
• Fast Track CHC: for people nearing the end of life, care should be arranged urgently, usually within 48 hours.

London’s NHS is organised into four integrated care boards: West and North London, North East, South East and South West London.

Benefits

Attendance Allowance can be used to help pay for home care. See our guide to using Attendance Allowance to pay for home care.

How do I choose a home care provider in London?

• Check CQC registration and rating. Ratings are Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate. See our guide to CQC ratings for home care.
• Managed agency or introductory agency? A managed, CQC-registered agency employs, trains and supervises carers and arranges cover. An introductory agency introduces self-employed carers, and you take on more responsibility. Read managed care vs introductory care agency.
• Ask about continuity. How many different carers will visit? How is sickness covered?
• Check the contract. Look at notice periods, minimum visit lengths, cancellation charges and how prices rise.
• Check VAT. Care from a CQC-registered provider is usually exempt from VAT; introductory fees are not.

How do I get started?

1. Talk to your relative about what they want and what worries them.
2. Write down their needs, including night-time and weekends.
3. Ask the council for a needs assessment, and a carer’s assessment for yourself.
4. Check benefits, especially Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit.
5. Get quotes from two or three CQC-registered providers and compare what’s included.
6. Set up a Lasting Power of Attorney if your relative hasn’t already. It costs £92 per LPA to register.
7. Review after the first few weeks and adjust visits as needed.

For more guidance, visit our elderly care hub.

Frequently asked questions

How much does elderly care at home cost per week in London?

It depends on hours. As of 2026, at £30–£40 an hour, one hour a day costs roughly £210–£280 a week, and two hours a day about £420–£560. Live-in care typically costs £1,300–£1,800 a week for one person. Weekend and bank holiday rates are often higher, so ask for a written quote.

Will we have to sell the house to pay for home care?

No. When care is provided at home, the value of the person’s own home is ignored in the council’s financial assessment. The house is only considered if someone moves permanently into a care home, and even then there are exceptions, such as a partner still living there, and options like a deferred payment agreement.

Is home care cheaper than a care home?

For people who need a few hours of help a day, home care is usually cheaper than a London care home, which typically costs £1,450–£1,750 a week for residential care. Live-in care can cost a similar amount to a care home for one person, and it can work out better value for couples.

Can the council arrange care urgently?

Yes. If needs are urgent, the council can arrange care before a full assessment is finished. After a hospital stay, discharge teams often arrange reablement, which is free for up to six weeks. Private agencies can sometimes start within a day or two.

What is the difference between home care and home help?

Home care includes personal care, such as washing, dressing and medication, and must be provided by a CQC-registered agency. Home help covers domestic tasks such as cleaning and shopping, which are not regulated. Many older people start with home help and move to home care as their needs grow.

Does Attendance Allowance affect council funding?

Attendance Allowance is usually counted as income in the council’s financial assessment for home care. However, the council must leave your relative with at least the Minimum Income Guarantee and should allow for disability-related costs. Attendance Allowance itself is not means-tested, so it is worth claiming either way.

Sources

• Homecare Association: Research and reports (Minimum Price for Homecare 2026/27)
• Which?: Paying for care at home
• Which?: Care home fees
• Lottie: Care at home costs
• Lottie: London home care directory
• NICE QS123: Length of home care visits
• DHSC: Social care charging 2026 to 2027 circular
• House of Commons Library: Adult social care funding (cap)
• DWP: Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027
• SCIE: Care Act eligibility
• Care and support statutory guidance (GOV.UK)
• NHS: Continuing Healthcare
• CQC: Personal care as a regulated activity
• HMRC: VAT Notice 701/2, welfare services
• GOV.UK: Register a lasting power of attorney

This guide is general information, not financial, legal or medical advice. Last reviewed September 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 15 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.