24-Hour Care in Bristol: Costs, Funding and 168 Local Agencies (Oct 2026)

Live-in care or waking nights?

Live-in care is usually the most affordable way to have someone there day and night: one carer lives in, but needs about two hours off each day and an unbroken night's sleep. Waking nights put a carer in the home who stays awake all night; combined with daytime visits, that covers all 24 hours. If help is needed most nights, one live-in carer is not enough: add waking nights or a second carer.

Typical local prices: live-in care around £1,540–£1,610 a week; a residential care home £1,445 a week.

Help paying for 24-hour care

Bristol, City of council must offer a free care needs assessment; if it finds eligible needs by day and night, care at home can be part of a council care plan, and the value of the home is not counted for care at home. Attendance Allowance pays its higher rate of £114.60 a week to people over State Pension age who need help both day and night, whatever their savings. When the main need is a health need, NHS Continuing Healthcare may pay in full. Getting assessed by Bristol, City of council.

When 24-hour care is needed

Families usually look for it after a hospital stay, when dementia means someone cannot be left alone or wanders at night, after repeated falls, or at the end of life. A care home is the alternative to compare: for one person it often costs less than staffing every hour at home, but many people want to stay in their own home.

What the register shows for Bristol

Dementia appears on 131 of 168 registrations here (78%), compared with 78% in Bristol, City of as a whole. Registered specialisms here: 144 of 168 list physical disabilities, 84 of 168 list learning disabilities and 93 of 168 list mental health conditions. 95% of rated agencies covering Bristol are Good or Outstanding, compared with 96% of those rated among the 181 we list across Bristol, City of. Home Instead Bristol West, Portishead and Nailsea is the most recently registered, joining the CQC register in September 2026. Fourways Care has the oldest rating still in force, from April 2018. Bristol leads the 6 closest towns on our site on the share of every listed agency rated Good or Outstanding, at 62%, ahead of Pill (62%).

What 24-hour care costs in Bristol

Typical prices across England in 2026
Visiting care	around £32–£34 an hour
Live-in care	around £1,540–£1,610 a week

Bristol City Council's own rates: £24.84 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,120 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,106 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).

Agencies differ more than regions do on hourly rates, so request a complete tariff from each one, covering weekends and bank holidays too. According to the Homecare Association, councils across England should pay no less than £34.42 an hour for home care in 2026/27 if it is to be sustainable. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Tools: weekly cost calculator and what would we pay?

Questions about 24-hour care in Bristol

Who provides 24-hour care in Bristol?

Ask each agency: CQC keeps no record of who provides 24-hour care. Of the 168 registered agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Bristol, 104 are rated Good or Outstanding.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Bristol?

Typical prices across England in 2026: live-in care typically costs around £1,540–£1,610 a week. Covering every hour with separate day and night carers costs much more, because each hour is paid.

Is 24-hour care the same as live-in care?

Not quite. A live-in carer is there day and night but needs a daily break and a full night's sleep. If help is needed through the night most nights, true 24-hour care means adding waking nights or a second carer.

Can the council pay for 24-hour care at home?

It can, if Bristol, City of council's care needs assessment finds eligible needs by day and night and care at home is a suitable way to meet them. A financial assessment follows; for care at home the home is not counted. NHS Continuing Healthcare pays in full when the main need is a health need.

How good are home care agencies around Bristol?

95% Good or Outstanding (104 of 109 rated). 28 were inspected or rated within two years, and 131 are registered for dementia.

Arranging 24-hour care in Bristol?

Tell us what's needed once. Up to three agencies that take enquiries through us reply to you directly, by email.

Get local care prices

Care options in Bristol

24-hour care in nearby towns

24-hour care in Long Ashton 3.6 mi
24-hour care in Kingswood 4.2 mi
24-hour care in Pill 4.3 mi
24-hour care in Mangotsfield 4.9 mi
24-hour care in Patchway 4.9 mi
24-hour care in Frampton Cotterell 7.0 mi
24-hour care in Coalpit Heath 7.1 mi
24-hour care in Backwell 7.2 mi

Get local care prices See agencies

Built from the Care Quality Commission's register (Oct 2026) under Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel lists and compares services but runs none.

24-hour care in Bristol