24-Hour Care in Sawston: Costs, Funding and 24 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 £1,455 a week.

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.

Help paying for 24-hour care

Cambridgeshire 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 Cambridgeshire council.

What the register shows for Sawston

By specialism, 21 of 24 list physical disabilities, 11 of 24 list learning disabilities and 16 of 24 list mental health conditions. CQC registered Availl (Cambridge) in July 2026, the newest on this list. One rating goes back to October 2017: City Care Services. Ask what has changed since. In Sawston, 88% of agencies support people with dementia (21 of 24); the Cambridgeshire figure is 79%. Saffron Walden has the highest share of listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding nearby (69%); Sawston, at 58%, is 3rd of the 7 towns compared. Cambridgeshire has 3 Outstanding agencies in total; covering Sawston the figure is 1. Ratings are about as recent as the council average here: 4% of agencies have one less than two years old, compared with 4% across Cambridgeshire. At 93% Good or Outstanding, Sawston sits above the Cambridgeshire figure of 91% (from 267 agencies).

24-hour care prices in Sawston

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

Council rates in Cambridgeshire County Council: £24.32 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £918 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,131 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).

Ask every agency for a full list of charges, with weekend and bank holiday rates: hourly rates vary more between agencies than between regions. The Homecare Association puts the minimum sustainable price for council-funded home care in England at £34.42 an hour for 2026/27. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Estimate the weekly cost or see what you might pay

Questions about 24-hour care in Sawston

Who provides 24-hour care in Sawston?

The CQC register does not show who offers 24-hour care. There are 24 registered agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Sawston, 14 of them rated Good or Outstanding, so ask each one.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Sawston?

Usual 2026 prices across England: 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 Cambridgeshire 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 Sawston?

93% Good or Outstanding (14 of 15 rated). 1 was inspected or rated within two years, and 21 are registered for dementia.

24-hour care in Sawston: ask who can help

Describe what's needed in one form, and featured partners and as many as three rated agencies that accept enquiries via The Care Panel email you back.

Get prices from 3 providers

Related care pages for Sawston

24-hour care nearby

Get prices from 3 providers Jump to agencies

CQC register data (Oct 2026), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel is independent of every provider listed.

24-hour care in Sawston