Home care · Cambridgeshire
Live-in care in Sawston
Live-in care means a trained carer lives in the home and supports someone day and night, often as an alternative to moving into a care home. Compare the 24 CQC-registered agencies covering Sawston and ask which of them provide it.
CQC register data as of 27 October 2026 · Prices: Usual 2026 prices across England
Key points
- Agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Sawston: 24, with 14 rated Good or Outstanding.
- Cambridgeshire council has to offer a care needs assessment free of charge.
- The CQC register does not say who provides live-in care: ask the agencies directly.
- Live-in care typically costs around £1,540–£1,610 a week, compared with £1,455 a week for a residential care home (usual 2026 prices across England).
Citation: "Live-in care in Sawston", The Care Panel analysis of CQC register data, Oct 2026.
Live-in care in practice
The person stays put, keeping their own routine, pets and neighbours, and the carer comes to them. Carers generally rotate in pairs, each living in for one to two weeks. Typical tasks: help to wash and dress, meals, medication, cleaning, outings and company.
Three things the carer must have: a private bedroom, roughly two hours' rest during the day, and a full night's sleep. If night-time help is needed most nights, budget for a waking night carer or a second live-in carer; a good agency will say so at the assessment.
Paying for live-in care
The starting point is a care needs assessment, which Cambridgeshire council has to provide free. Where the council accepts that live-in care is a suitable way to meet eligible needs, it may contribute once your finances are assessed, and your home's value is left out because the care is at home. Its contribution can be paid as a direct payment, so you choose the agency. If the main need is a health need, NHS Continuing Healthcare may cover the full cost. How to ask Cambridgeshire council for an assessment.
Managed or introductory: check before you sign
A managed live-in service employs or supervises the carer, is registered with the Care Quality Commission and is responsible for the care. An introductory agency introduces a self-employed carer and you become responsible for arranging and overseeing the care; these agencies are usually not CQC-registered. Ask which kind it is, who covers holidays and sickness, and what happens if the carer is not a good fit.
Should it be live-in care or a care home?
Typical local costs are around £1,540–£1,610 a week for live-in care and £1,455 a week for a residential home. With one carer able to support two people, live-in care may undercut two care home places for a couple, though for someone on their own a care home is often the cheaper route.
Choose a care home when moving and handling needs two staff day and night, or when isolation at home is the main worry. Choose live-in care when staying at home matters most and one carer can keep the person safe.
Sawston's agencies in figures
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).
Live-in care prices in Sawston
| Visiting care | around £32–£34 an hour |
|---|---|
| Live-in care | around £1,540–£1,610 a week |
| Residential care home | £1,455 a week |
| Nursing home | £1,685 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. For 2026/27, the Homecare Association says council-funded home care in England is only sustainable at £34.42 an hour or more. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Work out a weekly cost · What would we pay?
Home care agencies in and around Sawston
Ask each agency whether it provides live-in care. Ranked by CQC rating and how recent it is, then distance.
Helping Hands Cambridge
Est. £29–£35/hr
Bircham House
Est. £30–£37/hr
Lead Care
Est. £30–£37/hr
City Care Services
Est. £30–£37/hr
A Quality Care Service Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
Future Care Solutions
Est. £32–£39/hr
Trinity Carestaff Solutions Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
Nichols Court
Est. £30–£37/hr
Home Instead Cambridge
Est. £33–£40/hr
Compassionate Heart
Est. £30–£37/hr
Availl (Cambridge)
Est. £30–£37/hr
Reliance Care Services Cambridge
Est. £30–£37/hr
CHS Homecare (Domiciliary Care Agency)
Est. £30–£37/hr
Mercylink Care Cambridgeshire
Est. £30–£37/hr
Cambridge Care Services
Est. £29–£36/hr
Strawberry Fields
Est. £29–£36/hr
Cambridge Care Solutions Ltd
Est. £29–£36/hr
Phoenix Healthcare SL
Est. £29–£36/hr
Join Homecare LTD
Est. £29–£36/hr
What families ask about live-in care in Sawston
Which home care agencies offer live-in care in Sawston?
CQC does not record which agencies provide live-in care. 24 CQC-registered home care agencies have an office within 7 miles of Sawston; 14 are rated Good or Outstanding. Ask each whether it provides live-in care.
What is the weekly price of live-in care in Sawston?
Live-in care is typically around £1,540–£1,610 a week here (usual 2026 prices across England); short placements, couples and complex needs usually push the price up.
Is live-in care cheaper than a care home?
Usually not for a single person, since a residential home averages £1,455 a week here. A couple, though, may pay less for live-in care than for two care home places.
Can live-in care be council funded?
With savings under £23,250, you may get help. The council must first find eligible needs and agree that live-in care would meet them suitably; Cambridgeshire council then carries out a financial assessment that ignores the home when care is at home.
How are agencies covering Sawston rated?
Of 15 agencies with a CQC rating, 14 (93%) are Good or Outstanding. Dementia is a specialism for 21, and 1 has a rating or inspection from the past two years.
Live-in 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.
Related care pages for Sawston
Live-in care nearby
- Live-in care in Linton 5.0 mi
- Live-in care in Cambridge 5.9 mi
- Live-in care in Saffron Walden 7.7 mi
- Live-in care in Histon 9.4 mi
- Live-in care in Waterbeach 10.0 mi
- Live-in care in Cottenham 11.4 mi
- Live-in care in Cambourne 12.1 mi
- Live-in care in Northstowe 12.2 mi
CQC register data (Oct 2026), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel is independent of every provider listed.