24-Hour Care in St Ives: Costs, Funding and 35 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. How to ask Cambridgeshire council for an assessment.

Agencies covering St Ives: the data

Oldest rating on the list: Hunts Mencap Hub, March 2018. The share registered for dementia is 77% in St Ives (27 of 35) and 79% across Cambridgeshire. Registered specialisms here: 28 of 35 list physical disabilities, 19 of 35 list learning disabilities and 18 of 35 list mental health conditions. Most recent to register: Status Care Services Ltd (August 2026). Two-year-old ratings or newer: 6% covering St Ives, 4% across Cambridgeshire. 91% of rated agencies covering St Ives are Good or Outstanding, compared with 91% of those rated among the 267 we list across Cambridgeshire. No nearby town we list has a higher share of its listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding than St Ives (60%); Papworth Everard follows at 57%. Outstanding ratings: 1 covering St Ives, 3 across Cambridgeshire.

How much 24-hour care costs in St Ives

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. 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?

24-hour care in St Ives: common questions

Which home care agencies offer 24-hour care in St Ives?

CQC does not record which agencies provide 24-hour care. 35 CQC-registered home care agencies have an office within 7 miles of St Ives; 21 are rated Good or Outstanding. Ask each whether it provides 24-hour care.

How much does 24-hour care cost in St Ives?

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 are agencies covering St Ives rated?

Of 23 agencies with a CQC rating, 21 (91%) are Good or Outstanding. Dementia is a specialism for 27, and 2 have a rating or inspection from the past two years.

Need 24-hour care in St Ives?

One short form: featured partners and a maximum of three rated agencies working with us will contact you directly by email.

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Provider details from the Care Quality Commission register, updated Oct 2026. Contains CQC data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel is not a care provider.

24-hour care in St Ives