24-Hour Care in Easington: 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 £1,185 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

County Durham 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. Asking County Durham council for an assessment.

Home care in Easington by the numbers

Dementia appears on 22 of 24 registrations here (92%), compared with 72% in County Durham as a whole. Housing 21 - Bramble Hollow has the oldest rating still in force, from October 2018. Vestra Homecare Durham is the most recently registered, joining the CQC register in August 2026. Looking at specialisms, 21 of 24 list physical disabilities, 9 of 24 list learning disabilities and 19 of 24 list mental health conditions. At 100% Good or Outstanding, Easington sits above the County Durham figure of 97% (from 189 agencies). Ratings are about as recent as the council average here: 17% of agencies have one less than two years old, compared with 15% across County Durham. County Durham has 3 Outstanding agencies, none of them covering Easington. Of Easington and the 6 nearest towns we cover, Easington ranks 6th for the share of all listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding (67%); Houghton-le-Spring is highest at 81%.

24-hour care prices in Easington

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

Council rates in Durham County Council: £22.83 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £857 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £890 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).

The gap between agencies is bigger than the gap between regions. Ask for prices in writing, and check what weekends and bank holidays cost. Homecare Association figure for 2026/27: a sustainable council rate for home care in England starts at £34.42 an hour. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Work out a weekly cost · What would we pay?

Your questions on 24-hour care in Easington

Which agencies provide 24-hour care in Easington?

24 agencies on the CQC register have an office within 7 miles of Easington, and 16 hold a Good or Outstanding rating. Which of them provide 24-hour care is not recorded by CQC: ask them.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Easington?

Prices typically seen 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 County Durham 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.

What CQC ratings do agencies covering Easington have?

CQC rates 16 of 16 as Good or Outstanding, or 100%. Recent evidence: 4 rated or inspected in two years. Dementia specialists: 22.

24-hour care in Easington: 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 Easington

24-hour care nearby

24-hour care in Horden 1.7 mi
24-hour care in Peterlee 1.8 mi
24-hour care in Seaham 3.4 mi
24-hour care in Easington Lane 4.2 mi
24-hour care in Hetton-le-Hole 5.2 mi
24-hour care in Houghton-le-Spring 6.6 mi
24-hour care in Bowburn 8.1 mi
24-hour care in Hartlepool 8.1 mi

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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 Easington