Live-in Care in Lewes: Costs, Funding and 30 Local Agencies (Oct 2026)

What live-in care involves

A live-in carer moves in, usually for one or two weeks at a time on a rota with a second carer. They help with washing and dressing, meals, medication, housework, getting out and company. The person stays in their own home, with their own routine, pets and neighbours.

The carer needs their own bedroom, about two hours off during the day and a proper night's sleep. If someone needs help most nights, plan for a second carer or a waking night carer as well; agencies should tell you this at the assessment.

Check the agency type first

Ask one question early: is this a managed service or an introductory one? A managed agency is CQC-registered, employs or supervises its carers and is accountable for the care. An introductory agency usually is not registered; it puts you in touch with a self-employed carer, and the responsibility for organising and supervising care passes to you. Also ask about cover for sickness and holidays, and what you can do if the carer turns out not to suit.

Live-in care or a care home?

Here, a residential care home typically costs £1,555 a week and live-in care around £1,540–£1,610 a week. A single person will often pay less in a care home, but a couple may pay less for live-in care than for two care home places, since one carer can look after both.

Live-in care suits people who want to stay at home and whose needs one carer can meet safely. A care home may be better when two people are needed for moving and handling around the clock, or when someone is lonely at home.

Who pays for live-in care?

NHS Continuing Healthcare pays the whole cost for people whose primary need is a health need. Otherwise, ask East Sussex council for its free care needs assessment: if live-in care is accepted as the right way to meet eligible needs, the council can contribute after a means test, and the home is not counted when care is provided there. A direct payment lets you spend that contribution with the agency you pick. Requesting an assessment from East Sussex council.

What the register shows for Lewes

By specialism, 25 of 30 list physical disabilities, 9 of 30 list learning disabilities and 15 of 30 list mental health conditions. Most recent to register: Superior Healthcare - Sussex (December 2025). Oldest rating on the list: Brighton & Hove City Council - Brighton and Hove Home Care, February 2018. The share registered for dementia is 73% in Lewes (22 of 30) and 77% across East Sussex. No nearby town we list has a higher share of its listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding than Lewes (80%); Haywards Heath follows at 76%. No Outstanding ratings covering Lewes yet, against 3 across East Sussex. 23% of agencies covering Lewes have a CQC rating from the last two years, against 25% across East Sussex. Compare Lewes's 96% Good or Outstanding with 90% for the rated agencies among the 135 we list in East Sussex.

Live-in care prices in Lewes

Usual 2026 prices across England
Visiting care	around £32–£34 an hour
Live-in care	around £1,540–£1,610 a week
Residential care home	£1,555 a week
Nursing home	£1,830 a week

What East Sussex County Council pays providers: £28.16 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £928.72 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £994.24 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. 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?

Questions about live-in care in Lewes

Where can I find live-in care in Lewes?

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

What is the weekly price of live-in care in Lewes?

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 £1,555 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; East Sussex council then carries out a financial assessment that ignores the home when care is at home.

Are home care agencies in Lewes well rated?

24 of the 25 rated agencies (96%) are Good or Outstanding; 22 list dementia as a specialism and 7 were inspected or rated in the last two years.

Live-in care in Lewes: 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.

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Related care pages for Lewes

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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.

Live-in care in Lewes