24-Hour Care in Billericay: Costs, Funding and 119 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.

Help paying for 24-hour care

Essex 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 Essex council for an assessment.

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.

Agencies covering Billericay: the data

Across Essex, 12% of agencies have a rating under two years old; covering Billericay it is 10%. Across Essex we list 1,315 agencies, and 90% of those rated are Good or Outstanding; covering Billericay the figure is 94%. Ranked against the 6 closest towns on our site by the share of every listed agency that is rated Good or Outstanding, Billericay comes 4th of 7 (55%), with Chelmsford top at 64%. 3 are rated Outstanding here, out of 12 across Essex. The oldest current rating dates from November 2017 (Ebony Healthcare Services Limited). 97 of the 119 agencies (82%) list dementia as a specialism, against 80% across Essex. On their CQC registrations, 102 of 119 list physical disabilities, 52 of 119 list learning disabilities and 66 of 119 list mental health conditions. The newest registration is Thera East, registered with CQC in August 2026.

Paying for 24-hour care in Billericay: typical prices

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

What Essex County Council pays providers: £28.04 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £849.45 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,102.68 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).

Hourly rates vary between agencies more than between regions; ask each agency for its full price list, including weekend and bank holiday rates. According to the Homecare Association, councils across England should pay no less than £34.42 an hour for home care in 2026/27 if it is to be sustainable. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Work out a weekly cost · What would we pay?

24-hour care in Billericay: common questions

Which agencies provide 24-hour care in Billericay?

Ask each agency: CQC keeps no record of who provides 24-hour care. Of the 119 registered agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Billericay, 66 are rated Good or Outstanding.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Billericay?

Typical 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 Essex 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 Billericay have?

CQC rates 66 of 70 as Good or Outstanding, or 94%. Recent evidence: 12 rated or inspected in two years. Dementia specialists: 97.

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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 Billericay