Home care · Essex

24-hour care in Braintree

Care at any hour, at home: either a live-in carer, who needs a daily break and a proper night's sleep, or visits by day with a waking night carer. Heavier needs mean two carers working in shifts. 38 agencies registered with CQC cover Braintree. Check with each one that it provides this kind of care.

Updated 27 October 2026 (CQC register) · Prices: Typical prices across England in 2026

Written and checked by The Care Panel editorial team. Editorial policy · How the site is paid for

Key points

  • 38 home care agencies registered with CQC have an office within 7 miles of Braintree, and 26 of them hold a Good or Outstanding rating.
  • CQC does not record which agencies provide 24-hour care, so ask each agency directly.
  • Typical prices here: live-in care around £1,540–£1,610 a week. Live-in care is usually the cheapest way to cover day and night.
  • A care needs assessment from Essex council costs nothing.

To cite: "24-hour care in Braintree", The Care Panel, Oct 2026, from CQC register analysis.

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

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.

What the register shows for Braintree

Across Essex we list 1,315 agencies, and 90% of those rated are Good or Outstanding; covering Braintree the figure is 90%. Across Essex, 12% of agencies have a rating under two years old; covering Braintree it is 13%. Essex has 12 Outstanding agencies in total; covering Braintree the figure is 2. Coggeshall has the highest share of listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding nearby (76%); Braintree, at 68%, is 3rd of the 7 towns compared. In Braintree, 76% of agencies support people with dementia (29 of 38); the Essex figure is 80%. One rating goes back to September 2018: Crossroads Braintree & Chelmsford. Ask what has changed since. CQC registered Firmly Care in September 2026, the newest on this list. Looking at specialisms, 30 of 38 list physical disabilities, 21 of 38 list learning disabilities and 18 of 38 list mental health conditions.

What 24-hour care costs in Braintree

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

Council rates in Essex County Council: £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).

Agencies differ more than regions do on hourly rates, so request a complete tariff from each one, covering weekends and bank holidays too. 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. Estimate the weekly cost or see what you might pay

Home care agencies serving Braintree

Check with each agency that it offers 24-hour care. Order: CQC rating, then how recent, then distance.

  1. DCA Essex

    2.2 miles · Physical disabilities, Learning disabilities, Adults under 65

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jan 2025Inspected recently
    See details (DCA Essex)

  2. JJR Care Ltd

    4.1 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Feb 2026Inspected recently
    See details (JJR Care Ltd)

  3. SureCare Colchester & Braintree

    6.0 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Feb 2026Inspected recently
    See details (SureCare Colchester & Braintree)

  4. St Georges Ltd

    6.6 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Aug 2026Inspected recently
    See details (St Georges Ltd)

  5. Helping Hands Braintree

    0.7 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £29–£35/hr

    GoodRated Apr 2022
    See details (Helping Hands Braintree)

  6. Home Instead Braintree

    1.1 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £33–£40/hr

    GoodRated Jul 2023
    See details (Home Instead Braintree)

  7. Good Life Care Limited

    1.2 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Apr 2022
    See details (Good Life Care Limited)

  8. Filcare Ltd

    2.6 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jun 2023
    See details (Filcare Ltd)

  9. CO9 Senior Homehelp Limited

    5.5 miles · Dementia, Older people, Adults under 65

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Feb 2023
    See details (CO9 Senior Homehelp Limited)

  10. Fitzpatrick Total Home Care Limited

    6.5 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jun 2023
    See details (Fitzpatrick Total Home Care Limited)

  11. A PL+US Caring Service

    6.7 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Nov 2023
    See details (A PL+US Caring Service)

  12. Support Hands Domiciliary Care Ltd

    6.7 miles · Older people, Adults under 65

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Nov 2022
    See details (Support Hands Domiciliary Care Ltd)

  13. Radis Community Care (Helen Court)

    6.9 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Apr 2023
    See details (Radis Community Care (Helen Court))

  14. Great Bradfords House

    under 0.5 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Oct 2018
    See details (Great Bradfords House)

  15. Crossroads Braintree & Chelmsford

    0.5 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Sep 2018
    See details (Crossroads Braintree & Chelmsford)

  16. Christchurch Cares

    0.7 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jun 2019
    See details (Christchurch Cares)

  17. Creative Support - Thistley Green

    1.1 miles · Physical disabilities, Sensory impairments, Mental health conditions

    Est. £32–£39/hr

    OutstandingRated Apr 2020
    See details (Creative Support - Thistley Green)

  18. Bocking

    1.3 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jan 2020Previous provider's rating
    See details (Bocking)

  19. Meadows

    2.2 miles · Physical disabilities, Sensory impairments, Mental health conditions

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated May 2019
    See details (Meadows)

  20. Essex Dementia Care

    3.1 miles · Dementia, Older people

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Oct 2019
    See details (Essex Dementia Care)

All 38 home care agencies covering Braintree →

Questions about 24-hour care in Braintree

Which agencies provide 24-hour care in Braintree?

38 agencies on the CQC register have an office within 7 miles of Braintree, and 26 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 Braintree?

Typical prices 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 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 Braintree have?

CQC rates 26 of 29 as Good or Outstanding, or 90%. Recent evidence: 6 rated or inspected in two years. Dementia specialists: 29.

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Source for provider details: CQC, Oct 2026 (Open Government Licence v3.0). The Care Panel is a comparison site, not a care company.

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