24-Hour Care in Cheltenham: Costs, Funding and 61 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 £1,445 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

Gloucestershire 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. Getting assessed by Gloucestershire council.

Home care in Cheltenham by the numbers

Registered specialisms here: 46 of 61 list physical disabilities, 32 of 61 list learning disabilities and 31 of 61 list mental health conditions. CQC registered SureCare Cheltenham & The Cotswolds in September 2026, the newest on this list. One rating goes back to February 2018: Your Lifestyle Nationwide Limited. Ask what has changed since. In Cheltenham, 77% of agencies support people with dementia (47 of 61); the Gloucestershire figure is 71%. Counting all listed agencies, not only rated ones, Cheltenham (66% Good or Outstanding) is 4th out of 7 local towns, led by Chalford (89%). Gloucestershire has 9 Outstanding agencies in total; covering Cheltenham the figure is 2. Two-year-old ratings or newer: 25% covering Cheltenham, 18% across Gloucestershire. 91% of rated agencies covering Cheltenham are Good or Outstanding, compared with 87% of those rated among the 175 we list across Gloucestershire.

Paying for 24-hour care in Cheltenham: typical prices

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

Gloucestershire County Council's own rates: £28.64 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £922.89 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £873.66 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. 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. Tools: weekly cost calculator and what would we pay?

Home care agencies covering Cheltenham

Not confirmed for 24-hour care, so ask. Listed by CQC rating and rating date, then distance.

See all 61 agencies covering Cheltenham →

Your questions on 24-hour care in Cheltenham

Who provides 24-hour care in Cheltenham?

Ask each agency: CQC keeps no record of who provides 24-hour care. Of the 61 registered agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Cheltenham, 40 are rated Good or Outstanding.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Cheltenham?

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 Gloucestershire 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 good are home care agencies around Cheltenham?

91% Good or Outstanding (40 of 44 rated). 16 were inspected or rated within two years, and 47 are registered for dementia.

24-hour care in Cheltenham

Live-in care or waking nights?

When 24-hour care is needed

Help paying for 24-hour care

Home care in Cheltenham by the numbers

Paying for 24-hour care in Cheltenham: typical prices

Home care agencies covering Cheltenham

Your questions on 24-hour care in Cheltenham

Looking for 24-hour care in Cheltenham?

Other care in Cheltenham

24-hour care around Cheltenham

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