24-Hour Care in Lee-on-the-Solent: Costs, Funding and 118 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 £1,555 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

Hampshire 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. Requesting an assessment from Hampshire council.

Lee-on-the-Solent's agencies in figures

Ratings are more recent than average here: 19% of agencies have one less than two years old, compared with 16% across Hampshire. At 84% Good or Outstanding, Lee-on-the-Solent sits below the Hampshire figure of 90% (from 721 agencies). Ryde has the highest share of listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding nearby (57%); Lee-on-the-Solent, at 49%, is 4th of the 7 towns compared. Hampshire has 17 Outstanding agencies in total; covering Lee-on-the-Solent the figure is 7. One rating goes back to January 2018: Dimensions Portsmouth Domiciliary Care Office. Ask what has changed since. In Lee-on-the-Solent, 75% of agencies support people with dementia (88 of 118); the Hampshire figure is 82%. By specialism, 104 of 118 list physical disabilities, 58 of 118 list learning disabilities and 67 of 118 list mental health conditions. CQC registered Pilarstone Care Ltd in October 2026, the newest on this list.

24-hour care prices in Lee-on-the-Solent

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

What Hampshire County Council pays providers: £25.90 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,245 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,365 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. For 2026/27, the Homecare Association says council-funded home care in England is only sustainable at £34.42 an hour or more. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Check what you would pay · Weekly cost calculator

What families ask about 24-hour care in Lee-on-the-Solent

Where can I find 24-hour care in Lee-on-the-Solent?

CQC does not record which agencies provide 24-hour care. 118 CQC-registered home care agencies have an office within 7 miles of Lee-on-the-Solent; 58 are rated Good or Outstanding. Ask each whether it provides 24-hour care.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Lee-on-the-Solent?

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 Hampshire 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.

Are home care agencies in Lee-on-the-Solent well rated?

58 of the 69 rated agencies (84%) are Good or Outstanding; 88 list dementia as a specialism and 23 were inspected or rated in the last two years.

24-hour care in Lee-on-the-Solent: 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 Lee-on-the-Solent

24-hour care nearby

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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.

24-hour care in Lee-on-the-Solent