Home care · London
Live-in care in Chelsea
With live-in care, a trained carer moves into the home to give support around the clock, and families often choose it instead of a move to a care home. 34 agencies registered with CQC cover Chelsea. Check with each one that it provides this kind of care.
CQC register data as of 27 October 2026 · Prices: Typical prices in London in 2026
The short version
- Of the 34 CQC-registered agencies that have an office within 2 miles of Chelsea, 23 have a Good or Outstanding rating.
- Typical live-in cost: £1,300–£1,800 a week, against £1,615 a week for a residential home (typical prices in London in 2026).
- Ask each agency about live-in care; the CQC register has no record of who provides it.
- A care needs assessment from the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea costs nothing.
To cite: "Live-in care in Chelsea", The Care Panel, Oct 2026, from CQC register analysis.
What a live-in carer does
- Rota: usually one or two weeks living in, then a second carer takes over.
- Tasks: washing, dressing, meals, medicines, housework, getting out, company.
- At home: the person keeps their routine, pets and neighbours.
- The carer needs: their own room, about two hours off each day and proper sleep at night.
When someone needs help on most nights, one live-in carer is not enough: add another carer, or book waking nights as well. Agencies should flag this during their assessment.
Two kinds of live-in agency
Agencies come in two types. With a managed service, the agency employs the carer or supervises them, holds a Care Quality Commission registration and carries responsibility for the care. With an introductory agency, you are matched with a self-employed carer and take on the job of arranging and overseeing the care yourself; such agencies are not usually registered with CQC. Before signing, find out which type you are dealing with, who steps in for holidays and illness, and what happens if the match does not work.
Live-in care against a care home
Price check for this area: live-in care £1,300–£1,800 a week, residential care home £1,615 a week. Couples are where live-in care can come out cheaper, with one carer supporting two people instead of two care home places; for one person, the care home often costs less.
Ask two questions. Can one carer meet the person's needs safely? Do they want to stay at home? If both answers are yes, live-in care fits. If moving them takes two people around the clock, or they are lonely at home, look at care homes.
Help paying for it
The London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea must offer a free care needs assessment. If it agrees that live-in care is the right way to meet eligible needs, it can contribute after a financial assessment, and for care at home the value of the home is not counted. You can take the council's contribution as a direct payment and use it with an agency you choose. People with a primary health need may qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare, which pays in full. Getting assessed by the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
What the register shows for Chelsea
At 100% Good or Outstanding, Chelsea sits above the London figure of 89% (from 2,452 agencies). Elite Care Partners Limited is the most recently registered, joining the CQC register in June 2026. Hammersmith has the oldest rating still in force, from January 2020. Of Chelsea and the 6 nearest towns we cover, Chelsea ranks 4th for the share of all listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding (68%); Kensington and Chelsea is highest at 80%. Dementia appears on 24 of 34 registrations here (71%), compared with 81% in London as a whole. Registered specialisms here: 26 of 34 list physical disabilities, 11 of 34 list learning disabilities and 16 of 34 list mental health conditions.
Live-in care prices in Chelsea
| Visiting care | £30–£40 an hour |
|---|---|
| Sleeping night | £190–£230 |
| Waking night | £240–£320 |
| Live-in care | £1,300–£1,800 a week |
| Residential care home | £1,615 a week |
| Nursing home | £1,850 a week |
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's own rates: £23.84 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,146.86 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,045.31 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).
The Homecare Association puts the minimum sustainable price for council-funded home care in England at £34.42 an hour for 2026/27. Tools: weekly cost calculator and what would we pay?
Home care agencies in and around Chelsea
Ask each agency whether it provides live-in care. Ranked by CQC rating and how recent it is, then distance.
Margaret Thatcher Infirmary
Est. £36–£44/hr
Battersea Place Retirement Village Limited
Est. £34–£42/hr
Home Instead Kensington & Chelsea
Est. £37–£45/hr
Graceful Care - Wandsworth
Est. £34–£42/hr
Ashbourne Healthcare Services
Est. £34–£42/hr
Civic Care Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
Vincentian Care Plus
Est. £34–£42/hr
Standard Care Limited
Est. £34–£42/hr
Puretouch Care Limited
Est. £34–£42/hr
Mia Care Services Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
Domiciliary Care Agency Surrey
Est. £34–£42/hr
IPDiagnostics Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
Bliss Care and Training Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
London Care (Olive House)
Est. £34–£42/hr
Arale Group Limited
Est. £34–£42/hr
Vital Care and Support Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
Hamilton George Care Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
SureCare Chelsea
Est. £34–£42/hr
Ethos Care Family Services Limited
Est. £34–£42/hr
Questions about live-in care in Chelsea
Who provides live-in care in Chelsea?
The CQC register does not show who offers live-in care. There are 34 registered agencies that have an office within 2 miles of Chelsea, 23 of them rated Good or Outstanding, so ask each one.
What is the weekly price of live-in care in Chelsea?
Live-in care is typically £1,300–£1,800 a week here (typical prices in London in 2026); 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 £1,615 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; the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea then carries out a financial assessment that ignores the home when care is at home.
How good are home care agencies around Chelsea?
100% Good or Outstanding (23 of 23 rated). 10 were inspected or rated within two years, and 24 are registered for dementia.
Live-in care in Chelsea: 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.
Related care pages for Chelsea
Live-in care nearby
Built from the Care Quality Commission's register (Oct 2026) under Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel lists and compares services but runs none.