24-Hour Care in Northwood: Costs, Funding and 30 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 £1,300–£1,800 a week; a waking night £240–£320; a sleeping night £190–£230; a residential care home £1,615 a week.

Help paying for 24-hour care

The London Borough of Hillingdon 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 the London Borough of Hillingdon.

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.

Northwood's agencies in figures

Dementia appears on 24 of 30 registrations here (80%), compared with 81% in London as a whole. By specialism, 27 of 30 list physical disabilities, 16 of 30 list learning disabilities and 18 of 30 list mental health conditions. Ruby Grange Homecare Limited has the oldest rating still in force, from January 2018. 7% of agencies covering Northwood have a CQC rating from the last two years, against 33% across Hillingdon. Compare Northwood's 100% Good or Outstanding with 89% for the rated agencies among the 2,452 we list in London. No nearby town we list has a higher share of its listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding than Northwood (70%); Pinner follows at 66%. GoodOaks Homecare – Northwood and Ruislip is the most recently registered, joining the CQC register in November 2025.

24-hour care prices in Northwood

Usual 2026 prices in London
Visiting care	£30–£40 an hour
Sleeping night	£190–£230
Waking night	£240–£320
Live-in care	£1,300–£1,800 a week

Council rates in London Borough of Hillingdon: £20.25 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,168.65 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,173.62 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).

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. Tools: weekly cost calculator and what would we pay?

What families ask about 24-hour care in Northwood

Where can I find 24-hour care in Northwood?

Ask each agency: CQC keeps no record of who provides 24-hour care. Of the 30 registered agencies that have an office within 3 miles of Northwood, 21 are rated Good or Outstanding.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Northwood?

Usual 2026 prices in London: live-in care typically costs £1,300–£1,800 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 the London Borough of Hillingdon'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 Northwood well rated?

21 of the 21 rated agencies (100%) are Good or Outstanding; 24 list dementia as a specialism and 2 were inspected or rated in the last two years.

24-hour care in Northwood: 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 Northwood

24-hour care nearby

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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 Northwood