24-Hour Care in Wandsworth: Costs, Funding and 40 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.

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

The London Borough of Wandsworth 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. How to ask the London Borough of Wandsworth for an assessment.

Agencies covering Wandsworth: the data

White Star Care Ltd has the oldest rating still in force, from May 2019. Ranked against the 6 closest towns on our site by the share of every listed agency that is rated Good or Outstanding, Wandsworth comes 3rd of 7 (70%), with Kensington and Chelsea top at 80%. At 100% Good or Outstanding, Wandsworth 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. Registered specialisms here: 35 of 40 list physical disabilities, 20 of 40 list learning disabilities and 23 of 40 list mental health conditions. Dementia appears on 30 of 40 registrations here (75%), compared with 81% in London as a whole.

What 24-hour care costs in Wandsworth

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

What the council pays (Wandsworth Borough Council): £21.19 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,382.39 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,233.81 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. Estimate the weekly cost or see what you might pay

24-hour care in Wandsworth: common questions

Which home care agencies offer 24-hour care in Wandsworth?

Ask each agency: CQC keeps no record of who provides 24-hour care. Of the 40 registered agencies that are based in the borough of Wandsworth, 28 are rated Good or Outstanding.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Wandsworth?

Prices typically seen in London in 2026: 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 Wandsworth'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 are agencies covering Wandsworth rated?

Of 28 agencies with a CQC rating, 28 (100%) are Good or Outstanding. Dementia is a specialism for 30, and 8 have a rating or inspection from the past two years.

Arranging 24-hour care in Wandsworth?

Tell us what's needed once. Featured partners and up to three rated agencies that take enquiries through us reply to you directly, by email.

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Care options in Wandsworth

24-hour care in nearby towns

24-hour care in Chelsea 2.2 mi
24-hour care in Lambeth 2.2 mi
24-hour care in Streatham 2.8 mi
24-hour care in Kensington and Chelsea 2.8 mi
24-hour care in Merton 3.3 mi
24-hour care in Hammersmith and Fulham 3.4 mi
24-hour care in Westminster 4.4 mi
24-hour care in Southwark 4.6 mi

Get local care prices Back to agencies

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 Wandsworth