24-Hour Care in Gillingham: Costs, Funding and 143 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.

Help paying for 24-hour care

Medway 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 Medway council.

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.

Gillingham's agencies in figures

In Gillingham, 76% of agencies support people with dementia (109 of 143); the Medway figure is 78%. On their CQC registrations, 112 of 143 list physical disabilities, 59 of 143 list learning disabilities and 79 of 143 list mental health conditions. CQC registered Right at Home Maidstone in August 2026, the newest on this list. Compare Gillingham's 68% Good or Outstanding with 74% for the rated agencies among the 201 we list in Medway. Ranked against the 6 closest towns on our site by the share of every listed agency that is rated Good or Outstanding, Gillingham comes 7th of 7 (31%), with Rainham, Kent top at 39%. One rating goes back to February 2018: McNeil Homecare Limited. Ask what has changed since.

Paying for 24-hour care in Gillingham: typical prices

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

What Medway Council pays providers: £21.92 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £875.07 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,125.89 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).

Ask every agency for a full list of charges, with weekend and bank holiday rates: hourly rates vary more between agencies than between regions. 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 Gillingham

Who provides 24-hour care in Gillingham?

CQC does not record which agencies provide 24-hour care. 143 CQC-registered home care agencies have an office within 7 miles of Gillingham; 44 are rated Good or Outstanding. Ask each whether it provides 24-hour care.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Gillingham?

Usual 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 Medway 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 Gillingham?

68% Good or Outstanding (44 of 65 rated). 20 were inspected or rated within two years, and 109 are registered for dementia.

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24-hour care around Gillingham

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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.

24-hour care in Gillingham