Home care · Medway
24-hour care in Rochester
Round-the-clock care at home comes in two main forms: a live-in carer who stays in the home, or daytime visits combined with a carer who stays awake overnight. If someone needs help at night most nights, two carers usually share the work. None has confirmed it to us yet, so ask the 145 CQC-registered agencies covering Rochester directly.
Agency data: CQC register · Updated 27 October 2026 · Prices: Typical prices across England in 2026
Key points
- Of the 145 CQC-registered agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Rochester, 47 have a Good or Outstanding rating.
- A care needs assessment from Medway council costs nothing.
- Which agencies provide 24-hour care is not on the CQC register, so ask each one.
- Typical prices here: live-in care around £1,540–£1,610 a week. Live-in care is usually the cheapest way to cover day and night.
To cite: "24-hour care in Rochester", The Care Panel, Oct 2026, from CQC register analysis.
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.
Agencies covering Rochester: the data
Northfleet has the highest share of listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding nearby (40%); Rochester, at 32%, is 6th of the 7 towns compared. Kent Enablement at Home has the oldest rating still in force, from January 2018. Homeforts Specialist Care Ltd - Main Office is the most recently registered, joining the CQC register in July 2026. Across Medway we list 201 agencies, and 74% of those rated are Good or Outstanding; covering Rochester the figure is 72%. Looking at specialisms, 120 of 145 list physical disabilities, 65 of 145 list learning disabilities and 83 of 145 list mental health conditions. Dementia appears on 110 of 145 registrations here (76%), compared with 78% in Medway as a whole.
Paying for 24-hour care in Rochester: typical prices
| Visiting care | around £32–£34 an hour |
|---|---|
| Live-in care | around £1,540–£1,610 a week |
What the council pays (Medway Council): £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).
Agencies differ more than regions do on hourly rates, so request a complete tariff from each one, covering weekends and bank holidays too. The Homecare Association puts the minimum sustainable price for council-funded home care in England at £34.42 an hour for 2026/27. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Work out a weekly cost · What would we pay?
Home care agencies covering Rochester
Not confirmed for 24-hour care, so ask. Listed by CQC rating and rating date, then distance.
Azure Care
Est. £32–£39/hr
Avenues South East Services (ASES)
Est. £32–£39/hr
Cathrolls' UK Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
Bee's Care Agency Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
GUTU
Est. £30–£37/hr
Able Hands Healthcare Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Galilee Care
Est. £30–£37/hr
Platinum living care
Est. £30–£37/hr
Intrinsic Care
Est. £30–£37/hr
Best2 Care Ltd – Gravesend Office
Est. £30–£37/hr
Austen Allen Homecare - Gravesham
Est. £30–£37/hr
Austen Allen Homecare Ltd T/A Austen Allen Homecare
Est. £30–£37/hr
KEPA Care Solutions Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
Longevity Care - Main Office
Est. £30–£37/hr
Sambhana Care Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Home Instead Medway
Est. £33–£40/hr
Tiger Lily Care
Est. £30–£37/hr
Bluebird Care (Swale)
Est. £32–£39/hr
Tendi Care
Est. £30–£37/hr
Unity Care Solutions (Maidstone)
Est. £30–£37/hr
24-hour care in Rochester: common questions
Who provides 24-hour care in Rochester?
The CQC register does not show who offers 24-hour care. There are 145 registered agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Rochester, 47 of them rated Good or Outstanding, so ask each one.
How much does 24-hour care cost in Rochester?
Typical prices across England in 2026: 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 Rochester?
72% Good or Outstanding (47 of 65 rated). 18 were inspected or rated within two years, and 110 are registered for dementia.
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Other care in Rochester
24-hour care around Rochester
- 24-hour care in Chatham 2.8 mi
- 24-hour care in Gillingham 3.6 mi
- 24-hour care in Snodland 4.9 mi
- 24-hour care in Rainham, Kent 5.2 mi
- 24-hour care in Gravesend 5.8 mi
- 24-hour care in Northfleet 7.1 mi
- 24-hour care in Hartley 8.2 mi
- 24-hour care in Maidstone 8.7 mi
Provider details from the Care Quality Commission register, updated Oct 2026. Contains CQC data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel is not a care provider.