24-Hour Care in Highbridge: Costs, Funding and 18 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 £1,445 a week.

Help paying for 24-hour care

Somerset 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. Requesting an assessment from Somerset 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.

Highbridge's agencies in figures

Across Somerset we list 144 agencies, and 93% of those rated are Good or Outstanding; covering Highbridge the figure is 92%. Across Somerset, 23% of agencies have a rating under two years old; covering Highbridge it is 22%. Outstanding ratings: 1 covering Highbridge, 7 across Somerset. Glastonbury has the highest share of listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding nearby (69%); Highbridge, at 61%, is 4th of the 7 towns compared. The share registered for dementia is 67% in Highbridge (12 of 18) and 70% across Somerset. Oldest rating on the list: Future Living, June 2018. Most recent to register: Signature Care Group Ltd (August 2026). On their CQC registrations, 14 of 18 list physical disabilities, 12 of 18 list learning disabilities and 10 of 18 list mental health conditions.

Paying for 24-hour care in Highbridge: typical prices

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

What the council pays (Somerset Council): £26.83 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £805 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £832 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).

Hourly rates vary between agencies more than between regions; ask each agency for its full price list, including weekend and bank holiday rates. 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. Tools: weekly cost calculator and what would we pay?

What families ask about 24-hour care in Highbridge

Where can I find 24-hour care in Highbridge?

CQC does not record which agencies provide 24-hour care. 18 CQC-registered home care agencies have an office within 7 miles of Highbridge; 11 are rated Good or Outstanding. Ask each whether it provides 24-hour care.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Highbridge?

Typical 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 Somerset 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.

Are home care agencies in Highbridge well rated?

11 of the 12 rated agencies (92%) are Good or Outstanding; 12 list dementia as a specialism and 6 were inspected or rated in the last two years.

Looking for 24-hour care in Highbridge?

Fill in a single request; up to 3 agencies that accept our enquiries reply straight to your inbox.

See prices near you

Other care in Highbridge

24-hour care around Highbridge

24-hour care in Burnham-on-Sea 1.3 mi
24-hour care in Bridgwater 6.7 mi
24-hour care in Weston-super-Mare 9.0 mi
24-hour care in Yatton 13.2 mi
24-hour care in Taunton 15.3 mi
24-hour care in Clevedon 15.5 mi
24-hour care in Backwell 16.5 mi
24-hour care in Nailsea 17.0 mi

See prices near you Back to agencies

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 Highbridge