24-Hour Care in Guildford: Costs, Funding and 55 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.

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

Surrey 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 Surrey council.

Guildford's agencies in figures

One rating goes back to December 2017: Home Instead Guildford and Woking. Ask what has changed since. In Guildford, 89% of agencies support people with dementia (49 of 55); the Surrey figure is 84%. By specialism, 47 of 55 list physical disabilities, 26 of 55 list learning disabilities and 30 of 55 list mental health conditions. CQC registered Purple Solace Care Limited in October 2026, the newest on this list. Ratings are about as recent as the council average here: 20% of agencies have one less than two years old, compared with 22% across Surrey. At 97% Good or Outstanding, Guildford sits above the Surrey figure of 91% (from 1,090 agencies). Godalming has the highest share of listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding nearby (83%); Guildford, at 67%, is 3rd of the 7 towns compared. Surrey has 16 Outstanding agencies in total; covering Guildford the figure is 4.

Paying for 24-hour care in Guildford: typical prices

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

Surrey County Council's own rates: £24.87 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £952.38 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £988.04 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. 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. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Estimate the weekly cost or see what you might pay

Home care agencies covering Guildford

Not confirmed for 24-hour care, so ask. Listed by CQC rating and rating date, then distance.

See all 55 agencies covering Guildford →

What families ask about 24-hour care in Guildford

Who provides 24-hour care in Guildford?

Ask each agency: CQC keeps no record of who provides 24-hour care. Of the 55 registered agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Guildford, 37 are rated Good or Outstanding.

How much does 24-hour care cost in Guildford?

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 Surrey 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 Guildford?

97% Good or Outstanding (37 of 38 rated). 14 were inspected or rated within two years, and 49 are registered for dementia.

24-hour care in Guildford

Live-in care or waking nights?

When 24-hour care is needed

Help paying for 24-hour care

Guildford's agencies in figures

Paying for 24-hour care in Guildford: typical prices

Home care agencies covering Guildford

What families ask about 24-hour care in Guildford

Looking for 24-hour care in Guildford?

Other care in Guildford

24-hour care around Guildford

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