24-Hour Care in York: Costs, Funding and 42 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 £1,230 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

York 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. Asking York council for an assessment.

York's agencies in figures

CQC registered Divine Righteous Health Care Solutions Ltd in October 2025, the newest on this list. Counting all listed agencies, not only rated ones, York (69% Good or Outstanding) is 3rd out of 7 local towns, led by Boston Spa (83%). By specialism, 35 of 42 list physical disabilities, 25 of 42 list learning disabilities and 21 of 42 list mental health conditions. One rating goes back to July 2017: United Response - York Leeds Harrogate DCA. Ask what has changed since. Ratings are about as recent as the council average here: 12% of agencies have one less than two years old, compared with 14% across York. In York, 71% of agencies support people with dementia (30 of 42); the York figure is 73%.

What 24-hour care costs in York

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

Council rates in City of York Council: £26.25 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,079.95 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,237.36 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. 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. Tools: weekly cost calculator and what would we pay?

Home care agencies serving York

Check with each agency that it offers 24-hour care. Order: CQC rating, then how recent, then distance.

All 42 home care agencies covering York →

What families ask about 24-hour care in York

Which agencies provide 24-hour care in York?

The CQC register does not show who offers 24-hour care. There are 42 registered agencies that have an office within 7 miles of York, 29 of them rated Good or Outstanding, so ask each one.

How much does 24-hour care cost in York?

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 York 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.

What CQC ratings do agencies covering York have?

CQC rates 29 of 32 as Good or Outstanding, or 91%. Recent evidence: 6 rated or inspected in two years. Dementia specialists: 30.

24-hour care in York

Live-in care or waking nights?

When 24-hour care is needed

Help paying for 24-hour care

York's agencies in figures

What 24-hour care costs in York

Home care agencies serving York

What families ask about 24-hour care in York

Arranging 24-hour care in York?

Care options in York

24-hour care in nearby towns

Cookies on The Care Panel