Nursing care at home: services and costs

As of 2026, the nursing care at home cost for a private registered nurse is typically £30–£60 an hour across the UK, rising to £40–£60 or more in London, with specialist nurses costing more. Many families use a mix instead: trained care workers for day-to-day support, with nurse oversight or visits for clinical tasks, which usually costs less. NHS community nursing is free, and NHS Continuing Healthcare can pay the full cost of nursing care at home for people who qualify. This guide explains the services, the prices and how to fund them.

At a glance

• Private registered nurse at home: typically £30–£60 an hour (£40–£60+ in London); specialist nurses £50–£100 an hour (indicative, 2026).
• Home care from a care worker: about £32–£34 an hour in England (2026); rates vary by region.
• Live-in care: about £1,540–£1,610 a week in England; complex live-in with nurse oversight costs more (£1,600–£2,500+ in London).
• NHS community nurses are free; NHS Continuing Healthcare can fund the whole package.
• NHS-funded Nursing Care (£267.68 a week) is paid only to nursing homes, not for care at home.

What is nursing care at home?

Nursing care at home is care delivered or overseen by a registered nurse in your own home. It covers clinical tasks that care workers cannot do on their own, as well as monitoring and managing health conditions.

There are three main ways to get it:

1. NHS community (district) nursing, arranged through your GP or hospital, and free.
2. A private nurse, paid by the hour or visit, for tasks the NHS is not providing or when you want more time or flexibility.
3. Nurse-led care packages, where care workers provide most day-to-day care and a nurse trains them, delegates certain tasks and reviews the care plan.

Our guide to home care vs nursing care explains which you might need. For an overview of the service, see nursing care at home.

What services can a nurse provide at home?

Depending on the nurse’s skills and the person’s needs, nursing care at home can include:

• wound care and dressings, including after surgery
• catheter and stoma care
• injections, including insulin where the person cannot self-inject
• administering medicines that need clinical judgement
• PEG and tube feeding, and tracheostomy care (see PEG feeding and tracheostomy care at home)
• pressure-area assessment and care
• monitoring observations and managing long-term conditions
• symptom control and support at the end of life
• training and supervising care workers on delegated tasks

Care workers can carry out some of these tasks only when a health professional has trained them and delegated the task. NICE guidance on medicines in social care (NG67) says some tasks, such as injections, need specialist training and delegation from a health professional.

How much does a private nurse at home cost?

Published data on private nursing rates is thin, so treat these figures as indicative. As of 2026, one UK private nursing guide quotes:

Source: Nurse Agnes, April 2026. Sources vary, and prices depend on skills, time of day and postcode, so always get a written quote.

Nurse visits are often short and task-based, such as a dressing change. Ask whether there is a minimum visit length or a call-out fee, and how weekend and bank-holiday visits are charged. For standard home care, weekend rates are typically 10–25% higher and bank holidays are often charged at time-and-a-half.

What does nurse-led home care cost?

Most people who need regular clinical support at home do not have a nurse with them all day. Instead, they have trained care workers, with a nurse overseeing the care. Visiting care costs about £32–£34 an hour in England in 2026 (the Lottie Care Index median is £33.49 for Q3 2026), and standard live-in care about £1,540–£1,610 a week. For complex care, London prices give a guide to the upper end; most other regions cost less:

A full 24-hour rota of registered nurses would cost far more than any of these. At London rates of £40–£60 an hour, 168 hours would come to about £6,700–£10,000 a week. This is a calculation for illustration, not a quoted price, and it is why few families self-fund round-the-clock nursing.

See what is complex care at home for how these packages work.

How does this compare with a nursing home?

For comparison, Which? puts the average nursing home fee for self-funders in England at about £1,519 a week (January 2026 data); residential care averages about £1,300. Regions vary: nursing care reaches about £1,695 a week in the South East. In London, Lottie data quoted by Which? gives £1,680 a week, and Lottie’s London guide gives £2,000 a week (May 2026).

Nursing homes get NHS-funded Nursing Care (FNC) of £267.68 a week towards the nursing element for residents who are not eligible for CHC (GOV.UK, April 2026). FNC is not paid for nursing care at home. Read more in NHS-funded nursing care vs Continuing Healthcare.

What nursing care is free on the NHS?

Community nursing

NHS community nurses, often called district nurses, provide nursing care in people’s homes, free at the point of use. Ask your GP practice or hospital team whether you can be referred. Services are organised locally, so what is available and how often nurses can visit varies from area to area.

Intermediate care after a hospital stay

Intermediate care, including reablement, is free for up to 6 weeks after a hospital stay or to prevent a hospital admission. It can include nurses, therapists and care workers, and most people receive it at home (NHS.uk).

NHS Continuing Healthcare

If your main need is for healthcare, NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) pays the full cost of care, including nursing and personal care, at home or in a care home. It is not means-tested. NHS.uk says at least one priority need, or severe needs in at least two areas, usually means you are eligible. The integrated care board should usually decide within 28 days.

If you are eligible, you have a legal right to a personal health budget, which lets you choose a private provider or employ your own staff. See NHS Continuing Healthcare at home.

How can you keep the cost of nursing at home down?

• Use NHS services first. Ask the GP about community nursing before paying for a private nurse for tasks like dressings or injections.
• Combine carers and nurses. Where it is safe, a nurse can train care workers and delegate some tasks, so you pay nurse rates only for oversight and clinical visits.
• Ask for a CHC checklist. If needs are complex or growing, a positive CHC decision would mean the NHS pays the full cost.
• Check the visit pattern. Short visits often cost more per hour, and weekend and bank-holiday rates are higher. Grouping tasks into fewer, longer visits can help.
• Claim non-means-tested benefits such as Attendance Allowance or PIP.

Can the council help pay?

Councils fund social care, not nursing. But if someone needs personal care as well as nursing, the council may fund the social care part after a needs assessment and means test. For care at home in England in 2026/27, the value of your home is ignored, and people with capital over £23,250 usually pay in full (DHSC).

Benefits that are not means-tested can also help: Attendance Allowance is £76.70 or £114.60 a week from April 2026, and PIP daily living is paid at the same rates (DWP).

How do you check a private nurse or provider?

• Check CQC registration. Agencies providing personal care at home must register with CQC. Look at their latest rating.
• Check the nurse’s registration. Registered nurses must be on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register. Ask for the nurse’s name so you can check.
• Ask about clinical oversight. Who writes and reviews the care plan? Who is on call?
• Ask about delegation. How are care workers trained and signed off for clinical tasks?
• Ask about VAT. Welfare care from a CQC-registered provider is generally exempt from VAT, but introductory or placement fees are standard-rated (HMRC).
• Get a written quote that shows weekend, bank-holiday and call-out charges.

Introductory agencies that only match you with a self-employed nurse or carer may not need to register with CQC. If you use one, you take on more responsibility for checking and managing the care.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a private nurse cost per hour?

As of 2026, a private registered nurse at home typically costs £30–£60 an hour across the UK, and £40–£60 or more in London. Specialist nurses cost £50–£100 an hour. These are indicative figures from limited published data. Prices depend on the nurse’s skills, the time of day and your postcode, so get written quotes from two or three providers.

Is nursing care at home free on the NHS?

NHS community nursing is free, as is intermediate care for up to 6 weeks. If your main need is for healthcare, NHS Continuing Healthcare pays the full cost of care at home. NHS-funded Nursing Care, however, is only paid to nursing homes, so it does not help with private nursing at home.

Is live-in nursing care cheaper than a nursing home?

Usually not if you need a registered nurse around the clock, which would cost far more than a nursing home. Live-in care from trained care workers costs about £1,540–£1,610 a week in England, more with nurse oversight (around £1,600–£2,500+ in London). That can be similar to a nursing home, which averages about £1,519 a week in England and £1,680–£2,000 in London in 2026.

What is the difference between a carer and a nurse at home?

A care worker helps with daily living such as washing, dressing, meals and medicine prompts. A registered nurse is a qualified clinician on the NMC register who can assess, plan and carry out clinical care like wound management and injections. Care workers can do some clinical tasks only when a nurse trains them and delegates the task.

Can I get nursing care at home through a personal health budget?

Yes, if you are eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare, you have a legal right to a personal health budget. You can use it to pay for the care in your agreed care plan, including a CQC-registered provider that supplies nurses, or to employ your own staff. Others can ask their ICB, which may offer one.

Sources

• NHS.uk: NHS continuing healthcare
• NHS.uk: Care and support you can get for free
• NHS.uk: What is a personal health budget?
• GOV.UK: Better community care thanks to nursing funding boost
• NICE NG67: Managing medicines for adults receiving social care in the community
• HMRC: Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2)
• CQC: Personal care and introductory agencies
• DHSC: Social care charging circular 2026 to 2027
• DWP: Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027
• Which?: Care home fees
• Nurse Agnes: How much does a private nurse cost in the UK
• Lottie: Average care home fees in London
• Hometouch: Cost of live-in care
• Country Cousins: Palliative care at home cost

This guide is general information, not financial, legal or medical advice. Last reviewed September 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 15 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.