Guides · For families · 6 min read
Paying for home care, in plain English
What home care costs in Chester, the help that may be available, and the questions to ask any agency before you sign.
By the Wrenmoor senior care team ·
Money is often the first worry and the last thing families ask about. Here is how home care is usually paid for, written as plainly as we can manage. It is general information, not financial advice, and the rules where you live may differ.
What it costs
Home care is charged by the hour. In Chester, expect to pay around £28 to £34 an hour for daytime visits, a little more at weekends. Short 30-minute visits cost more per hour because the carer still has to travel. Live-in care usually costs £1,150 to £1,450 a week.
At Wrenmoor, a typical week of a morning and an evening visit every day comes to around £285. Our fees page lists every price.
Paying privately
Most of our families pay for some or all of their care themselves. We invoice every four weeks for visits that have already happened, so you never pay in advance for care that did not take place.
Help from the council
Anyone can ask their local council for a care needs assessment. If the person needs care and their savings are below the council’s limit, the council may pay towards it. It will then either arrange care itself or give a personal budget that can be spent with an agency like us. Ask the council for its current savings limits, as they change.
Benefits that are often missed
There are disability benefits for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care, and they are not means-tested. Many families who could claim never do. A local advice service or the council can check what applies.
Health funding
When someone’s needs are mainly health needs rather than care needs, health funding may cover the whole cost. The hospital discharge team or the GP can tell you whether an assessment is worth asking for.
Five questions to ask any agency
- Is the hourly rate the same for 30-minute visits?
- What do weekends, evenings and bank holidays cost?
- Is there a registration or assessment fee?
- How much notice do I need to give to stop or change care?
- Will I see each visit, with the carer’s name and times, on the invoice?
If an agency cannot answer all five on the phone, keep looking.
