Live-in Care

Home Care

Live-in Care in the Comfort of Your Own Home

Protocol Live-in Care provides round-the-clock support in the comfort of your own home. We match you with a Care Professional who shares your interests and has the right experience, so you or your loved one can stay safe, independent and happy where you feel most comfortable.

Home is where the heart is. Live-in care is a personal, one-to-one alternative to moving into a care home, keeping you in familiar surroundings, close to family, pets and the community you love.

What Live-in Care Includes

• ✓Personal care & mobility
• ✓Medication support
• ✓Meal preparation & nutrition
• ✓Companionship & activities
• ✓Housekeeping & errands
• ✓Overnight support

Our live-in Care Professionals are fully vetted, trained and supported by our team around the clock. We build a bespoke care plan around your routines, preferences and health needs, and review it regularly as things change.

What a Day With a Live-in Carer Looks Like

There is no institutional timetable. Your Care Professional follows the routine you already have, so mornings start when you like and meals happen when you like to eat. A typical day covers help getting up, washed and dressed with privacy and dignity; prompting or assisting with medication; shopping for and cooking meals to taste and dietary needs; support to move around safely and reduce the risk of falls; light housework and laundry; and the companionship of someone to talk to.

Breaks, Sleep and Night-time Cover

We will be straightforward, because this shapes how a package is built. A live-in Care Professional is not awake and available every hour of every day, and it would not be safe if they were. They need their own bedroom, a proper break of around two hours each day, and adequate uninterrupted sleep. Where someone needs support during that break, we arrange cover from a family member, a visiting Care Professional or a second carer. Where nights are regularly broken, one person cannot safely cover both day and night, and we will recommend a waking night carer rather than pretend otherwise.

Who Live-in Care Suits, and Who It Does Not

Live-in care is usually the right answer when visiting calls no longer feel like enough, after a fall or a hospital stay, when night-time worries are keeping the family awake, or when a residential move is on the table and nobody really wants it. It suits people living with dementia, where a consistent presence and familiar surroundings reduce confusion, and couples, because one Care Professional can often support both partners.

It is not right for everyone. You need a spare bedroom, and there is no way around that. Having someone live in takes adjustment, and some people genuinely prefer the company of a residential setting. Where someone needs continuous hospital-level treatment, care at home may need registered nursing input alongside the live-in carer, or may not be the safest option at all. We would rather say so at the first conversation than three weeks in.

How We Arrange Live-in Care

We start with a conversation about what has been happening and what you are hoping for. If it looks like a fit, we assess health conditions and medication, how the person manages washing, dressing, eating and moving around, falls and night-time risks, routines, preferences, faith and diet, who else is involved from GPs to district nurses, and the practicalities of the property. From that we write a personalised care plan.

Because your Care Professional is simply there, help arrives when it is needed rather than at a scheduled slot. We can often place someone within 24 to 48 hours, including for urgent hospital discharges, and our consultants are contactable around the clock. If the match is not right, we will arrange an alternative.

When Needs Change

Nothing is fixed. Care plans are reviewed regularly and whenever something shifts: a new diagnosis, a hospital admission, or simply someone needing more help than they did six months ago. Live-in care flexes without the upheaval of a move. We can add a waking night carer, bring in an NMC-registered nurse for clinical tasks, or step support back down after a recovery.

Vetting, Training and Continuity

Every live-in Care Professional completes an enhanced DBS check, identity and right-to-work verification and reference checks before placement, followed by induction, ongoing training and supervision. Placements run on a rota so nobody works without proper rest, and we organise the handover between carers so cover is unbroken. Protocol Healthcare Services Ltd has arranged care and staffing since 2016, is an FSB member and is REC affiliated. In England, services providing personal care at home must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC); in Wales it is CIW, in Scotland the Care Inspectorate and in Northern Ireland the RQIA. Ask any provider, including us, where they stand on the register.

Paying for Live-in Care

Live-in care is priced on an individual assessment rather than a published rate, because the right package depends on the level of support, whether it is for one person or a couple, and any specialist needs. Many families self-fund, but you may be entitled to help. Anyone can ask their council for a free care needs assessment, and in England a financial assessment then applies the Care Act 2014 capital thresholds of £23,250 (upper) and £14,250 (lower). Where needs are primarily health-related, NHS Continuing Healthcare is fully funded, not means tested, and can be delivered at home. See our paying for care page.

Read More

• ✓Live-in care explained: how it works →
• ✓The complete guide to home care in the UK →
• ✓Paying for care: assessments, thresholds and benefits →
• ✓Check the areas we cover →

Still deciding? Compare visiting care and respite care, or get in touch for a free chat.