Live-in Care in Reading

Reading • Berkshire

Live-in carers in Reading, 24 hours a day

With live-in care, a trained carer moves into your relative's Reading home and supports them day and night, so they can stay there. In Berkshire it is the main alternative to a care home: one carer, the same rooms and a routine that suits one person. We have worked in care and staffing since 2016 and have been registered with the CQC for personal care since 2019.

There is no Protocol branch in Reading. Care in the town is arranged by our London office at Highview House in Edgware (HA8 7JU), which places Care Professionals across Berkshire. Before starting in Caversham, Tilehurst or Earley, each one passes enhanced DBS and right-to-work checks, gives references and completes training. A consultant is on hand around the clock.

What live-in care in Reading includes

Hospital care stops at a fixed point. A date is set, a letter is written, and the following morning your relative is back at home with the front door shut and rather more to manage than before they went in. A discharge from the Royal Berkshire Hospital on London Road is frequently the moment a family works out that visits at set times will not stretch far enough, and that what is needed is somebody in the house.

We arrange live-in care throughout Reading: north of the river in Caversham and Emmer Green, west through Tilehurst, Southcote and Calcot, and east into Earley, Lower Earley and Woodley. If a discharge date is being talked about, ring us while it is still being talked about rather than afterwards. A few days of notice makes it far easier to match the right Care Professional to your relative.

• ✓ A dedicated live-in Care Professional in the home
• ✓ Round-the-clock support and reassurance
• ✓ Personal care, washing, dressing and continence support
• ✓ Medication management and prompting
• ✓ Meal planning, cooking and nutrition
• ✓ Mobility support and help avoiding falls
• ✓ Dementia, Parkinson's and complex care
• ✓ Companionship, hobbies and days out

Our short guide, live-in care explained, shows how a week with a carer in the house usually runs.

Why choose live-in care over a care home in Reading

Leaving a home in Emmer Green, Southcote or Woodley after decades is hard, and a live-in carer can make it unnecessary. Your relative keeps their room, their garden, their GP and the people around them. A walk by the Thames or a trip to Forbury Gardens can carry on, at their own pace. Where both partners need help, one live-in arrangement can support them together. Our guide to live-in care versus a care home compares the two.

Where we arrange live-in care in Reading

We arrange live-in care north of the river in Caversham, Caversham Heights and Emmer Green, and west through Tilehurst, Southcote and Calcot towards Purley on Thames. We also cover Whitley, Coley, Katesgrove, Earley, Lower Earley and Woodley. A Victorian terrace in RG1 and a bungalow in RG4, RG6, RG30 or RG31 need different plans, so the package is built around the person and the property.

Coming home from the Royal Berkshire

The Royal Berkshire Hospital on London Road is run by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. Ask the ward for the expected discharge date, the medicines list and who will follow up. Share the date with us and a carer can be ready for the first day home, keeping the family and community teams informed.

Asking Reading Borough Council for help

Reading Borough Council explains how to ask for help. You request an assessment of need through its online care and assessment form, one person per form, and can phone if the form is difficult. The NHS guide to a needs assessment explains what the council looks at. Asking is free.

Family carers can get support from the Reading and West Berkshire Carers Partnership: Age UK Berkshire, Age UK Reading, CommuniCare and Reading Mencap. The council's help for carers page lists who carries out carer's assessments. If your relative's needs are mostly health needs, ask about NHS Continuing Healthcare.

Making space for a carer in a Reading home

The carer needs their own bedroom. In a terrace close to the town centre, that may be the small back room, so check it is clear. In Lower Earley or Woodley, a family house may have a spare room, but think about parking if the carer drives.

How nights and breaks work in Reading

Your relative's carer sleeps in the home, so someone is close if help is needed at night now and then. They are not awake through the night, and they need a daily break to stay well. If nights are regularly broken, tell us at the assessment so we can discuss night support.

Funding and the cost of live-in care in Reading

Costs depend on the support needed, couples care and any dementia or nurse-led care; see our live-in care cost guide and paying for care.

Care staff for services in Reading

Reading care homes and NHS teams can also book NMC-registered nurses and support workers from our REC-affiliated staffing team; see staffing services.

Areas of Reading we cover for live-in care

We arrange live-in care at home across the town and its surrounding communities, including:

• Caversham
• Tilehurst
• Earley
• Lower Earley
• Whitley
• Southcote
• Emmer Green
• Calcot
• Purley on Thames
• Coley
• Katesgrove
• Woodley