✧ Live-in care in County Down, Northern Ireland
Live-in Care Across County Down
Live-in care in County Down brings one carer to live with your relative, in Bangor, Newtownards, Downpatrick, Newcastle, Banbridge or Newry. We arrange home care across the county, from the Ards Peninsula to the Mournes, from £1,200 a week.
- Care within a week Urgent starts often in 24–48 hours
- From £1,200 a week The same rate nationwide, not by postcode
- Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) Regulates home care in Northern Ireland
- 35 areas Covered across Northern Ireland
Live-in care from the Ards to the Mournes
County Down runs from the commuter towns of north Down, through the drumlins and Strangford Lough, to the Mourne Mountains and Carlingford Lough. Families searching for home care in County Down are supporting parents in Bangor, Holywood, Newtownards and Comber, in Downpatrick, Ballynahinch and Newcastle, in Banbridge and Dromore, and in Newry, Warrenpoint and the fishing town of Kilkeel. In the countryside between them, visiting care is often hard to arrange. A live-in carer brings support to any address.
We have local pages for towns across the county, including Bangor, Newtownards, Holywood, Comber, Downpatrick, Banbridge, Newry, Warrenpoint and Kilkeel.
Two Trusts, several hospitals
The north and east of the county are covered by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, with emergencies at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald and local services at the Downe Hospital in Downpatrick. The south and west, around Newry, Banbridge and the Mournes, are covered by the Southern Trust, with Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry and Craigavon Area Hospital. A live-in carer in County Down can be ready for discharge from any of them.
Assessments through your Health and Social Care Trust
In Northern Ireland, social care is arranged by the Trusts rather than by councils. Ask your relative's GP, or the South Eastern or Southern Trust, for a care assessment. Trusts usually do not charge for the home care they arrange, and people aged 75 or over are not charged for home help. Care providers are regulated by the RQIA.
Staying where the family has always been
Many older people in County Down have lived on the same farm, in the same townland or in the same seaside town for their whole lives. Live-in care lets them stay, close to church, neighbours and the sea or the mountains. Couples can stay together with one carer supporting both. If family live in Belfast, England or further away, we agree how the carer keeps you updated. You choose your carer from matched profiles before anything is agreed.
Care homes locally
Care homes in County Down, and the alternative
Our care-home directory lists 25 registered care homes in County Down. 15 provide nursing care and 12 support people living with dementia.
If a move into one of these homes is on the table, it is worth comparing it with live-in care: one carer living in your relative’s own home in County Down, looking after only them. See what live-in care costs, or ask us to check carer availability in County Down.
Weighing the options
Live-in care, visiting care or a care home?
The three choices most families are deciding between.
| Feature | Live-in care | Visiting care | Care home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stays in their own home | Yes | Yes | No |
| Support through the night | Yes | Rarely | Yes |
| The same carer each day | Yes | Rota of staff | Rota of staff |
| Keeps pets and belongings | Yes | Yes | Usually not |
| Couples stay together | Yes | Yes | Often separated |
| Typical cost | £1,200 a week | Varies with hours | Varies by home |
Visiting care and care home costs vary widely by area and provider, so we don’t quote figures we can’t stand behind. See our pricing in full →
What a live-in carer does day to day, what is not included, and the three steps to arranging it: how live-in care works →
Funding & regulation
Paying for care in Northern Ireland
Home care is regulated and funded differently in each nation, so the route is not the same everywhere. Here is how it works where you live.
Read our full funding guide →Who regulates care here
Home care in Northern Ireland is regulated by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). They inspect and register home care services to make sure standards are met.
Where funding comes from
Apply through your local Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust. Care is arranged and part-funded through the local Health and Social Care Trust, a different structure from local-authority-led funding in England.
How we fit in
Live-in Care Direct is an introductory agency. We introduce self-employed carers to families rather than employing them, so you contract directly with your carer and keep the choice of who provides your care.
Our carers
The people who would be caring for your family
Our carers are spread across the UK, supported by regional care managers. Every one is interviewed in person, enhanced DBS checked and reference-checked before they are ever introduced to a family — and you choose who moves in.
- Interviewed face to face, never hired on paperwork alone
- Enhanced DBS checked, with references verified
- You meet and approve your carer before they start
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Gladys
Live-in carer
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Brenda
Live-in carer
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Patience
Live-in carer
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Monica
Live-in carer
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Refiloe
Live-in carer
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Vistorine
Live-in carer
Our services
Our live-in care services
Nearby
Areas we cover near County Down
Free callback
Speak to someone about live-in care
Leave your number and a care manager will call you back — usually within an hour, and always free.
- No obligation. A conversation, not a sales call — and never a call centre.
- A real care manager. Someone who arranges care every day, who can answer properly.
- Just two details. Your name and number — we don’t need an email address.
Or call us now on 0800 368 8558 Lines open 8am–10pm, seven days a week
Common questions
Questions about live-in care here
Local answers on paying for care, nearby areas and care homes.
Not seeing your question?
Our care managers answer these every day. A no-obligation call takes about ten minutes.
0800 368 8558Lines open 8am–10pm, seven days a week See all questionsIs there help with the cost of care in County Down?
Care in Northern Ireland is assessed and part-funded through your local Health and Social Care Trust. Ask your GP or the Trust's social work team for a care assessment. Attendance Allowance is also worth checking, as it is not means-tested and can be put towards care.
How many care homes are there in County Down?
Our care-home directory lists 25 registered care homes in County Down. If you are weighing up a care home, live-in care is the alternative that keeps your relative at home with one carer supporting only them, and we can explain how the two compare on cost.