✧ Live-in care in Edinburgh
Live-in Care at Home in Edinburgh, Lothians
Live-in care in Edinburgh lets your relative stay in the home they love, from Morningside and Stockbridge to Leith and Corstorphine, with one carer living alongside them. We arrange care across the city and the Lothians.
- Care within a week Urgent starts often in 24–48 hours
- From £1,200 a week The same rate nationwide, not by postcode
- Care Inspectorate Regulates home care in Scotland
- 74 areas Covered across Scotland
Live-in carers across Edinburgh's neighbourhoods
Edinburgh families looking for live-in care in Edinburgh are often supporting parents in tenement flats in Marchmont, Bruntsfield or Leith, Georgian flats in the New Town, or family homes in Morningside, Corstorphine, Colinton, Portobello and Barnton. Stairs, cobbles and hills are part of city life, and for someone becoming frail they can mean staying indoors. A live-in carer helps with getting out safely, as well as with personal care, meals and company.
We also arrange care beyond the city boundary, including Musselburgh, Dalkeith, Livingston and North Berwick, which fall within East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian.
NHS Lothian and coming home from hospital
Hospital care in the city is provided by NHS Lothian, mainly at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France and the Western General Hospital, with St John's Hospital in Livingston serving West Lothian. Waiting for care at home is one of the most common reasons people stay in hospital longer than they need to. If a live-in carer is ready, tell the ward: the carer can be there for the journey home and support your relative through the first days.
Free personal care in Edinburgh
In Scotland, personal care is free for adults assessed as needing it, whatever their income. In the city, assessments are carried out through the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, which brings together the City of Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian; the Lothian councils around the city have their own partnerships. Care services are regulated by the Care Inspectorate. Many families combine an assessed care package with private live-in care, and we can explain how that works.
When families in Edinburgh choose live-in care
Live-in care is often chosen when a parent needs help throughout the day, is no longer safe alone at night, or is living with dementia and would find a move unsettling. It lets couples stay together in their own home. If you are weighing it up against home care in Edinburgh through visiting carers, or a care home, our team will give you an honest view of which fits best.
Care homes locally
Care homes in Edinburgh, and the alternative
Our care-home directory lists 58 registered care homes in Edinburgh. 27 provide nursing care and 41 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 Edinburgh, looking after only them. See what live-in care costs, or ask us to check carer availability in Edinburgh.
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 Scotland
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 Scotland is regulated by the Care Inspectorate. They inspect and register home care services to make sure standards are met.
Where funding comes from
Apply through your local council's social work department. Scotland provides free personal and nursing care to those who are assessed as needing it, regardless of income — a different system from means-tested 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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Patience
Live-in carer
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Vistorine
Live-in carer
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Refiloe
Live-in carer
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Monica
Live-in carer
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Brenda
Live-in carer
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Gladys
Live-in carer
Our services
Our live-in care services
Nearby
Areas we cover near Edinburgh
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 questionsWho helps pay for care in Edinburgh?
Often, yes. The council's social work department for City of Edinburgh can carry out a free needs assessment. In Scotland, personal care is free for adults assessed as needing it, whatever their income, and the council may contribute further depending on savings. Attendance Allowance, paid to people over State Pension age who need help with personal care, is not means-tested and can be put towards care.
Can you arrange live-in care near Edinburgh?
Yes. Carers move into the home rather than travelling from a local branch, so we cover Edinburgh and the towns and villages around it, including Livingston, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline. Rural addresses are covered too, at the same weekly price.
How many care homes are there in Edinburgh?
Our care-home directory lists 58 registered care homes in Edinburgh. 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.