✧ Live-in care in The Highlands
Live-in Care Across the Highlands of Scotland
Live-in care in the Highlands brings one carer to live with your relative, in Inverness, Nairn, Dingwall, Fort William, Aviemore, Wick, Thurso, Portree or a croft in a remote glen. We arrange care across the Highlands, alongside free personal care in Scotland.
- 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 care from Caithness to Lochaber
The Highlands cover a huge area of mountains, lochs, islands and scattered towns, the most sparsely populated part of Britain. Families searching for home care in the Highlands are supporting parents in Inverness and Nairn, in Dingwall, Tain and the Black Isle, in Aviemore and Strathspey, in Fort William and Lochaber, in Wick and Thurso in Caithness, on Skye and in Portree, and in small villages and crofts along the west coast. In much of the Highlands, visiting care simply cannot be staffed. A live-in carer lives with your relative instead.
We have local pages for towns across the region, including Inverness, Nairn and Fort William.
Raigmore and the rural hospitals
Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, run by NHS Highland, is the main acute hospital for the region, with the Belford in Fort William, Caithness General in Wick and community hospitals in many smaller towns. Specialist treatment may mean a trip to Aberdeen or Glasgow. A live-in carer in the Highlands can be ready for discharge, however long the journey home.
NHS Highland runs adult social care
In Scotland, personal care is free for adults assessed as needing it, whatever their income. The Highlands work differently from the rest of Scotland: NHS Highland is the lead agency for adult social care, on behalf of the Highland Council, so assessments are arranged through the health board. Care services are regulated by the Care Inspectorate.
Crofts, Gaelic and the long winters
Many older Highlanders have crofted, fished, worked on the estates or in the hydro schemes, and some speak Gaelic as their first language. A care home can mean moving a hundred miles from home. Snow and distance make visiting care unreliable, but a live-in carer is already in the house. Tell us what matters when we match. You choose your carer from matched profiles before anything is agreed.
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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Vistorine
Live-in carer
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Brenda
Live-in carer
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Gladys
Live-in carer
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Monica
Live-in carer
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Refiloe
Live-in carer
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Patience
Live-in carer
Our services
Our live-in care services
Nearby
Areas we cover near The Highlands
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 The Highlands?
Often, yes. Your local council's social work department 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.