✧ Live-in care in Kent
Live-in Care Across Kent
Live-in care in Kent brings one carer to live with your relative, in Canterbury, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Thanet or a Weald village. We arrange home care across the county and Medway, from £1,200 a week, with carers you choose.
- Care within a week Urgent starts often in 24–48 hours
- From £1,200 a week The same rate nationwide, not by postcode
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) Regulates home care in England
- 113 areas Covered across the South East
Live-in care across the Garden of England
Kent is one of England's largest counties, and a family's experience of arranging care varies enormously across it. There are busy towns such as Maidstone, Ashford, Dartford and Gravesend; historic places such as Canterbury, Sandwich and Faversham; the coastal resorts of Thanet, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Deal and Folkestone; and the orchards and villages of the Weald. Families searching for home care in Kent often find visiting care patchy outside the towns. A live-in carer brings the same support to a farmhouse near Tenterden as to a flat in Margate.
We have local pages for towns across the county, including Canterbury, Maidstone, Ashford, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Folkestone, Dover, Margate, Ramsgate and Whitstable.
Kent's hospital trusts
East Kent Hospitals runs the William Harvey in Ashford, the QEQM in Margate and Kent and Canterbury Hospital. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust runs Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury, Darent Valley in Dartford serves the north-west, and Medway Maritime in Gillingham serves the Medway towns. A live-in carer in Kent can be ready for discharge from any of them, so your relative is supported from the first night home.
Kent County Council and Medway
Across most of the county, adult social care is run by Kent County Council, not by the district and borough councils that collect bins and handle planning. Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester and the rest of Medway have their own unitary council. Both carry out free needs assessments and may contribute to care depending on savings. Attendance Allowance is available regardless of income.
A county many people retire to
The Kent coast has long drawn people to retire by the sea, often far from where their children now live. When care is needed, family may be in London or further away. Live-in care keeps your relative in the home and community they chose, and we agree how the carer keeps you updated. Couples can stay together, with one carer supporting both.
Care homes locally
Care homes in Kent, and the alternative
Our care-home directory lists 542 registered care homes in Kent, with 15,323 beds between them. Of the 495 with a current Care Quality Commission rating, 16 rated Outstanding, 369 rated Good, 100 require improvement and 10 rated Inadequate. 131 provide nursing care and 239 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 Kent, looking after only them. See what live-in care costs, or ask us to check carer availability in Kent.
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 England
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 England is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). They inspect and register home care services to make sure standards are met.
Where funding comes from
Apply through your local authority's adult social care team. Means-tested local authority funding and NHS Continuing Healthcare are both available depending on assessed need.
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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Monica
Live-in carer
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Refiloe
Live-in carer
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Brenda
Live-in carer
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Vistorine
Live-in carer
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Gladys
Live-in carer
Our services
Our live-in care services
Nearby
Areas we cover near Kent
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 Kent?
Often, yes. Your local council's adult social care team can carry out a free needs assessment and, depending on savings, may contribute to the cost. Where needs are mainly health-related, NHS Continuing Healthcare can pay in full. 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.
How many care homes are there in Kent?
Our care-home directory lists 542 registered care homes in Kent, with 15,323 beds between them. Of those with a current Care Quality Commission rating, 16 rated Outstanding, 369 rated Good, 100 rated Requires improvement and 10 rated Inadequate. 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.