✧ Live-in care in Reading, Berkshire
Private Live-in Care in Reading, Berkshire
Live-in care in Reading lets your relative stay at home, in Caversham, Tilehurst, Earley or Woodley, with one carer living alongside them day and night. We arrange home care across Berkshire, 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
Home care across Reading and its suburbs
Families looking for home care in Reading are often supporting parents in Caversham, Emmer Green, Tilehurst, Whitley or the eastern suburbs of Earley and Woodley. Reading is a busy commuter town, and many adult children work in London or elsewhere, which makes daily visits difficult. A live-in carer moves in, so there is always someone at home, and the family can visit as family rather than as carers.
We also arrange live-in care in Wokingham, Newbury, Thatcham, Bracknell, Henley and Maidenhead, at the same weekly price.
Royal Berkshire Hospital and discharge
Hospital care for the town is provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. If your relative is waiting for care before they can come home, having a live-in carer in Reading ready can help them leave sooner. The carer can be there on discharge day, collect medication, and support the first week, while community nurses continue any clinical care.
Which council covers your address
Reading Borough Council runs adult social care for the town itself, including Caversham and Whitley. Several suburbs that feel like part of Reading are covered by neighbouring councils: Earley and Woodley by Wokingham Borough Council, and parts of Tilehurst and Calcot by West Berkshire Council. Each offers a free needs assessment and may contribute to care depending on savings.
Choosing a live-in carer in Reading
We send profiles of carers matched to your relative's needs, routine and personality, and you speak to them by video call before choosing. Every carer is interviewed in person and enhanced DBS checked. The same carer supports your relative day to day, rather than a changing rota of visitors.
Many of Reading's Victorian terraces, in areas such as Newtown, Redlands and around the Oxford Road, have steep stairs and narrow hallways. Carers are used to supporting safe movement in homes like these, and an occupational therapist can advise on rails or a stairlift if they would help.
Care homes locally
Care homes in Reading, and the alternative
Our care-home directory lists 70 registered care homes in Reading, with 1,603 beds between them. Of the 60 with a current Care Quality Commission rating, 5 rated Outstanding, 43 rated Good and 12 require improvement. 15 provide nursing care and 27 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 Reading, looking after only them. See what live-in care costs, or ask us to check carer availability in Reading.
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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Vistorine
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
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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 Reading
More live-in care in Berkshire
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 Reading?
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.
Do you cover areas near Reading?
Yes. Carers move into the home rather than travelling from a local branch, so we cover Reading and the towns and villages around it, including Wokingham, Henley, Bracknell and Yateley. Rural addresses are covered too, at the same weekly price.
How many care homes are there in Reading?
Our care-home directory lists 70 registered care homes in Reading, with 1,603 beds between them. Of those with a current Care Quality Commission rating, 5 rated Outstanding, 43 rated Good and 12 rated Requires improvement. 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.