Self-funder support

Privately funding care at home

If you decide to arrange for a private carer to look after you at home, the cost will vary depending on where you live.

However, you can typically expect to pay around:

• £20 per hour for a carer to visit you in your home
• £650 a week to have a live-in carer - this may be more if you need a lot of care

There are 2 main ways to arrange your own home care:

Use a home care company

Home care agencies employ trained carers and arrange for them to visit you in your home.

Home care companies are a popular option as they:

• manage the entire service for you
• tailor their care around your needs

However, some disadvantages are:

• you may not always have the same carer
• their fees can be expensive

Employ your own carer

You could employ your own carer to take on various responsibilities around your home. These are sometimes known as a private carer or personal assistant.

There are advantages of hiring your own carer, such as you can:

• choose a carer that is compatible with you
• decide what roles they perform, such as personal care or helping you get out and about
• save money on agency fees

However, if you employ a carer, you will then have the legal responsibility of being an employer.

This means you’ll need to make sure you have some things in place, such as:

• a contract of employment
• a way to pay them - you might choose to employ a payroll provider to do this for you
• adequate insurance for employing staff
• arrangements in place to cover their holidays and any sick days they may need

Last updated 28 November 2025