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When considering home care options for yourself or a loved one, cost is naturally a key factor. It can come as a surprise that home care isn't always free at the point of need, unlike the NHS.
Caring responsibilities often fall to friends and family, many of whom leave the workforce or reduce working hours to care for loved ones. But if caring has become overwhelming, or you don't live nearby, it might be time to consider professional home care support.
Kingsway Care is a private homecare provider supporting adults aged 18 and above in Brighton, Hove & Worthing. If you're unsure where to begin, we can help you navigate how to access the home care you need.
Funding Home Care: Local Authority & NHS Support
Home care doesn't always have to be paid for privately. There are two main ways you may be eligible for funding:
Local Authority (LA) Funding
To qualify for Local Authority funding you must have less than £23,250 in savings or accessible assets.
A Care Needs and Financial Assessment will be carried out by your local Adult Social Care team. If approved, funding is backdated to the application date.
You can also ask for Direct Payments so you are in control of choosing and buying the care services you need.
Learn more at AgeUK →NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Funding
If you have a primary health condition that requires ongoing care, you may qualify for full NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funding.
This covers the entire cost of your care. Eligibility depends on your individual health needs and the level of care required.
A referral must be made by your GP, healthcare provider, or social worker. Speak to your GP or Local Authority to start the assessment process.
Those are the headlines — the detail matters, so we've written plain-English guides to each route: the care needs assessment and NHS Continuing Healthcare. And don't overlook Attendance Allowance — a tax-free benefit with no means test at all, which many of our clients put towards their visits.
The thresholds (England)
Savings and capital above £23,250: you pay the full cost of your care.
Between £14,250 and £23,250: the council contributes, and you pay what your income allows plus £1 a week for every £250 of savings in that band.
Below £14,250: only your income is taken into account.
And the one everyone worries about needlessly: the home you live in is never counted when the care happens in it. Selling the house is a care-home question, not a home care one.
How the Council Does the Sums
What counts as capital
Savings, ISAs, shares, premium bonds and any property you don't live in. Your own home is disregarded for home care. For couples, only the finances of the person needing care count — joint savings are usually treated as half theirs.
What counts as income
Pensions and most benefits, including Attendance Allowance. But the council can't take it all — national rules require you to be left with a minimum weekly income to live on (the Minimum Income Guarantee).
Disability-related spending comes off
The quiet money-saver most families miss: extra costs caused by illness or disability — a gardener or cleaner you can no longer do without, extra heating or laundry, equipment — can be deducted from the income the council counts. Keep receipts, and list everything.
The result — and choosing your own provider
The council states what it will contribute and what you pay. You can take the council's share as a direct payment and spend it with a home care provider you choose — you're not limited to whoever the council usually uses.
One honest warning: giving money away so the means test can't see it — to children, into trusts — usually fails. Councils can treat "deliberately deprived" money as if you still had it, with no time limit on how far back they look. Sensible planning is fine; disappearing savings shortly before needing care is not. This is exactly where advice from a SOLLA-accredited independent financial adviser earns its fee.
Private Home Care Costs
If you are not eligible for funding, you will need to pay for some or all of the care yourself. There are two common routes:
Employing a Personal Assistant
You can choose to employ a carer directly at an hourly or weekly rate. However, you also become an employer, responsible for holiday & sickness pay, pension, and HR & training.
Some Kingsway Care Clients employ a Personal Assistant directly and also use our home care services to cover their PA's daily breaks.
Home Care Provider Services
Many people choose private home care providers like Kingsway Care. Our employees are carefully selected, fully vetted, and trained to deliver a high standard of care.
We are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and members of the Homecare Association.
Home Care Costs Estimator
What might care at home cost?
Answer a few quick questions for an indicative weekly range. Every care plan is tailored, so we’ll always confirm your exact costs with you — this is just a friendly starting point.
1 · What kind of support?
2 · How much support?
3 · Level of support
This is an indicative guide only, not a quote. Actual costs depend on your specific needs — we’ll always give you a clear, personalised price before anything begins.
What Other Service Offers This Level of Personal Support?
When you compare home care costs to other professional services — such as an hour's visit from a plumber, electrician, or builder — the value is clear. You are not just paying for time, but for expert, compassionate care that enhances quality of life.
Kingsway Care Academy
All Kingsway CareGivers go through mandatory induction training, followed by shadow visits and the industry-recognised Care Certificate. We invested in a state-of-the-art training facility — the Kingsway Care Academy at our Hove HQ. Equipped with hoist systems and a hospital bed, it's the ideal space for practising moving and handling, and delivering personal care with dignity and sensitivity.
Within the management team, we have experts in dementia and end-of-life care who share their years of experience. We also invite specialists to train our team in subjects such as Parkinson's Disease, Falls Prevention and First Aid.
Home-Based & Community Care
Kingsway Care believe home care visits should be fun and go beyond task-based duties. We encourage and motivate our team to bring joy and imagination to each visit — supporting hobbies, social activities, and getting out and about.
Home-Based Preventative Care
Preventative care is common sense. Regular support — whether it's help with personal care, light domestic tasks, or social activities — can prevent loneliness, accidents, falls, medical emergencies and hospitalisation.
Should a Client need to go to hospital, Kingsway Care can help get them home more quickly by organising a personalised care plan so they can recover at home.
At Kingsway Care, We Offer:
Thresholds checked July 2026 — they've been frozen since 2010 but are set nationally each year, so confirm current figures via the NHS social care guide. This guide is general information, not financial advice; for advice about paying for care, consider an independent financial adviser accredited by SOLLA (the Society of Later Life Advisers).
Ready to Find Out More?
If you or a loved one are considering care options, home care could be the perfect balance of affordability, flexibility, and personalised support. Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation.