Live-in care in Deal
A matched, experienced carer living in with your loved one, anywhere in Deal and the surrounding area. From £1,090 a week plus agency fees, and often in place within 48 hours.
Staying at home in Deal, with the right support
In Deal, Walmer and the villages towards Sandwich, live-in care lets people stay on the East Kent coast they know.
A live-in carer moves into the home and provides one-to-one support around the clock: help getting washed and dressed, cooking proper meals, medication prompts, trips out or to appointments, and the reassurance of someone there through the night. For many families in Kent it is the alternative to a care home they didn't know was possible.
Our carers are matched on experience and personality, and many already live and work across Kent, so they know the area and the local services. You meet them first, and you choose.
Live-in care in Deal: local support and services
NHS care and hospital discharge around Deal
For families in Walmer, Kingsdown and the rest of Deal, hospital care usually means Deal Hospital, Buckland Hospital, Dover or Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, Margate. NHS trusts serving these hospitals include East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, and the ward discharge team plans what support is needed before a patient goes home to the CT14 area. Telling the ward early that a live-in carer is arranged for a home in Sholden or Sandwich can help the discharge go ahead on the planned day.
Back home, the GP practice stays in charge of medication reviews and referrals, and district nurses from Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust visit homes around St Margaret's at Cliffe and Eastry for clinical care such as wound dressings and injections. Our carers are not nurses: in Deal they work alongside the district nurses and the GP, covering the daily routine of personal care, meals and medication prompts between visits.
Adult social care and needs assessments in Deal
Adult social care for Deal and villages such as Kingsdown and Walmer is run by Kent County Council. To ask for a free care needs assessment for someone living in CT14, call 03000 41 61 61 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) or complete the online self-referral form; the council reviews referrals within two working days. The assessment looks at day-to-day needs and, with a separate financial assessment, decides whether Kent County Council will contribute to care at home in Deal.
Dover District Council handles Disabled Facilities Grants for Deal homes, which can help pay for adaptations such as grab rails, stair lifts and level-access showers, so a home in Kingsdown or Sholden can stay safe as needs change.
Carers' support and dementia groups near Deal
Family carers looking after someone in Deal or Sandwich can get advice, a carer's assessment and support with breaks from Carers' Support East Kent. For dementia, families around Walmer and St Margaret's at Cliffe can turn to Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust dementia services and Alzheimer's Society Kent and Medway for information and support after a diagnosis. A live-in carer can help someone keep going to these groups, to appointments and to favourite places such as the pier and Walmer seafront, which matters when a familiar routine is what keeps dementia manageable.
Getting out and about in Deal
Age UK South Kent Coast: our services is the local Age UK partner for Deal, with information, advice and activities for older people. When driving is no longer an option, Kent County Council community transport and Kent Karrier can help people in CT14 get to appointments and the shops. With a live-in carer there is also someone to go along: a gentle walk at the pier and Walmer seafront, a coffee in Eastry, or an afternoon visiting friends in Walmer.
Villages we cover around Deal
We arrange live-in care in Deal itself and across the CT14 postcodes, including Walmer, Kingsdown, Sholden, Sandwich, St Margaret's at Cliffe and Eastry, with neighbouring care in Folkestone and Canterbury. A live-in carer stays with your loved one, so a cottage in Eastry is as easy to support as a house in the town centre.
Local sources for Deal
- Kent County Council: care needs assessments
- GOV.UK: Disabled Facilities Grants
- Carers Trust: Carers' Support East Kent
- Age UK South Kent Coast: our services
- Kent County Council: community transport
- Kent County Council: Kent Karrier
- Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust: dementia services
- Alzheimer's Society Kent and Medway
Checked November 2026. Services change, so please confirm details with each organisation.
Specialist live-in care for every situation
Dementia care in Deal
Calm routines, familiar faces and someone who understands how dementia changes day to day. Dementia live-in care →
Parkinson's and stroke
Help with mobility, medication timing and rebuilding confidence at home. Learn more →
Couples
One carer supporting both partners, so they can stay together in the home they share. Live-in care for couples →
Respite for family carers
A trusted carer for two weeks or more while you take a break. Carers First also offers support for carers locally. Respite care →
End of life care
Comfort and dignity at home, working alongside district nurses and local hospice teams. End of life care →
Companionship
For someone who is safe at home but lonely, or anxious about nights alone.
Coming home from Deal Hospital
If your loved one is in Deal Hospital, Buckland Hospital, Dover, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital or Margate and the discharge date is close, call us as early as you can. We can usually have a carer ready for the day they come home, so they don't stay in hospital longer than they need to.
- 1 Call us with the expected discharge date and what the ward has told you.
- 2 We match a carer with the right experience, often within 48 hours.
- 3 The carer is at home when your loved one arrives, and helps them settle in.
How much does live-in care cost in Deal?
Live-in care or a care home in Deal?
| Live-in care with us | Residential care home, Kent | |
|---|---|---|
| One person, per week | £1,340 carer from £1,090 + £250 agency fee | about £1,358 typical self-funder fee |
| A couple, per week | £1,600 one carer supporting both | about £2,716 two places |
| Care | One-to-one, from one familiar carer | Shared staff across the home |
| What's included | Care only. The household also covers its usual bills, food for the carer and a private bedroom. | Room, meals, bills and care |
| Home | Stays in their own home, with pets, neighbours and routines | Moves into the home |
For one person in Deal, live-in care usually costs about the same as a residential care home. For a couple it can be around £1,120 a week less than two care home places. Nursing homes usually cost more than residential homes. There is also a one-off £250 registration fee with us. Compare with your own quotes →
Care home figures are typical self-funder fees for Kent from nursinghomefees.co.uk (June 2026), based on NHS England adult social care finance data. Individual homes vary, so check the homes you are considering.
Help paying for care in Kent
Kent County Council can carry out a free care needs assessment and a financial assessment. Attendance Allowance is available to people over State Pension age who need care, whatever their income. If needs are mainly health-related, ask the GP or ward about an NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment.
Live-in care across Deal and nearby
We arrange live-in care across the CT14 postcodes, including:
Walmer
Kingsdown
Sholden
Sandwich
St Margaret's at Cliffe
Eastry
Live-in care in Deal: your questions
How quickly can a live-in carer start in Deal?
We can often have a matched live-in carer in place in Deal within 48 hours of your first call. Once we understand your loved one's needs, routine and personality, we shortlist carers with the right experience, introduce them to you, and agree a start date that suits the family. For an urgent discharge from Deal Hospital, we work to the hospital's timetable and can sometimes arrange a carer the same day. Planned starts are usually set up within one to two weeks, which leaves time for a proper handover.
How much does live-in care cost in Deal?
Live-in care in Deal starts from £1,090 a week paid to your carer, plus our weekly agency fee of £250, so about £1,340 a week in total. Care for a couple starts from £1,350 a week plus the agency fee, and there is a one-off registration fee of £250. The household also provides the carer's food and a private bedroom. Prices are the same across Kent, and we confirm your exact weekly cost after a free assessment call, with no long contracts.
Do you cover the villages around Deal?
Yes. We arrange live-in care across Deal and the surrounding CT14 postcodes, including Walmer, Kingsdown, Sholden, Sandwich, St Margaret's at Cliffe, Eastry. Because the carer lives in, there are no visit rounds or travel times to fit around, so rural homes and farmhouses are just as easy to cover as the town centre. We also arrange care in nearby Folkestone, Canterbury. If you're not sure whether an address is covered, call us and we'll check straight away.
Can live-in care help after a stay at Deal Hospital?
Yes. Many families in Deal call us when a loved one is ready to leave Deal Hospital, Buckland Hospital, Dover or Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, Margate. We can talk to the ward or discharge team, agree a start date that matches the discharge plan, and have the carer at home ready to help with settling in, meals, personal care and medication prompts. Our carers are not nurses, so any clinical care, such as wound dressings or injections, stays with district nurses and the GP. Having someone there day and night can make an earlier, safer discharge possible.
Can Kent County Council help pay for live-in care?
Possibly. Kent County Council offers a free care needs assessment and a financial assessment, which decide whether the council will contribute to the cost of care. In England, people with savings and assets above £23,250 usually pay for their own care, and the council may help if they have less. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested and can help with costs, and NHS Continuing Healthcare may pay in full where needs are mainly health-related. Our funding guides explain each option, and we're happy to talk them through on a call.
Can you support someone with dementia in Deal?
Yes. Dementia is one of the most common reasons families in Deal choose live-in care, because it keeps routines, surroundings and faces familiar. We match carers who have dementia experience and keep the same carers wherever we can, so your loved one isn't meeting strangers. Carers help with calm daily routines, meals and drinks, personal care, medication prompts, gentle activity and reassurance at night. They also keep the family updated and work alongside the GP and local memory services.
What does a live-in carer need in the home?
A live-in carer needs a private bedroom, use of a bathroom and the kitchen, and ideally Wi-Fi so they can keep in touch with their own family. The household provides the carer's food, or a small food allowance. Carers also take a daily break of around two hours, usually when your loved one rests or another family member is around, and we help you plan for it. When the carer has time off, we arrange a matched relief carer so care continues without a gap.
Are you regulated by the CQC?
Medicare People currently provides introductory live-in care services. We have submitted our application to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and intend to introduce a fully managed live-in care service following registration. As an introductory agency, we find, check and introduce self-employed carers, and the family agrees the day-to-day care with the carer directly. We still carry out right-to-work, DBS and reference checks before any introduction, and our team stays in touch throughout. If anything isn't working, we arrange a replacement carer.
Who you'll be working with
Talk to our Kent team about care in Deal
Free, no-obligation advice. Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.
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Page reviewed by Justyna Hojka, Care Manager, November 2026.