Helping older adults across East Sussex stay independent at home
Cheriton Homecare provides live-in care across East Sussex, giving your loved one round-the-clock support without leaving the home and community they know. This is a county with one of the oldest populations in England, and one where residential places fill quickly, so families here often start looking at home-based options earlier than they expected to.
Every care plan is built around the individual and reviewed as needs change. Our founder, Richard Barnett, has spent almost 30 years in care, and his principle of treating people as partners rather than patients still shapes how the team works today.
Why families across East Sussex choose Cheriton
Handing over the care of a parent is a big decision. What sets us apart is how closely we stay involved once care begins: senior management continually monitor the case managers responsible for your care, so standards hold steady long after a carer moves in.
- You choose your carer. Clients select the carer best suited to their personality, not just their care needs, which is how a real relationship forms.
- We know the housing, not just the postcodes. Live-in care needs a spare room, which is the first hurdle in the Victorian conversions and upper-floor seafront flats common across Hastings and Bexhill. We’ll tell you honestly at the assessment whether a home works, and what to do if it doesn’t.
- A settled local team. Our carers know the ground, from the twittens of Lewes to the seafront at Seaford, so getting out and staying connected stays realistic rather than aspirational.
- We work with your wider care network. We coordinate alongside community nurses, GPs and chiropodists so nothing falls between the gaps.
- Rated Outstanding in Caring by the CQC, backed by a 9.8 score across 34 reviews on homecare.co.uk.
- Specialist training as standard, including dementia and palliative support, so your carer is ready as needs grow.
Benefits of live-in care
There are real benefits to live-in care, for the person receiving it and the family around them. The biggest is simple: staying in your own home instead of moving into residential care.
Stay independent for longer while still getting the support you need, with your dignity intact.
Someone who knows the area, the parking, the Downs paths and which GP surgery actually picks up the phone.
Your wider family stays involved in care decisions rather than handing them over.
Often more affordable than a care home, and you won’t have to sell your home to fund it.
Long-term or short-term arrangements that flex around your needs.
Continuity of care from one familiar carer is linked to better outcomes.
Request a brochure
Request a printed brochure to browse with your loved one at your leisure and find out more about live-in care.
How care gets arranged, step by step
- Speak to someone who can actually help. Our lines are open 9am to 5pm every day, including weekends, and Shane or the office team will talk through what’s happening. No call centre, no scripted qualifying questions.
- A supervisor visits the home. Nastasha, our field care supervisor, meets you and your relative in person to build their profile, complete the risk assessment, and write the care plan around existing routines rather than a standard template.
- You choose the carer, not us. Daisy coordinates the match and puts forward carers suited to your relative’s personality as well as their care needs. The final say is yours, which is the part most agencies keep for themselves.
- Your carer moves in, and we stay involved. Senior management continue to monitor the case manager responsible for your care, so quality doesn’t drift once the initial arrangement settles. Richard, our registered manager, remains hands-on rather than a name in the footer.
From there your carer supports everyday life: shopping, cooking, light housework, gardening and pet care, alongside medication timing and health monitoring. We coordinate with community nurses, GPs and chiropodists, which counts for most out toward the Weald in Uckfield and the surrounding villages, where the nearest professional support is a long drive away.
What can live-in carers help with?
What your carer does is set by the care plan and your relative’s level of need, which ranges from low to critical. Day to day, that usually covers:
- Personal care washing, dressing and continence support, handled discreetly
- Companionship a familiar presence through the day, not just a list of tasks completed
- Appointments coordinating with your GP and making sure your relative gets there
- Staying social the village hall club, the bowls green, the Wednesday walk along the front
- Household rhythm their own room and set break times, so everyone keeps their privacy
The plan stays flexible, so you and your family remain in control as things change. If needs grow beyond what’s in place today, care can scale up within the same home care service without starting over with a new provider.
Is live-in care the same as 24-hour care?
Most families use the two terms to mean the same thing, and usually they are. One carer lives in the home, supports your relative through the day, and sleeps at night while staying on hand. The exception is someone needing help repeatedly through the night, every night, which calls for waking-night cover instead. Raise it early and we’ll advise on the right setup.
Visiting care is different again, with carers calling at set times rather than staying over. For someone still fairly independent in Newhaven or Peacehaven, that’s often the better starting point.
What live-in care costs in East Sussex
Cost is usually the first question families ask, and vague answers help nobody. Live-in care is charged weekly and covers full-time support from a dedicated carer living in the home, with no separate hourly billing to track.
Starting prices:
- From £1,190 per week for one person
- From £1,476 per week for couples
For couples, one carer supporting both people often costs far less than two residential placements, which is a common reason families in Eastbourne and along the coast choose to stay put rather than split up a household. If you’re exploring funding, East Sussex County Council carries out the financial assessment, and we’re experienced in supporting NHS Continuing Healthcare packages where a relative qualifies on health needs. We’re happy to talk you through where to start.
Ready to talk it through?
Worried about a parent managing alone at home? A short, no-obligation call is often the quickest way to feel clearer about the options. We’re a Sussex company, not a national franchise working from a call centre, so you’ll speak to someone who knows the difference between arranging care in Crowborough and arranging it on the seafront.
The questions East Sussex families worry about
Do you cover the rural parts of East Sussex, or just the coastal towns?
Both. We support families along the coast and inland across the Weald and the villages around the South Downs, including homes that sit well off the main routes.
Can live-in care help my parent come home after a hospital stay?
Yes, and it’s one of the most common reasons families call us. If a discharge is being planned from Eastbourne DGH or the Conquest in Hastings, we can often have a carer in place to support mobility, medication and recovery at home.
Can a live-in carer drive my parent to appointments?
Many of our carers drive, which makes a real difference in villages with sparse bus routes. Tell us at the assessment stage if driving matters and we’ll factor it into the match.
What happens when my carer takes a break or goes on holiday?
We arrange a relief carer so cover never lapses. Wherever possible it’s someone your relative has already met, so the household doesn’t feel disrupted.
Do you support people living with dementia at home?
Yes. Dementia training is part of our standard specialist training, and familiar surroundings often help someone with dementia stay calmer and more oriented than a move into residential care would.
