Live-In Care East Sussex
A carer at home, from Chichester Harbour to the High Weald
The phone call usually follows something specific: a fall on the stairs, a discharge from St Richard’s, or a few weeks where proper meals quietly stopped happening. Live-in care in West Sussex gives families a route that doesn’t end in a care home. One carer moves in, learns how the household runs and plans each day around the person they support.
The county’s geography makes a strong case for it. Villages under the South Downs can be a long way from the nearest bus, and along the Arun coast many people in their eighties live alone. With someone in the house, the GP appointment in Petworth, a morning at the market cross in Chichester or Sunday lunch with family in Horsham still goes ahead.
Everyday support shaped around one person
No two care plans read alike, because we start with the individual and let a live-in carer’s duties follow from there. A carer in a Bosham bungalow and one in a Crawley semi can spend their days in very different ways.
Personal care
Help with washing, dressing, toileting and moving around the home, at the person’s own pace and with privacy respected. Older flint cottages often have narrow, uneven stairs, so we plan transfers, mobility aids and safety around the home around the real layout.
Companionship
Conversation over the crossword, a shared pot of tea, or an unhurried stroll by the harbour. Carers also keep regular plans going, whether that’s a weekly church service, the garden club or a visit to grandchildren in Worthing.
Medication reminders
Your carer prompts each dose on time, keeps track of what’s left and orders repeat prescriptions before anything runs short. Changes after a GP review or an outpatient appointment at Worthing Hospital are picked up immediately and logged.
Alzheimer's disease & dementia care
Dementia is where Cheriton began. Familiar rooms and one consistent carer ease confusion, while our dementia-trained carers keep routines calm and favourite activities in the week.
Palliative care
Many people would rather spend their last weeks at home than on a ward. A live-in carer gives steady comfort day and night alongside community nurses, so relatives can simply be family.
Household chores and assistance
Cooking proper meals, washing and ironing, changing beds and keeping rooms in order. Carers also run errands, collect prescriptions, sort the post and look after a dog or cat that’s part of the family.
Why families trust Cheriton with live-in care
Richard Barnett founded Cheriton after 12 years as live-in carer to a man with advanced dementia who had struggled in a care home. The name comes from that client’s home, Cheriton House.
His view that the client is a partner in their own care, never a patient to be managed, still shapes every placement. It matters in a county with one of the oldest populations in England, where many older people live alone and some distance from their children.
- Rated Outstanding in Caring. The CQC's highest grade for how people are treated, the area that matters most when someone is living in your home.
- Family kept in the picture. Digital care records let relatives see how each day has gone, which helps when children live in London or further afield.
- Oversight at every level. Senior managers review how each case manager runs their placements, so standards never hinge on one person.
- A head office close to home. Our team works just over the county border, from the same office that arranges live-in care in Brighton and Hove, and the people who answer the phone are the ones arranging your care.
- Vetted and properly trained. Every carer holds an enhanced DBS check and completes a structured induction, ongoing training and specialist dementia courses.
- Matched to place as well as person. A cottage in the lanes around Arundel or a farmhouse near Midhurst often needs a carer who drives, while a flat close to the shops in Crawley may not.
Staying at home or moving into residential care?
Plenty of older people here have lived in the same house since retiring to the coast at Shoreham-by-Sea or Lancing, and swapping it for a single room is a hard ask. The advantages of live-in care show up in everyday details:
Knowing where everything is lowers the risk of falls and confusion, especially as memory or eyesight declines.
A care home team divides its time across many residents. A live-in carer focuses on one.
Mealtimes, bedtimes and visitors stay your choice, and the family pet doesn’t need rehoming.
A single carer can look after a couple, so nobody ends up in a separate room or a separate home.
The same GP surgery, the same neighbours, the same pew at the parish church.
Weekly fees can sit up to 30% below a residential placement.
Live-in, 24-hour or visiting care: Which fits?
The three options differ in how many carers are involved and whether anyone stays awake overnight. Visiting care means scheduled calls during the day, with nobody living in.
A live-in carer has their own bedroom in your home, sleeps at night and is close at hand if needed. 24-hour care adds a second carer on shifts, so someone is awake for people who need help repeatedly after dark.
For someone still managing well in Littlehampton or a village near Steyning who only needs a hand with meals, tablets or getting ready for bed, a few visits a day may be enough. We’ll tell you honestly if that’s the better route.
One call to find the right live-in carer
Tell us about the person, the house and what has changed lately, and we’ll explain what live-in care would look like for your family. If you’d rather weigh up which type of care fits first, that’s fine too. When you’re ready, reach us by phone, email or WhatsApp.
Your route to live-in care, step by step
Whether you are planning ahead or dealing with a crisis, the route is the same and only the pace changes. Often the first call comes from a son or daughter after a neighbour has rung to say something is not right.
- A first conversation. Phone, WhatsApp or request a callback, any day between 9am and 5pm. You speak directly to the office team who arrange placements, not a call centre.
- A visit in Lancing. Richard Barnett or Nastasha, our Field Care Supervisor, comes to the house, a journey the team already makes for families just across the river in Shoreham-by-Sea. The care plan and risk assessment are built from that visit, covering things like whether grab rails or a walk-in shower would help and whether the carer will need parking.
- Choosing your carer. Written profiles of suitable carers come to you, and you can ask each one questions before deciding.
- Settling in. The carer arrives on the agreed date with the care plan. We stay in close touch over the first few days, so small adjustments, like a preferred breakfast or bedtime routine, happen early.
- Keeping it right. Your case manager reviews the plan as needs change, and cover for the carer’s breaks and holidays is arranged well in advance, so support never drops.
What will live-in care cost your family in West Sussex?
Fees are charged weekly for a carer living with you full time. Distance from our Brighton office doesn’t change the price, so live-in care in Haywards Heath costs the same as it does near Chichester.
- From £1,190 per week for one person
- From £1,476 per week for a couple
Nights usually move the figure, as waking nights cost more than a carer who sleeps through. Someone home after a hip replacement at Southlands may need them for a few weeks, then drop back.
For couples who retired together to a bungalow in Rustington or Felpham, one carer for both at the couple’s rate usually costs far less than two residential places. Every family gets a free, no-obligation quote before anything is signed.
Getting help with the cost of care
We support clients who pay privately and families whose care is partly or fully funded, and we’ll explain which routes may apply.
- NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC). We’re experienced in supporting CHC-funded care packages. Where needs are mainly health-related, CHC can meet the full cost.
- West Sussex County Council. After a care needs assessment and a means test, adult social care may contribute toward fees.
- Direct Payments. If the council is funding your care, taking it as Direct Payments lets you appoint Cheriton as your provider.
- Attendance Allowance. Not means-tested and open to anyone over State Pension age with care needs. It won’t cover live-in care by itself, but it helps with the cost.
Spotted the signs? Let's get the right carer in place
It tends to begin with little things: milk well past its date, a car that hasn’t moved in weeks, a garden left to grow over, a neighbour mentioning that Dad seemed muddled at church. Relatives driving down from London at weekends often spot the pattern before the person does.
You don’t need to have decided anything before you call. Tell us what you’ve noticed and we’ll suggest a sensible next step, with no pressure to commit.
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Before you commit: Questions families ask us most
Can a carer be ready for discharge from St Richard's or Worthing Hospital?
In most cases, yes. Share the planned discharge date and we’ll work toward it. Where it’s urgent, we can often place a carer within 48 to 72 hours.
Will a live-in carer work alongside St Wilfrid's or St Barnabas House?
Yes. When someone is receiving end-of-life care at home, our carer works with the hospice and community nursing teams and covers the hours between their visits.
Do you arrange live-in care in Mid Sussex and the north of the county?
Yes. As well as the coast and the Chichester area, our carers work across Mid Sussex and the northern towns, including Burgess Hill and East Grinstead.
Is short-term or respite live-in care available?
Yes. Families book respite cover for a holiday, their own hospital stay, or simply a break from caring, usually from two weeks upwards.
Can a live-in carer work in a retirement flat or sheltered housing?
Usually, as long as there’s a spare room and the lease permits it. It’s common in retirement developments around Worthing and Bognor Regis, and we confirm the practical details during the home assessment.
