Live-In Care West Sussex
Support that moves in, so your parent doesn't have to move out
Nobody plans for this. A fall, a bad winter, a diagnosis out of nowhere, and suddenly the family is choosing between options it knows nothing about. Live-in care across East Sussex changes the least: a carer moves in and your relative keeps their own bedroom and garden.
That matters more here than most places. East Sussex has one of the oldest populations in England and residential places go quickly, often miles from the family. We work the county from an office inside it, with the team behind our live-in care in Brighton and Hove arranging every placement.
Families who made this decision before you
What a live-in carer actually does all day
No two placements look alike, because the plan is built around one person’s routine rather than a standard list. The day-to-day duties of a live-in carer run wider than most families expect, but the core of it looks like this.
Personal care
Washing, dressing, continence and moving safely around the house, done quietly and at your relative’s pace. Older Sussex housing often puts the only bathroom upstairs, so transfers and stair safety get proper thought at the assessment.
Companionship
Conversation over breakfast, a hand with the crossword, company on the walk down to the front. Carers keep the diary going too, whether that is a standing coffee with a neighbour or the trip to see the grandchildren.
Medication reminders
Prompting every dose at the right hour, keeping an eye on stock before anything runs low, and spotting quickly when a new prescription causes problems. Repeat orders and pharmacy collections are handled rather than left to the family.
Alzheimer's disease & dementia care
Routine and familiarity do much of the work with dementia, which is exactly what a move takes away. Our dementia-trained carers keep the day predictable and stay patient through late-afternoon agitation.
Palliative care
A live-in carer makes it possible to stay at home to the end, with comfort and dignity first. Our carer fits around the district nursing and hospice teams already involved, from St Wilfrid’s in Eastbourne to St Michael’s near Hastings.
Household chores and assistance
Proper cooked meals, laundry, clean bedding, the weekly shop, the post that has piled up and the appointments that need booking. The house keeps running.
Why families across the county pick Cheriton
We began with a single commitment. Our founder, Richard Barnett, promised a client called Bill, living with early-onset Alzheimer’s, that he would be treated as a partner and never as a patient. Almost thirty years later that still decides how we recruit, match and supervise.
- Awarded Outstanding in Caring by the CQC, the top grade available for how people are actually treated
- You read written carer profiles and make the choice yourself, instead of being sent whoever happens to be available
- Senior management review how each case manager runs their placements, so standards hold after the first few weeks
- No regional call centre sitting in the middle. The people who arrange your relative's care are the people who answer the phone when you ring back
- Enhanced DBS checks, ongoing training and specialist dementia and end-of-life modules for every carer
- The address shapes the match as much as the person. A cottage down a track near Uckfield needs a carer who drives, which is a different brief from a flat near the station in Eastbourne
Home against a care home: The honest comparison
Moving is hard at any age. At eighty-five, after fifty years at one address, it is something else entirely.
Familiar rooms keep someone steady, which counts double once memory or balance starts going.
Residential staff are shared between a floor of residents. At home, the attention is undivided.
Rise when you like, eat what you fancy, keep the dog a home would have turned away.
A single carer can look after both partners under one roof.
Same surgery, same butcher, same faces on the bus.
The house does not have to be sold to fund it.
Live-in, round-the-clock or visiting: Which one you need
All three sit under the same home care service, and the real difference is who sleeps in the house. A live-in carer lives with your relative, has their own room, and is there overnight if something happens.
True 24-hour care brings in a second carer on shifts so somebody is awake all night, which is what repeated night-time needs require. Visiting care across East Sussex means calls at agreed times and nobody staying over.
For someone still managing well in Seaford or Peacehaven, a couple of visits a day may be plenty. We will say so rather than sell you more than the situation warrants.
See what live-in support would look like for your relative
One call usually settles more than an afternoon of reading. Tell us what is happening at home and we will say what live-in support would look like for your relative, or whether something lighter would do. Still weighing it up? You can work out which kind of care fits before you ring.
How care gets arranged, from first call to moving-in day
Some families have months. Others ring on a Friday after a hospital phones to say a parent is being sent home. The route is identical, only the pace changes.
- Tell us what is going on. Phone, WhatsApp or book a callback. The office answers 9am to 5pm every day of the week, weekends included, and you will be talking to the people who arrange the care, not a switchboard.
- We come to the house. Richard Barnett, our Registered Manager, or a field care supervisor visits in person. They weigh the practical side as well as the medical one: where the carer will sleep, how the stairs work, how far the surgery is.
- You pick the carer. We send profiles of the carers suited to the role and you can question any of them before committing. Personality counts here as much as qualifications.
- Moving-in day. The carer arrives on the agreed date with the care plan already in place, and our coordinator checks in through that first week so anything awkward gets sorted early.
- It keeps pace with health. Your case manager reviews the arrangement and rewrites the plan as things change. Holidays and days off are covered by a relief carer booked well in advance, so cover never drops.
What live-in care costs in East Sussex
Fees are weekly and cover a carer living in the home full time. Distance makes no difference to the price: a household in Hastings or out at Crowborough pays exactly what a Brighton household pays.
- From £1,190 a week for one person
- From £1,476 a week for a couple
What shifts the final number is the depth of care needed and how the nights are handled, since a carer awake overnight costs more than one who sleeps undisturbed.
For a couple in a family house, one carer at the couple’s rate is usually far cheaper than funding two residential places. You get a free quote with no obligation before anything is signed.
Helping with the cost
We work with families paying privately and families receiving funding, and we will tell you honestly which routes are worth pursuing.
- NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC). We are experienced in supporting CHC-funded packages, which can meet the full cost where the need is primarily a health one.
- East Sussex County Council. Adult social care may contribute once a needs assessment and a financial assessment are complete.
- Direct Payments. Where the council funds the care, you can take the money as Direct Payments and appoint us directly.
- Attendance Allowance. Payable above State Pension age regardless of savings. It will not fund live-in care by itself, but it is money left unclaimed by thousands of households.
Arrange live-in care, or just ask what would help
Call 01273 273 277 and we can start arranging care today, or talk it through first if you are not there yet. Most families ring because what a parent says on the phone stopped matching what they found on the last visit.
You do not have to have made any decisions before ringing. Describe what has been happening and we will give you a straight view of what would help, including if the answer is less than you feared.
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Before you commit: What families ask us
Do you cover the rural Weald as well as the coastal towns?
Yes, both. Our carers work along the coast and inland across the Weald and the Downs villages, including properties well off the main roads where visiting care would be impractical.
Can care be in place for a discharge from Eastbourne DGH or the Conquest?
Usually. Give us the expected discharge date and we will work backwards from it. Where time is tight we can often place a carer inside 48 to 72 hours.
Will the carer be able to drive my parent to appointments?
Many of our carers drive, which is close to essential in villages with two buses a day. Flag it at the assessment and we will make it part of the match.
Does the carer need a spare room, and what if the house is small?
They need a room of their own to sleep in, which rules out less than people assume. In smaller coastal flats we look at the layout properly at the assessment and tell you straight away if it will not work.
Can I arrange care for a parent in East Sussex while living elsewhere?
Yes, and plenty of families do. Most of the arranging happens by phone, and digital care records let you follow how each day has gone from wherever you are.
