The cost of palliative care
It can be a very worrying and upsetting time when a loved one is faced with needing palliative care. For many of us during this time, being in familiar surroundings can help to ease worry and distress, and provide the comfort needed.
At Consultus Care and Nursing, we believe life is better at home and for over 60 years have provided compassionate, professional palliative care to individuals in the comfort of their own homes. For us, palliative care isn’t just about managing symptoms; it’s about enhancing quality of life, easing the emotional upset at this time, and ensuring families feel supported throughout.
Understanding the cost of palliative care at home and how it can be funded is important, so you are able to make informed choices for your loved one to enable them to stay at home to receive the palliative care they need. Here we provide useful information on the costs of palliative care, and the funding you can access.
How much does palliative care cost?
Each year, thousands of people across the UK require palliative care, whether for a few weeks or several months. Marie Curie estimated that in 2021, 450,000 people across the UK needed palliative care. For many, understandably, the cost of care and funding options can be overwhelming. Gaining a clearer picture of how much care might cost and what funding support may be available can offer much-needed peace of mind.
Palliative care is highly personalised and tailored to an individual’s needs. Some individuals may only require shorter visits for medication or emotional support, while others may require continuous, specialist live-in care. Other factors such as frequency, complexity of care, and location will impact the cost of palliative care.
For many, staying in the comfort and familiarity of their own home is the preferred choice. The freedom and choice it provides to live life your way is invaluable during this time. At Consultus, we provide palliative care through two services, depending on the level of care required - managed live-in care and live-in nursing. Live-in care involves a professional carer residing in your home to assist with day-to-day activities, personal care, companionship, and standard medication management. However, where more complex needs exist - such as the requirement for injectable medications or advanced symptom management - a registered live-in nurse may be necessary. Our experienced registered live-in nurses are qualified to deliver specialist medical care from the comfort of your home, ensuring that even the most advanced needs are met safely and compassionately.
Your family can experience the profound benefits of one-to-one palliative care at home from £1,575 per week for our managed live-in care service, subject to a comprehensive assessment of your needs.
Alternatively, you may choose to receive palliative care in a care home or hospice instead:
You can expect to pay between £949 and £1,267 per week for palliative care in a care or nursing home based on Age UK’s latest figures. Homes offering more advanced medical support will charge more than the averages quoted above. However, it’s important to remember that care will be less personalised in a residential setting, with residents often receiving care at a ratio of 4:1.
Hospice care is available free of charge through a combination of NHS funding and charitable donations, but whether a stay in a hospice is appropriate will depend on your personal needs and circumstances. Hospices support both adults and children, offering a wide range of specialist services, so it may not be the right setting for everyone. Some people are admitted for short-term care or symptom management before returning home, while others may choose to stay in a hospice during the final stages of life.
If you are worried about the cost of accessing palliative care at home, reach out to one of our dedicated care advisors to discuss your requirements in more detail.
Who pays for palliative care?
There are several funding options available in the UK - both public and private - to help ensure individuals receive the care they need and peace of mind.
Below, we’ve outlined the main ways palliative care can be funded in the UK:
NHS Continuing Healthcare
You may be eligible to have your car fully funded by the NHS through NHS continuing healthcare (CHC). Having a terminal illness may be considered a ‘primary health need’ under NHS continuing healthcare’s eligibility criteria. You may even be ‘fast-tracked’ if your condition is likely to deteriorate quickly. In this instance, instead of going through the usual two-stage assessment process, an appropriate clinician will decide your eligibility instead. It is important to note that you will be assessed on your care needs specifically, not any particular diagnosis or health condition.
If you live in England and are eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, you can choose to receive your funding as a personal health budget instead. This grants you greater control over how to spend the funding, should you wish to receive care at home, for instance.
Local authority funding
You could be eligible for financial support through your local authority if your assets amount to less than the current means tested threshold of £23,250. If they fall between £14,250 and £23,250, you may be eligible for partial funding, with the rest paid for through self-funding. If your assets fall below £14,250, your palliative care may be fully funded by the local authority. To find out if you’re eligible, request a care needs assessment from your local council.
Self-funding
Many families choose to privately fund palliative care, particularly when opting for a live-in private nurse. This route offers the highest level of flexibility and personalisation as you get to choose the type of care, who delivers it, and how it is structured. While self-funding can seem daunting, many families find comfort in knowing they have control over the quality and consistency of care their loved one receives. Here are some ideas on how care may be self-funded:
Using savings and investments
Using any available pension pots
Downsizing your home and using the difference to pay for care
Using equity release if you own your home
If you already have savings, you could purchase something called an immediate needs annuity, which for a one-time fee covers your care fees for as long as necessary.
If you need further help, we’d recommend reaching out to The Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA). SOLLA helps connect families with accredited advisors specialising in care funding, helping you make the best decisions for your circumstances.
How to arrange live-in care
Speak to a Care Advisor
Our friendly, expert Care Advisors are here to guide you through your options, answer your important questions, whilst providing support along the way.
Care assessment
If you would like our managed live-in care service, a Care Consultant local to you, will complete a free assessment of your needs in your home.
Care starts
A fully trained carer will be carefully matched to meet your needs, and will start to provide our high-quality service in your home.
Why choose Consultus Care and Nursing?
One of the longest-established and most trusted providers
Founded in 1962, we have always been innovators in live-in care and live-in nursing. With over 60 years’ experience, we are one of the country’s longest-established, most highly recommended and experienced providers.
Unrivalled choice and control over your care
We understand that every person’s needs are different and every family’s situation is unique. With our choice of fully managed live-in care and nursing, and our introductory service, we offer more flexibility and personalisation than any other provider.
Highly trained nurses and carers
We are nationally recognised for the quality of our nurses and carers. With market-leading training, delivered at our own, multi-award-winning training centre (a Skills for Care Centre of Excellence), they provide exemplary, compassionate care tailored to individual needs, offering total peace of mind for clients and their families.
Expert care and support, dedicated to you
Our Care Consultants oversee our nursing and managed care services supporting only a small number of families. This means our service is truly personal, with unrivalled support and continuity of care. Reassurance that we are there when you need us most.
Family-founded, family-owned
We continue to be a family-owned and family-managed business. The largest wholly family-owned live-in care provider in the UK, we focus on what our clients and their families need from a high-quality care service, not on meeting investors’ expectations.
Download our brochure
To find out more about our award-winning live-in care services, download our brochure below.
What our clients say
"Consultus Care allowed us to keep our Mum at home following a fall and a hip break. This meant that she had a really good quality of life; her friends could visit her easily. It made a huge difference to her to be in her own surroundings.
The quality of care was excellent throughout."
Alison
Live-in nursing FAQs
Live-in nursing is specialist form of care and support, where a registered nurse resides in your home to provide one-to-one medical care around-the-clock. Our live-in nursing service means you can avoid a prolonged stay in hospital or a disruptive move to a nursing home or hospice to get the specialist care you need. Our live-in nurses are qualified and trained to provide support with medical conditions and chronic health concerns, recovery and rehabilitation following surgery, and sensitive and compassionate end-of-life care.
Live-in nursing is suitable for individuals, or couples with complex medical conditions, such as:
Acute medical needs requiring clinical supervision
Post-surgical care and rehabilitation
Chronic illness and disease management
Neurological conditions, such as dementia and Parkinson’s
Palliative and end-of-life care
Recovery support following a hospital stay to transition back into daily life
All our nurses are thoroughly vetted through a rigorous process, including:
Right-to-Work and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks
Registration verification with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
Employment reference checks to ensure a minimum or three years post-registration experience in an acute, community or palliative care setting
Face-to-face interviews to assess suitability, professionalism and compassion.
Whilst we provide you with a couple of nurse profiles to review, our experienced Nurse Consultants will recommend the best match based on your specific needs and preferences. We have over 60 years’ experience of matching suitable nurses that meet our clients’ needs to ensure they have the right level of nursing care.
A live-in nurse typically works from 8am to 8pm, with a two-hour break during the day.
A live-in nurse can provide up to two-night calls per night, which are chargeable. If you require more frequent nighttime assistance, your dedicated Nurse Consultant will review your nursing needs, and we may recommend a dedicated night carer, or nurse.
You’ll need to provide a private bedroom with basic amenities, including a bed and somewhere to store their clothes. They need to have access to a bathroom, but this does not need to be a dedicated bathroom. Nurses will also need access to WIFI to enable them to communicate and complete administration tasks. Most families provide food for our nurse, but if this is not possible, we ask for an £8 per day allowance if the nurse needs to make their own provision.
Our live-in nursing service is highly flexible. Care plans are regularly reviewed by your nurse and dedicated Nurse Consultant to ensure it accurately reflects the clinical support you require working closely with healthcare professionals involved in your care.
Nurses are trained to respond effectively to emergencies, such as contacting emergency services, notifying family members, and following agreed protocols to ensure your safety. Our live-in nursing service is fully managed, so you have around-the-clock emergency support from our office-based nursing team.
The minimum booking for our live-in nursing service is four days.
Live-in nursing can typically be arranged within 24-48 hours, depending on the complexity of your needs.
Live-in nursing care costs from £2,780 per week, subject to an assessment of you or your loved one’s needs.
When considering funding live-in nursing, it is worth noting that in the UK, healthcare is provided free at the point of delivery. If you need live-in nursing at home due to an identified health care need, you may be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding. This funding is managed and provided by your local Integrated Care Board (ICB), formerly the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). This funding covers the treatment, management or prevention of diseases, illnesses, injuries or disabilities, as well as aftercare those living with these conditions. At Consultus Care and Nursing, our Nursing Co-ordinators are here to guide you through your options, so you can make the right choice for you or your loved one.
It starts with a friendly discussion with a member of our experienced Care Advisory team who will talk through your requirements and expectations and guide you as to the suitability of our services. Should you wish to proceed, a Nurse Co-ordinator will discuss with you, and your family and other healthcare professionals involved in your care, your specific healthcare needs to ensure we match you with the perfect nurse to meet your needs. Once the contractual paperwork is concluded a service start date is agreed.
Looking for care?
Please fill out the enquiry form below and we will aim to contact you within 24 hours. Looking to work for Consultus Care and Nursing? Please apply here.