Expect visiting Parkinson’s home care in London from roughly £38 to £42 an hour, and live‑in care from around £1,000 to £1,400 a week. Attendance Allowance often reduces that weekly bill by about £77 to £115. The fastest way to a reliable figure is a written quote from a Care Quality Commission (CQC)‑regulated agency based on an actual assessment of the person’s needs.
TL;DR:
- London domiciliary care for Parkinson’s typically costs £38 to £42 per hour for visiting care and £1,015 to £1,400 weekly for live-in support, both above the UK average.
- Care complexity, visit type, agency overheads, and add-ons like multiple carers or household costs can significantly increase the quote; medication timing requirements also influence visit frequency.
- Applying early for Attendance Allowance can reduce weekly care costs by around £77 to £115, with other funding options like local authority help and NHS CHC available depending on clinical needs.
- Families should request itemized, comparable quotes from agencies, ensuring they include all costs such as travel, food, and household contributions, and verify credibility through credentials.
- London care capacity varies by borough, with shorter booking times leading to higher prices and less availability, especially for special requirements like waking nights or urgent placements.
The UK average for domiciliary care sits around £32 an hour, and the Homecare Association recommends a minimum rate of £34.42 an hour for 2026/27 to keep pay and travel costs sustainable. London runs above both figures. Most agencies here quote starting hourly rates of £38 to £42, driven by higher staff wages, denser travel times between visits, and the sheer cost of operating in the capital.
Live‑in care works differently. Instead of paying per hour, you pay a weekly or daily rate that covers a carer living in the home, with time off built into the arrangement. Advertised London live‑in weeks commonly fall in the £1,015 to £1,145 band, though families budgeting for more complex Parkinson’s needs often plan nearer £1,200 to £1,400.
A quick benchmark set for London in 2026:
Five hours of visiting care a week at £40 an hour comes to £200 a week, or roughly £10,400 a year, before any funding offset. That single sum is often the number that makes families reconsider whether visiting care, live‑in care, or a mix of both suits their budget best.
Parkinson’s is progressive and unpredictable, so the price on a quote reflects far more than just an hourly figure. A handful of factors tend to move the number up or down:
Medication timing is often the detail that catches families out. Parkinson’s medication frequently needs to be given on a strict schedule, sometimes every few hours, and that timing requirement can push a family toward more frequent, shorter visits rather than one long call, changing the weekly total considerably.
Very few families pay the full rate out of pocket without checking what they’re entitled to first. Three main routes exist, and they interact differently with weekly bills.
Attendance Allowance is the one almost every family should check first. It’s non‑means‑tested, tax‑free, and available to people of State Pension age with care needs, regardless of income or savings.
For 2026/27, Attendance Allowance pays either £76.70 or £114.60 a week, depending on the level of care needed, and can be put straight towards home care costs.
Beyond that:
The practical order that works best: apply for Attendance Allowance immediately, since there’s no financial means test to slow it down, then request a council needs assessment, and ask your GP or specialist nurse whether a CHC checklist assessment is worth pursuing.
Numbers only mean something once they’re converted into a monthly or annual figure you can actually plan around. Here’s how three common scenarios play out in London.
Two costs rarely appear on the headline agency quote: the carer’s food during a live‑in placement, and a fair contribution to household bills like heating and electricity. Ask about both before you sign anything, because they can add £30 to £50 a week that catches families off guard later.
Comparing quotes side by side only works if you’re asking every agency the same questions. Use this checklist on every call.
Pro Tip: Get at least two written quotes on the same day, using the same care brief for both. Agencies sometimes quote differently depending on how urgently they think you need to book, so asking twice, cleanly, keeps the comparison honest.
Kells has supplied home care across London for over 30 years, is regulated by the Care Quality Commission, and employs fully qualified, DBS‑checked staff. For Parkinson’s specifically, that experience translates into practical services:
Rather than issuing a generic hourly figure, Kells carries out a personalised assessment before any quote is written, so the number reflects the person’s actual needs rather than a rough estimate.
Care availability in London isn’t evenly spread, and that unevenness shows up directly in price and choice. Central and inner boroughs generally have the deepest pool of agencies, which gives families more options to compare but also pushes rates upward, since staff wages and travel costs are highest where property prices and transport costs bite hardest.
Outer boroughs sometimes have fewer specialist Parkinson’s carers available at short notice, particularly for waking night cover or live‑in placements that need to start within a week. Labour market pressure across the capital means agencies compete hard for trained staff, which keeps quality reasonably consistent but rarely brings prices down.
Timing matters more in London than in many other UK regions. Booking a live‑in carer or a specialist Parkinson’s‑trained visiting carer at short notice, especially around Christmas or during school holidays when staff availability tightens, can mean either paying a premium or accepting a longer wait. Families who can plan even two to three weeks ahead typically get a wider choice of carers and steadier pricing, rather than settling for whoever happens to be free that week.
None of this means London families are stuck with worse options than elsewhere in the UK. It means the quote you receive depends partly on your postcode, partly on how far ahead you book, and partly on how flexible you can be about visit timing. Asking an agency directly about current capacity in your borough, rather than assuming availability, saves a lot of wasted back and forth.
The hardest trade‑off families face isn’t hours versus money, it’s hours versus continuity. A cheaper quote that rotates unfamiliar carers through the week rarely serves someone with Parkinson’s well, since routine and trust affect how safely medication and mobility support actually go. Claim Attendance Allowance early, before the assessment call rather than after, and treat a lower price as a question, not a bargain, until you’ve checked CQC status and DBS clearance yourself.
— Dan
Kells Domiciliary Care is the direct, local alternative to piecing together quotes from unfamiliar agencies. On a first call, you can get a personalised needs assessment, a written quote broken down by hourly rate and add‑ons, and a sample care plan, so you know exactly what you’re paying for before anything is signed. Ask specifically about Parkinson’s‑trained staff availability and medication timing support when you call, since that’s where quotes vary most between providers. Kells’ home care services page sets out the full range on offer, from call‑in visits to live‑in care, and a free home care guide is available if you want to compare options before committing to a call.
Before booking anything, it’s worth checking a few sources directly rather than relying on secondhand figures.
This article is general information, not a substitute for advice from a qualified financial advisor. Consult a qualified financial professional about your own circumstances before acting on anything here.
Visiting care typically starts from £38 to £42 an hour in London, above the UK average of about £32. Live‑in care usually runs from £1,000 to £1,400 a week depending on complexity and whether two carers are needed.
Attendance Allowance pays either £76.70 or £114.60 a week for 2026/27, depending on care needs, and it isn’t means‑tested. Most families put it directly towards their weekly home care bill rather than treating it as separate income.
NHS Continuing Healthcare can fund care, including live‑in arrangements, but a Parkinson’s diagnosis alone doesn’t guarantee eligibility. A clinical assessment must confirm the level and unpredictability of need before funding is approved.
A live‑in weekly rate covers the carer’s presence, continuity, and scheduled time off, but usually excludes the carer’s food and a fair household bills contribution. Always ask an agency to itemise these separately before comparing quotes.
Kells assesses each person’s needs individually rather than quoting a flat rate, covering everything from call‑in visits to live‑in and high dependency care with two carers. Current pricing is available on request through Kells’ home care services page once an assessment has taken place.
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