Live-in Care in Worthing

Live-in care means a trained carer moves into your relative's home and provides support around the clock — including overnight cover, personal care, meal preparation, medication prompts, and companionship. For families in Worthing, it is often the point at which the question 'how do we keep Mum or Dad at home safely?' becomes answerable in practical terms. Worthing is a coastal town with a notably older population; many families here are managing progressive conditions such as dementia, Parkinson's disease, or the aftermath of a stroke, and they find that the care needs they are dealing with today are unlikely to remain static. Live-in care is well-suited to that reality, because one consistent carer who knows the home, the routines, and the person can adapt as things change — rather than a family having to restart the search for support each time needs increase. Choosing live-in care is not a small decision. It involves cost, logistics, and a degree of trust that takes time to build. There are approximately 47 CQC-registered home care agencies operating in the Worthing area, and the variation between them — in experience, in the conditions they routinely support, and in how they manage live-in placements specifically — is meaningful. CareAH is a marketplace that connects families to CQC-registered agencies; it does not deliver care itself, but it is designed to make comparing your options in Worthing more straightforward at what is, for most families, an already demanding time.

Worthing Hospital, run by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, is the main acute hospital serving Worthing and the surrounding areas of West Sussex. When an older person is admitted — following a fall, a stroke, a urinary tract infection that has escalated, or a surgical procedure — the discharge planning process begins relatively early in the admission, and the route home is shaped by clinical and social care assessment. NHS England's hospital discharge framework uses a pathway model ^[8]. Pathway 0 covers people who can return home without additional support. Pathway 1 covers those who need some support at home — this is where live-in care frequently becomes relevant. Pathway 2 involves short-term bed-based rehabilitation, and Pathway 3 is for those who need a higher level of residential nursing care. The Discharge to Assess (D2A) model means that for many people, detailed assessment of long-term needs happens after they have returned home rather than while they are still in hospital. This is worth understanding, because it means the care package in place in the first few weeks after discharge may not reflect the full picture of what your relative will need over the coming months. West Sussex County Council holds responsibility for adult social care in this area, and their social workers may be involved in discharge planning from Worthing Hospital. If the person being discharged has complex health needs, a Checklist assessment for NHS Continuing Healthcare may be initiated before they leave hospital — this can determine whether the NHS, rather than the individual, funds the care package ^[2][3]. Families should not assume this assessment will happen automatically; it is reasonable to ask the ward team directly whether it has been considered.

A live-in care agency should be able to tell you clearly how it recruits, trains, and supervises its carers — not in broad terms, but in specifics. Here are practical things to look for and questions to ask:

• CQC registration is not optional. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 ^[6], it is a criminal offence for any provider to deliver regulated personal care in England without being registered with the Care Quality Commission ^[4]. Every agency listed on CareAH is CQC-registered. An unregistered agency is operating illegally, regardless of how it presents itself.
• Check the CQC rating yourself. Ratings are publicly searchable on the CQC website ^[4]. Look at the date of the most recent inspection and read the report, not just the headline rating — the detail often tells you more.
• Ask about continuity. With live-in care, consistency matters. Ask how the agency handles carer illness, annual leave, and handover periods. What notice will you receive, and how is cover arranged?
• Ask about experience with your relative's specific condition. A carer supporting someone with advancing dementia needs different skills to one supporting someone recovering from a hip replacement.
• Understand the contract terms. Notice periods, cost increases, and what happens if the arrangement is not working — these should be in writing before anything is agreed.
• Ask how the agency responds to health deterioration. What is the protocol if the carer is concerned that your relative's condition has changed? Who is contacted, and how quickly?
• Confirm what is and is not included in the weekly fee. Some costs — food, transport, night-time support arrangements — vary between agencies.

Funding live-in care in Worthing involves several possible routes, and in practice many families use a combination.

Local authority funding: West Sussex County Council has a legal duty under the Care Act 2014 ^[5] to carry out a needs assessment for anyone who appears to need care and support. If your relative is assessed as having eligible needs and their finances fall below the relevant thresholds, the council may contribute to costs. The current capital thresholds are: if savings and assets exceed £23,250, your relative is expected to fund their own care; below £14,250, capital is disregarded for means-testing purposes ^[1]. Assets between those two figures are partially taken into account. For a needs assessment, search 'West Sussex County Council adult social care' for current contact details and opening hours.

NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC): Where care needs are primarily health-related and meet the eligibility criteria, the NHS funds the full cost of care — including live-in care at home — through CHC ^[2][3]. This is assessed by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. Free independent advice on CHC is available from Beacon ^[10].

Direct Payments: If your relative qualifies for local authority funding, they may be able to receive a Direct Payment ^[9] and use it to arrange their own live-in care rather than accepting a council-commissioned package.

Self-funding: Many families in Worthing fund live-in care privately, at least initially, while longer-term funding routes are being explored.