End of life care
Gentle end of life care at home across Surrey, in the place your relative knows best: a calm, experienced presence through the final weeks and days, so that your family can be together.
“Overall very pleased with the carers who are polite, caring and really supportive.” — H B, verified review, homecare.co.uk
End of life care at home
When someone is in their final weeks and days, what matters becomes very simple: to be comfortable, to be at home, and to have the people they love close by. Our carers make that possible by quietly taking on the personal care, the nights and the practical tasks, so that the time remaining is spent together rather than on arrangements. End of life care at home is different from palliative care, which supports someone living with a life-limiting illness, often for months or years. We provide both across Surrey and the surrounding towns.
Why being at home matters
Around 600,000 people who die each year in the UK need palliative care, an estimated 90% of all deaths (Marie Curie, 2023). When people are asked where they would want their final weeks to be, the answer is overwhelmingly at home. The reality is often different, usually because the right support is not in place. Narrowing that gap is what end of life care at home exists to do.
Of people who expressed a preference about where to die (ONS National Survey of Bereaved People)
Source: ONS National Survey of Bereaved People (VOICES). Among people whose preference was known, 79% wanted to die at home; only half of them did, and 35% died in hospital instead. With planned care and night cover at home, and fast-track NHS funding in place, that wish is almost always achievable.
What's included
Every care plan follows your relative's wishes and the clinical team's guidance. Our carers are chosen for calm and experience, and every Aims carer wears our green uniform, so you always know who is at the door. Typical support includes the following.
Carers assist with washing and freshening up, with patience and complete dignity.
Carers reposition carefully and regularly to keep rest comfortable and the skin healthy.
Mouth care and small sips of fluid, which matter greatly in the final days.
Prompts and support alongside the district nurses' comfort plan.
Sleeping or waking nights, so that no one in the house lies awake alone.
Someone to sit close by, to hold a hand, or simply to be near.
Laundry, fresh bedding and a calm home, all taken care of for you.
Honest answers, kind company and time for everyone in the household.
Rituals, music, visitors and quiet, exactly as your family wishes.
Working as one team
Good end of life care is never one organisation's responsibility. We work alongside the clinical teams already caring for your relative and take on the practical work, so that the family can be family.
The clinical plan belongs to the nurses and doctors, and we follow it faithfully. Our carers prepare for their visits, report changes in comfort or breathing promptly, and make sure nothing is missed between one professional's visit and the next.
Many families also have hospice-at-home support for symptom control and specialist advice. We coordinate directly with them so that care is continuous and never duplicated, giving one shared picture of how your relative is day by day.
Marie Curie nurses and Macmillan professionals often join the team in the final weeks. We work around their shifts and their guidance, filling the hours in between so there is always someone kind and capable in the house.
You should not have to be the nurse, the coordinator and the night shift as well. We take on the lifting, the laundry and the long nights, so that you can be the daughter, the son, the husband or the wife, present for the moments that matter.
End of life care often qualifies for fast-track NHS Continuing Healthcare, funding that covers care in full, is not means-tested, and is usually decided within days. Read more about funding, and we will help you apply.
End of life care at home
Sleeping nights from £150 per night, waking nights from £29 per hour, live-in care from £225 per 24 hours (around £1,575/week). Every price is a "from" rate, and your exact quote is confirmed after a free physical assessment at your loved one's home. Same rates 7 days a week, with no weekend or bank-holiday premiums. Fast-track NHS Continuing Healthcare often covers end of life care in full, with decisions in days, and we will help you apply. There are no call-out fees and no hidden charges.
How it begins
Call our Surrey care team and tell us what is happening. We will listen first, then explain what is possible, including funding.
At home, in hospital or at the hospice, with the family and, wherever possible, the nurses together.
Comfort, routines, faith, visitors and quiet, written down clearly, alongside the clinical plan.
Care usually begins within 24 to 48 hours, and end of life referrals are always prioritised. We adjust quickly as needs change.
"Overall very pleased with the carers who are polite, caring and really supportive."
Noted the smooth transition between carers, and the manager's attentiveness throughout his father's care.
Rated 9.3/10 from 50 reviews. Read all our verified reviews on homecare.co.uk.
End of life care questions
Palliative care supports someone living well with a life-limiting illness, managing symptoms and quality of life, sometimes for years. End of life care is for the final weeks and days, when the focus narrows to comfort, dignity and being together. Many families move gently from one to the other with the same carers, so that nothing has to be rebuilt at the most difficult time.
Usually within 24 to 48 hours of your free assessment, and end of life referrals are always prioritised. If your relative is waiting to come home from hospital or a hospice, we can assess them there so that everything is in place on the day they return home.
Often, yes. Fast-track NHS Continuing Healthcare fully funds care when someone is approaching the end of life. It is not means-tested, a GP, consultant or nurse completes the application, and decisions usually come within days. Once it is agreed, care at home is covered in full. We help families through the process: see our funding guide or ask at your assessment.
Yes. A sleeping night carer (from £150 per night) stays and is on hand if needed; a waking night carer (from £29 per hour) remains awake throughout for repositioning, medication and comfort. Both cover 10pm to 7am, both are "from" rates confirmed at your free home assessment, and the same rates apply 7 days a week. Many families tell us that night cover is what finally allows them to sleep, knowing someone calm is beside their relative.
Yes. That is how almost all of our end of life care at home works. We follow the clinical plan set by the district nurses and GP, coordinate with hospice-at-home, Marie Curie and Macmillan teams, and keep one shared picture of your relative's comfort. You do not have to coordinate the different teams; we do that with them.
Yes. Our involvement does not simply stop. In the days that follow we help with the practical arrangements, and our office team, who will have come to know your family, remain at the end of the telephone. Many families keep in touch long afterwards.
Related services
Local to you
For more than 15 years, Aims Homecare has helped Surrey families keep a loved one at home for their final weeks, providing end of life care in Surrey and gentle overnight and live-in support. Because we are a local Surrey team rather than a national franchise, the same small group of carers stays with your family throughout, and the office that answers the telephone knows your name. End of life care at home starts from £28 per hour, with sleeping nights from £150 per night, waking nights from £29 per hour and live-in care from £225 per 24 hours (around £1,575 per week), every price a "from" rate, confirmed after a free physical assessment at home, with the same rates 7 days a week and no weekend premiums. Fast-track NHS Continuing Healthcare often covers it in full, with decisions in days. Our funding guide explains how, and we will help you apply.
If your relative is living with a life-limiting illness but is not yet in their final weeks, our palliative care at home may be the better place to start, and the same carers can stay with you as needs change. If the evenings and nights are the hardest part, night care can cover them specifically. Whenever you are ready, it begins with one quiet conversation. Call us on 01372 386222.