Short-term live-in care
A trained carer moves in for anything from a few days to several months: full-time, one-to-one support at home, without a long-term commitment. Across Surrey.
“Dad has two fantastic carers. They are very understanding to his needs and moods.” — Frances E, verified review, homecare.co.uk
Understanding short-term live-in care
Short-term live-in care means a trained carer lives in your relative's home and provides round-the-clock, one-to-one support for exactly as long as it is needed: a week of holiday cover, a month of recovery after hospital, or a trial period before a larger decision. When the placement ends, the arrangement ends with it, and there is nothing to unwind. We provide it across Surrey and the surrounding towns.
What's covered
A short stay does not mean a lighter service. Your carer follows a full personalised care plan, which includes the following.
Carers assist with bathing and dressing, unhurried and with dignity.
Cooked in their own kitchen, to their own tastes.
Carers prompt and record the right doses at the right times.
GP, hospital and clinic visits, with the carer accompanying.
Coffee mornings, clubs and friends, so that ordinary life continues.
Laundry and tidying, with the home kept as they prefer it.
Conversation, shared interests and a friendly presence.
Someone is in the house every night.
A full written report is provided when the placement ends.
When families use it
A rested family carer provides better care. A live-in carer takes over completely while you are away, following the routines you have built, so that you can rest properly. Arranging cover is not a failure of commitment; it is what makes long-term caring sustainable.
Short-term live-in care bridges the ward and full independence. Round-the-clock support with medication prompts, mobility and meals reduces the risk of setbacks and of readmission.
Families who are unsure whether live-in care will suit can experience it for a week or two before making any long-term decision. Most find that their concerns settle within the first few days.
When the usual arrangement breaks down, because a family carer falls ill or a private carer leaves without notice, we can have a trained live-in carer in place within 24 to 48 hours.
Coming home from hospital
Readmissions are most likely in the first days after discharge, when medication has changed, confidence is low and nobody is observing closely. Reliable support at home is the best prevention available. A short-term live-in placement bridges that period as follows.
We liaise with the ward, collect the medication list and discharge notes, and settle your relative safely at home, in their own bed, with someone in the house from the first night.
Routines are gently re-established, new medication is organised and prompted on time, and the home is checked for trip hazards such as loose rugs, trailing cables and poor lighting on the stairs.
Daily hands-on support with washing, meals and mobility, while your carer watches for any sign of deterioration and contacts the GP early if anything is not right.
As strength and confidence return, support reduces, because the aim is always independence rather than dependence. The placement ends when it is genuinely no longer needed.
We can assess in hospital, before discharge, so care is in place the moment they come home.
Try before deciding
A short placement is a sensible way to find out whether live-in care suits: a week or two of the full arrangement, in your own home, before any long-term decision is made.
Short-term live-in care
That is ≈ from £1,575 per week, and the same visiting and live-in rates apply, from £22 per visit or £225 per 24h live-in, with no premium for short stays. There are no call-out fees and no hidden charges. Every price is a starting "from" rate, and your exact quote is confirmed after a free physical assessment at your home. Same rates 7 days a week, with no weekend or bank-holiday premiums.
When to book
How far ahead you should call depends on the reason. Early notice helps us match the right carer, and short notice is never a problem.
Holiday, wedding, work trip or a family carer's own operation. Book one to two weeks ahead where you can, because the extra time lets us match the best possible carer to your loved one's personality and routines, and arrange an introduction before you go.
Coming home after a hospital stay or an operation. We can assess on the ward before discharge and have a live-in carer in place within 24 to 48 hours, often timed to the day they come home, so recovery starts in their own bed, not a rehab unit.
The usual arrangement has broken down, because a family carer has fallen ill or a private carer has left without notice. We arrange same-week starts regularly. Call us on 01372 386222 and we will take it from there.
How it works
We visit at home or in hospital, often the same day in urgent situations, to establish what is needed and for how long.
A full care plan built quickly around routines, medication and preferences, with a clear written quote.
A DBS-checked, trained carer can be settled in within 24 to 48 hours of your assessment.
We stay in touch throughout and provide a detailed written handover when the placement ends.
In an emergency, a live-in carer can start within 24 to 48 hours.
"Dad has two fantastic carers. They are very understanding to his needs and moods."
"Overall very pleased with the carers who are polite, caring and really supportive."
Short-term care questions
Placements run from a few days to several months, according to what the situation requires. There is no long-term contract either way: agree the dates that work, then extend or finish as planned. Everything is confirmed in writing after your free assessment.
In an emergency, within 24 to 48 hours of your free assessment, which we can carry out at home or in hospital, often the same day you call. For planned cover such as a holiday, we suggest booking a couple of weeks ahead so that we can match the best carer, though short notice is never a problem.
Yes. When the placement ends, you receive a detailed written handover: what went well, any changes in appetite, mobility, mood or medication, and anything worth watching. Returning family carers tell us that it is one of the most valuable parts of the service.
Yes, seamlessly. Many families use a short-term placement as a trial and then move to long-term live-in care, often keeping the same carer where the match has worked well. Tell us and we will arrange the rest; nothing needs to restart.
From £225 per full 24 hours (≈ £1,575 per week), exactly the same rate as long-term live-in care, with no premium for short stays. That includes your free assessment, care plan, carer matching, backup cover and the end-of-placement handover. See our pricing page for full details and funding options.
Yes, and ideally it should. We can carry out the free assessment on the ward before discharge, agree the care plan with you and the hospital team, and have the live-in carer at the house when your relative arrives home. The first night at home is when support matters most, and with the right planning there is no gap between the ward and the front door.
For most placements, yes: one matched carer from first day to last, which is exactly what makes live-in care work. On longer placements of several weeks or months, carers take planned breaks, and we arrange cover with a full handover so that routines do not slip. You will always know in advance who is coming and when, so no stranger arrives unannounced.
Three things, ideally: the discharge summary, the current medication list, and any therapy plans, such as physiotherapy exercises, wound care instructions and follow-up appointments. If you can send those to us, we arrange the rest, including liaising with the ward, the GP and the district nurses. If the paperwork is incomplete, as it often is, chasing it is part of what we do.
Related services
Short-term care near you
Aims Homecare provides short-term live-in care and respite care across Surrey. Based on Kingston Road in Leatherhead, we are the local team families call for hospital discharge care in Surrey, a short-term live-in carer, convalescence care, or emergency live-in care when an arrangement breaks down.
Every placement, whether a week of holiday cover or three months of post-operative recovery care, comes with a free assessment, a written care plan, a DBS-checked and CQC-regulated carer, backup cover and a detailed handover at the end, from £225 per 24 hours (≈ £1,575 per week) with no short-stay premium. If you are weighing the options, see our visiting respite care for daytime-only cover, night care if the nights are the concern, or long-term live-in care if the need looks permanent.
Many families also use a short placement as a trial before a larger decision, and as a gentler first step than a care home, as we explain in our guide to alternatives to a care home. Call 01372 386222 or book a free assessment, and a live-in carer can be in place within 24 to 48 hours, anywhere in our Surrey coverage area.