Over 20 years experience
Live In Care UK wide
Palliative care at home is support for someone living with a life-limiting illness so that they can remain in their own home, comfortable and among the people they know, for as long as they choose. At A Class Care, we provide it as live-in care, overnight care or daily visits, with carers who work alongside the GP, district nurses and hospice teams already involved.
Care can begin at short notice, including where NHS fast track funding has been agreed or is being applied for.
CQC registered
Care can begin within 24 hours
Carers employed and managed by A Class Care
Care Across the East of England
Palliative Care vs End of Life Care
Palliative care begins at any point after a diagnosis of a life-limiting illness and can continue alongside treatment for months or years. Its purpose is comfort and quality of life: managing symptoms, easing pain and supporting the person and their family through whatever the illness brings. It is offered from the point an illness is known to be life-limiting, not only when treatment has stopped.
End of life care is the part of palliative care that covers the last months, weeks and days of life. It has the same aims, with more emphasis on keeping the person comfortable, honouring their wishes about where and how they are cared for, and supporting those close to them.
Receiving palliative care does not mean that death is close. Many people live with palliative support for a long time, and the care adapts as their needs change.
What a Palliative Carer Does At Home
A palliative carer takes on the practical side of each day so that the family can spend their time with the person rather than managing the house.
Personal care is done gently, at the person's pace and in the way they prefer. Meals and drinks are prepared around a changing appetite, in smaller amounts and more often when that is what is wanted. Medication is prompted and recorded, and the carer knows when a change in pain, breathing or alertness means a call to the district nurse rather than waiting for the next visit.
As the person spends more time in bed, the carer helps with repositioning, skin care and keeping the bed comfortable and dry. Laundry, shopping and the general running of the house continue without the family having to think about them.
Alongside all of this is presence. The carer is someone the person and the family come to know, who notices when something is different, who sits with the person when they cannot sleep, and who is in the house so that nobody is on their own.
Clinical care stays with the nursing team. Syringe drivers, injections, catheter care and decisions about medication are carried out by district nurses and hospice at home staff, and the carer follows the plan they set. Palliative home care of this kind works because the two sit side by side.
Live-in, Overnight or Daily Visits
| Who it suits | What it covers | With the nursing team | |
| Live-in palliative care | Someone who's family cannot be there full time but needs support through the day and a presence overnight. | One carer in the home, day and night, with a daily break and a relief carer for time off. | Carer is present for nurse visits and reports changes between them. |
| Overnight palliative care | Someone whose family can manage the day but not the night, or a live-in arrangement with high night needs. | A waking carer from evening to morning, awake and beside the person. | Carer records the night and hands over to the day team and nurses. |
| Daily visits | Someone in the earlier stages, or with family present most of the time. | Set calls for personal care, meals and medication, from one to several a day. | Visits timed around nurse calls where possible. |
The hours between midnight and six are usually the hardest for families. A waking night carer means someone is awake and with the person through those hours, so that the family can sleep and is woken only if they need to be. Where a live-in carer is already in place, waking nights can be added for as long as they are needed.
Working With Hospice at Home and The NHS
Hospice at home services, Marie Curie nurses and district nursing teams provide the clinical side of palliative care: symptom control, medication changes, equipment and specialist advice. Their visits are planned around the person's needs, but they are rarely able to be in the home around the clock.
A Class Care fills the hours in between. The carer follows the plan the nursing team has set, is there when they visit, and reports any change to them the same day. Families do not have to choose between hospice care at home and private care; the two are designed to work together, and many people supported by A Class Care at the end of life have both.
The same arrangement applies whatever the illness. In cancer care at home the emphasis is often on symptoms that change from week to week and on keeping pace with the nursing team's adjustments. In palliative care for dementia it is on communication, recognising distress the person can no longer put into words, and the steadiness of a carer who knows them, which is why dementia care at home and palliative care are so often provided by the same person.
Who Pays for Palliative Care At Home?
Palliative care at home can be funded by the NHS, by the local council, privately, or by a combination of the three. Many people approaching the end of life qualify for NHS funding in full.
Is palliative care free?
Care provided or commissioned by the NHS is free. Care arranged privately is paid for by the person or their family, unless NHS funding is agreed, at which point the NHS takes over the cost of the package it has approved.
NHS Continuing Healthcare fast track
Where someone's condition is deteriorating quickly and they may be entering the final phase of life, a GP, consultant, district nurse, hospice team or hospital discharge team can complete a fast track application for NHS Continuing Healthcare. The care package should then be in place within 48 hours. Fast track funding is not means tested: savings, income and property are not taken into account. A Class Care provides care under CHC fast track packages which can begin privately while an application is being processed so that there is no gap in support.
Council funding
Where NHS funding does not apply, the local council may contribute after a needs assessment and a financial assessment. The contribution depends on the person's savings and income.
Private palliative care at home
Privately arranged care is charged at the same live-in, overnight or hourly rates as any other live-in care costs, with no premium for palliative needs. A written quote is provided before care begins.
People who are terminally ill can also claim Attendance Allowance or Personal Independence Payment under the special rules, which fast-track the application and do not require the usual waiting period.
Why Choose A Class Care for Palliative Care?
Award-winning Care
A Class Care has been recognised by the Home Care Awards in 2024 and 2026. Read more about our awards.
We are proud of our awards, but what matters most to us is the care and support we provide every day.
We put the needs of our clients first and work closely with our clients and their families to provide a service that feels personal, safe and reliable during a difficult time.
Technology That Keeps Families Informed
We use a secure online care platform to record care notes, care plans and medication information.
Where consent has been provided, authorised family members can access relevant care updates. This gives families peace of mind and helps them remain involved in the care of their loved ones.
Our carers can also provide support with:
Online video calls with family and friends
Online shopping
Electronic mediciation records
Recording daily care notes
Sharing important updates with the care management team
Our technology supports good communication, but it does not replace personal contact. Our care managers and carers will continue speaking directly with clients, families and the professionals involved in their care.
Local Care Management
Our clients are supported by local care managers who understand the communities in which they work.
Our teams have links with GPs, pharmacies, assistive technology services and local community groups. Where appropriate and with your consent, we can work alongside the health and social care professionals involved in your care.
These local connections help us provide joined-up support and enhance your care experience, enabling you or your loved one to remain safely at home.
Your Care Starts in Three Simple Steps
1. Speak to Our Team
Tell us about your current situation, how quickly you need the support and who the support is needed for.
2. Arrange a Free Care Assessment
We will arrange a free assessment covering mobility, medication, medical conditions, the layout of the home and who else is involved. A visit to the home is arranged as soon as time allows, and in many cases takes place before the carer starts.
3. Receive Care at Home
Once your assessment and care plan have been completed and we have found a suitable carer, we can arrange for your care to begin which may be available within 24 hours, subject to assessment and carer availability.
Speak to Our Team
Few families make this call with any preparation. It usually comes after a difficult conversation with a doctor, or in the middle of a hospital stay, when the only thing that is clear is that the person wants to be at home. A Class Care has supported many families through exactly this, and the first conversation is as much about listening as it is about arranging care. It can happen over the phone, at the house or at the hospital bedside, at whatever time of day suits, and there is no obligation to go further.
Care is provided across Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon, St Neots, Peterborough, Bedford, Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich, Norwich and the surrounding areas.
Speak to our friendly team today to find out how we could help you or your loved one.
