Last Updated: July 22, 2025
CCH Group, the UK’s largest home care provider, is calling for greater awareness of care options as poor awareness of care options negatively affects UK families.
Public preference seems to lean towards aging at home. However, due to lack of awareness of the care options available, families often don’t see staying at home as a pursuable option. Each year, thousands of people in the UK are entering care homes without realising that options such as assistive technology and a variety of home care options exist.
New research shows that 97% of people would prefer to receive care at home, yet only around 10,000 people in England currently access live-in care. Comparatively, 400,000 live in residential care settings.
Noble Live-in Care argues that this gap isn’t caused by affordability or demand, but by lack of awareness at key decision points such as during hospital discharge and care planning.
Kirsty Prendiville Lawes, Operations Manager at Noble Care, said, ‘This is a quiet crisis playing out in hospitals, homes and care assessments across the country.
‘Care is still a difficult subject in our culture and one many avoid until a decision is forced. That silence means families often don’t hear about the full range of care options, even though the appetite for clear, compassionate guidance is huge. Some people may thrive in residential settings. But for those who would prefer to stay at home, and deserve the choice, it’s vital they know that live-in care is a viable option.’
Jennifer, age 90, who feels that her care journey was shaped by lack of choice, said, ‘The worst part was thinking I had no choice.
I’d had a stoke and needed more help, but I didn’t want to move into a care home. I didn’t know live-in care existed. No one told me.’
Oftentimes care seekers find that live-in care is excluded from conversations, even when it has the potential to meet an individuals care and support needs. With up to 290,000 people in England self-funding their care and 87% of older adults living in homes with two or more bedrooms, live-in care is both practical and achievable for many.
Live-in care provides one-to-one care round the clock in a person’s home. It allows for the care seeker’s routine and independence to be preserved whilst still giving them the care and support they need.
Care providers like Noble Care are urging a national push to raise awareness and improve access. They recommend that live-in care is included in hospital discharge and care planning, updating training for social workers and professionals, running awareness campaigns and providing accessible and impartial guidance to families before a crisis.
Prendiville Lawes said, ‘We need to reframe how care is talked about – not as the end of independence but as the beginning of a new chapter.
‘Live-in care gives people the chance to stay where they feel most themselves, surrounded by everything that matters. That’s not just better care; it’s the right care.’
If you are looking for care and would like to explore the options local to you, click here or you can read the care directory for your area.
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