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Home care costs in Middlesbrough: will the council pay?

Care at home in Middlesbrough costs about £27.05 an hour on average in 2026, and Middlesbrough Council will pay some or all of it if a free needs assessment and financial assessment say so. Here’s how it works in Acklam, Linthorpe, Marton, Nunthorpe, Coulby Newham, Hemlington, North Ormesby and the rest of the town, who to contact, and what’s free.

Written by registered care managers in Stockton-on-Tees · Figures checked 27 October 2026 (2026/27 rates)

What care at home costs in Middlesbrough

Twenty-one home care providers cover the Middlesbrough area. Among those that publish prices, the average is £27.05 an hour for visits and £1,446 a week for live-in care. Nationally, home care runs at £26–£38 an hour, and the Homecare Association calculates that delivering care properly costs £34.42 an hour in 2026/27, so Middlesbrough rates are at the cheaper end of the country.

Local averages from the homecare.co.uk Middlesbrough listings, 27 October 2026. Use the calculator for your own hours and savings.

When the council arranges care it pays its contracted providers less than private rates: Middlesbrough reported an average of £23.33 per hour of care for 2025/26, up 8% on the year before. The council buys home care through an approved framework of providers, so if you’re council-funded you’ll be offered a provider from that list rather than any agency you choose, unless you take your budget as a direct payment.

Will Middlesbrough Council pay?

Middlesbrough’s own guidance puts it plainly: the aim is that you “only pay as much as you can afford”. The rules are the national ones for 2026/27:

Your home is never counted for care in your own home. And Middlesbrough is explicit that disability-related expenses are taken off before your contribution is set, extra heating, special diets, cleaning, transport, laundry, so it’s worth listing everything your condition costs you. The council’s Financial Assessment Team carries out the assessment; you apply through the online financial assessment form, ideally with a MyMiddlesbrough account (or ask the Access Team on 01642 065070 to put you through), and you’ll be asked for evidence of income, savings and outgoings. If you’re acting for a relative you’ll need proof of authority, such as a power of attorney.

There are three ways to pay for care the council has agreed you need: fund it yourself; let the council arrange it and pay your assessed contribution; or take a direct payment and employ a personal assistant or choose your own agency. Council home care covers personal care, meals and medication but not gardening, window cleaning, DIY or managing your money.

How to get a care needs assessment in Middlesbrough

1. Contact the Adult Access Team on 01642 065070 (Monday to Thursday 8.30am–5pm, Friday to 4.30pm) or adultaccessteam@middlesbrough.gov.uk. A relative, friend, GP or nurse can refer you, and you don’t need to prove anything about your finances first. Out of hours, ring 01642 524552.
2. The team talks through what’s going on and decides what help is needed, sometimes equipment, a referral to reablement or advice is enough; otherwise a social worker carries out a full assessment.
3. The assessment looks at what you can and can’t manage day to day and what matters to you. It usually takes about an hour, at home or by phone. Ask for a carer’s assessment for anyone who looks after you.
4. If you have eligible needs you get a care and support plan and a personal budget, then the financial assessment decides your contribution. Allow four to six weeks from first contact; say if it’s urgent.

Keep a diary of a typical week before the assessment, what you need help with and how long it takes. Age UK Teesside (01642 805500), based on Ormesby Road, can help you prepare and check your benefits.

What’s free in Middlesbrough

• Reablement. Middlesbrough Independent Living Services, based at Cavendish House, runs a CQC-registered Reablement Team: short-term support at home after a hospital stay, a fall or an illness, aimed at getting you back on your feet rather than long-term care. Reablement is free for up to six weeks under national rules. Ask the hospital or the Adult Access Team.
• Telecare and equipment. The same service runs Connect (24-hour emergency response alarms, a small weekly charge applies), sensory support, and the Staying Put Agency for adaptations.
• Support for carers. We Care You Care is the one-stop shop for unpaid carers in Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland, and Carers Together (01642 488977) has an office at Parkview Medical Centre on Marton Road, offering carer’s assessments, emergency cards and hospital liaison.
• Information. Middlesbrough Matters is the council’s directory of care and community services, and Healthwatch Middlesbrough can help if something goes wrong.

Benefits that help pay for care at home

Attendance Allowance, £76.70 or £114.60 a week in 2026/27, is for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care. It isn’t means-tested, so it’s paid whatever your savings, and at the higher rate it covers roughly four hours of care a week at Middlesbrough prices. Under State Pension age the equivalent is PIP. Someone caring for you 35 hours a week may get Carer’s Allowance (£86.45 a week), and Pension Credit tops up a single pensioner’s income to £238 a week. See your rights & benefits.

Questions people in Middlesbrough ask us

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