Compassionate Palliative Care
at Home across Surrey and London
When someone you love is living with a serious or life-limiting illness, the most important thing is that they feel comfortable, valued, and cared for in the place they call home. Our specialist palliative carers provide sensitive, expert support for both the person receiving care and the family around them.
What is Palliative Care at Home?
Palliative care is specialist support provided to people living with a serious, chronic, or life-limiting illness. It is not about giving up. It is about ensuring that someone living with a condition such as cancer, heart failure, COPD, or motor neurone disease can continue to live as well as possible, with their symptoms managed, their dignity maintained, and their wishes respected.
At SD Care, our palliative care service is delivered by trained carers who work closely with community nurses, GPs, hospice teams, and family members to provide joined-up, consistent support at home. We focus on comfort, communication, and compassion, making sure your loved one is never in unnecessary discomfort and is never made to feel alone.
Palliative care at home is increasingly the choice many families make, and for good reason. Being at home, surrounded by familiar things and the people who love them, makes an enormous difference to how someone feels during a very difficult time.
- Personal care delivered with patience, dignity, and sensitivity at every visit
- Symptom monitoring and reporting to the wider clinical team
- Medication prompts, administration, and liaison with community nurses
- Emotional support, calm companionship, and simply being present
- Practical household tasks to keep life as normal as possible
- Family support, including guidance, respite, and regular communication
When Should You Consider
Palliative Care at Home?
It is not always obvious when the time is right to bring in palliative support. These are some of the situations in which families reach out to us, and where we believe we can make a real difference.
A serious diagnosis has been received
Your loved one has been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition and the family wants to plan supportive care at home from the outset.
A wish to remain at home
Your loved one has expressed a clear wish to stay in their own home rather than moving to a hospice or care facility, and needs professional support to make that possible.
Increasing care needs over time
The illness is progressing and your loved one now needs more support with personal care, medication, and daily tasks than the family can provide alone.
Symptom management needs
Pain, breathlessness, fatigue, or other symptoms need careful monitoring and prompt reporting to ensure your loved one is as comfortable as possible.
Family carers need support
The family is providing much of the day-to-day care but is exhausted, emotionally stretched, or simply needs someone experienced to share the responsibility.
Emotional wellbeing and companionship
Your loved one is spending long periods alone and needs a calm, caring presence to reduce anxiety, loneliness, and distress throughout the day.
Overnight or waking night cover
Symptoms are most difficult overnight and the family cannot sustain the level of night-time support their loved one needs without additional professional help.
Hospital discharge planning
Your loved one is being discharged from hospital and needs a package of palliative care at home arranged quickly and professionally before they return.
Why Choose SD Care for
Palliative Support at Home?
Choosing a palliative care provider is one of the most significant decisions a family will ever make. At SD Care, we do not take that trust lightly. Our carers are chosen carefully, trained thoroughly, and supported closely by experienced care managers throughout. We work as part of the wider clinical team around your loved one, not in isolation from it.
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CQC Registered and Regulated
SD Care is fully registered with the Care Quality Commission and independently inspected. In palliative care, regulated, accountable provision matters deeply. Our registration means we are held to the highest national standards at all times.
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ISO 9001:2015 Certified by DNV
Our quality management processes are certified to ISO 9001:2015, an internationally recognised standard that guarantees safe, consistent, and well-managed care across all our locations in Surrey and London.
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Specialist Training in Palliative Care
All SD Care carers receive specialist training in palliative and end of life care, covering symptom recognition, medication awareness, communication with clinical teams, and how to support both the person receiving care and their family with sensitivity and expertise.
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Consistent, Familiar Carers
We assign a small, consistent team to each palliative care client. Seeing the same familiar faces each day provides vital reassurance, builds genuine trust, and means carers truly get to know and understand the person they are supporting.
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Local Teams Across Surrey and London
With experienced care teams across 30 locations, we can respond promptly throughout Surrey and Greater London. Our local care managers are available to support families directly, not just remotely.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Palliative Care
We know this is an incredibly difficult time, and that you will have many questions. Here are honest, straightforward answers to the ones families ask us most often.
How much does palliative care at home cost in Surrey and London?
Our prices start from £24 per hour. Our fees vary based on specific care needs and the location of the client. You can call us to arrange a free initial assessment or talk to our AI chatbot below for more information.
We always provide a transparent, written breakdown of all costs before care begins. There are no hidden fees, and we will discuss every available funding option with you during your free assessment.
What is the difference between palliative care and end of life care?
Palliative care is a broader term that applies to anyone living with a serious or life-limiting illness, regardless of their prognosis. It focuses on improving quality of life by managing symptoms, providing emotional support, and enabling people to live as well as possible for as long as possible.
End of life care is a specific phase of palliative care that applies when someone is thought to be in the last weeks or days of life. At SD Care, we provide both, adapting our support as your loved one’s needs change over time.
Can palliative care be provided at home rather than in a hospice?
Yes. Many people choose to receive palliative care at home, and research consistently shows that this is the preference for the majority of people when asked. Being at home, in familiar surroundings, with personal belongings and loved ones nearby, can significantly improve comfort and wellbeing during a very difficult time.
Our home-based palliative carers work closely with NHS community nursing teams, hospice at home services, and GPs to ensure the clinical and personal care your loved one needs is coordinated and consistently delivered at home.
Will the carer work alongside the NHS and hospice team?
Yes, absolutely. We understand that palliative care is a team effort. Our carers are experienced in working alongside community nurses, district nurses, hospice at home teams, and other clinical professionals. We document observations carefully, communicate any changes in condition promptly, and follow the clinical team’s guidance at all times.
We can also liaise with your loved one’s GP and other healthcare providers on your behalf if that is helpful to the family.
What funding is available to help pay for palliative care at home?
Several funding routes may be available to you. NHS Continuing Healthcare is available to people whose primary needs are health-related, and can fund palliative care at home in full. Fast-track CHC is specifically designed for people with a rapidly deteriorating condition or who may be approaching the end of life, and can be arranged very quickly.
Attendance Allowance and Personal Independence Payment may also contribute towards care costs. Your local authority may be able to provide a care package following a needs assessment. We will discuss all available options with you during your free assessment. See all funding options.
How quickly can palliative care at home be arranged?
We understand that palliative care often needs to be arranged quickly, particularly following a hospital discharge or a change in condition. In urgent situations, we can often begin providing care within 24 to 48 hours of your initial call.
Please contact us as soon as possible so that we can assess your loved one’s needs, prepare a care plan, and introduce the right carer at the earliest opportunity. We will always prioritise urgent palliative situations.
Do you provide overnight palliative care at home?
Yes. We provide overnight sitting, waking night care, and live-in palliative support. Many families find that overnight care is the most important element of their loved one’s support, particularly where symptoms are more difficult at night or where the person finds the hours of darkness distressing.
Our waking night carers remain fully alert throughout the night, providing reassurance, symptom monitoring, personal care if needed, and peace of mind for both the person receiving care and the family.
How do you support the family as well as the person receiving care?
We know that palliative care affects the whole family. Our carers are trained to be sensitive to the emotional needs of family members as well as the person they are supporting. They will always take time to listen, to update families after each visit, and to flag any concerns promptly so that you are never left wondering how your loved one is.
Our local care managers are also available to speak with family members directly, answer questions, and provide guidance on any aspect of the care. We can also provide planned respite care so that family carers get the rest they need.
Are your carers trained specifically in palliative care?
Yes. All SD Care carers receive specialist training in palliative and end of life care before being placed in this type of role. This covers symptom recognition, safe medication prompting and administration, pain and comfort management, communication with clinical teams, and how to support the emotional and psychological wellbeing of both clients and their families.
Our carers are also DBS checked, fully referenced, and receive ongoing supervision and support from our care management team throughout.
Which areas do you cover for palliative care in Surrey and London?
We provide palliative care at home across 30 locations in Surrey and London, including Guildford, Woking, Godalming, Richmond, Ealing, Chiswick, Kingston, Merton, Bromley, Croydon and many more.
If you are not sure whether we cover your area, please call us and we will do our best to help. See all our locations.
Have a Quick Question About Palliative Care?
Our AI assistant is available around the clock to answer your questions about palliative care at home, including costs, what is involved, funding options, and how quickly we can begin. It is a good first step, but our human team is always just a phone call away if you would prefer to speak with someone directly.
Our AI can answer general questions but is not a substitute for professional care advice. Always speak to a qualified care manager before making decisions about palliative care.