Best palliative care platforms in the UK (scored, November 2026)

Key Takeaways

This is a scored list of the best palliative care platforms in the UK: eight introductory matching services, judged on published vetting, fees, flexibility, family support and third-party reviews. None of them is CQC-registered as a care provider for the service we scored. We run Match With Care and put it in the table on the same rules. Facts we could not find are marked not published and score zero. Method: how we score platforms. Live table: home care platforms. Checked 8 November 2026.

The just-in-case box is already on Helen's fridge in Tooting. Purple lid. The district nurse wrote the out-of-hours number on a Post-it that keeps peeling at the corner. Helen's dad is 79. COPD first, then the heart. The community palliative nurse left at eleven. Overnight is Helen.

Marie Curie's key facts (February 2026) put 647,699 deaths in the UK in 2024. Nine in ten people dying today need palliative care. 56% would prefer to die at home. Around 200,000 people a year do not get the end of life care they need.

The NHS page on end of life care at home (last reviewed 22 August 2024) is plain: your GP can arrange community nurses, and specialist palliative nurses visit. They do not stay. NICE NG31 (published 16 December 2015) tells the clinical team to work out, early, what is needed at night. Ask a GP or the palliative team about treatment. We do not give medical advice.

Age UK (updated 18 February 2026) still points families at registered homecare agencies, or at arranging a private carer themselves. If savings sit above £23,250, the council will not help with care costs. Age UK's cost page (updated 3 November 2026) puts privately arranged care at home around £25 an hour. The NHS still prices a paid carer at about £15 to £30 an hour. Attendance Allowance is £76.70 a week, or £114.60 if help is needed through both day and night, or if a medical professional has said you are nearing the end of life. NHS Continuing Healthcare is needs-led. The fast-track route is usually commissioned within 48 hours.

Helen's sister is on the 19:32 from Leeds on Friday. Until then it is Helen and the Post-it.

What are the best palliative care platforms in the UK?

On this 8 November 2026 check we scored Elder, Match With Care, Curam, Live-in Care Direct, PrimeCarers, Country Cousins, Gladys and Care.com UK. Elder leads on published facts, at 95/100. Rank is a score, not a recommendation to switch.

How we scored these palliative care platforms

The CQC (updated 2 November 2026) registers people who carry on regulated activity. These platforms introduce self-employed carers, so a CQC grade cannot rank them.

Each platform is scored out of 100 from facts on its own pages: vetting 25, price transparency 20, flexibility 15, family support 20, third-party reviews 20. Review points need at least 10 reviews and are weighted by volume up to 100. A perfect 5.0 with fewer than 100 reviews earns 12 of 20. A fact we cannot find is not published, and earns nothing. Ties break on review volume, then name. Full rules: platform ranking methodology. We run Match With Care. Its rank is the score. Pages opened for this round are named under each platform. Checked 8 November 2026.

Funding sits in NHS Continuing Healthcare at home. A longer explainer is what is palliative care. This page is the platforms.

Comparison table

Rank	Platform	Score	Palliative / live-in from	Family fee	Reviews
1	Elder	95/100	Live-in from £1,195 a week on the palliative page	One agreed weekly rate	4.8/5 from 905, Trustpilot
2	Match With Care	89/100	Live-in around £1,050–£1,400 a week	15% platform fee on the invoice	5.0 on Google, fewer than 100 reviews (12/20 review points)
3	Curam	88/100	Live-in from £950 a week; palliative page from £850	12% on the carer's rate	4.5/5 from 588, Trustpilot
4	Live-in Care Direct	75/100	From £1,300, or two carers from £2,600	One fixed weekly fee	4.9/5 from 120 Google reviews, as stated on their homepage
5	PrimeCarers	72/100	From £1,050; complex from £1,260	Fee included	4.1/5 from 43, Trustpilot
6	Country Cousins	55/100	Long-term live-in from £1,155; specialist may cost more	Lifetime registration fee (amount not published)	3.8/5 from 108, Trustpilot
7	Gladys	47/100	Live-in from £1,400 a week (£200 a day)	Carer-set rates	No third-party score with 10+ reviews opened
8	Care.com UK	14/100	Not published	Paid Premium to message carers	3.6/5 from 6,405, Trustpilot UK

Checked 8 November 2026. Elder's Trustpilot figure is the 12 October check; that listing failed verification again today. Curam, PrimeCarers and Country Cousins review pages were last opened 13 October. Care.com UK's Trustpilot listing, last opened 21 October 2026, returned 403 today, so the 3.6/5 from 6,405 stays on that check.

1. Elder · 95/100

Why it ranks here. Elder's introductory-agency page states enhanced DBS or PVG, right-to-work, and that it aims to verify at least two professional references before introduction, plus a situational assessment. The palliative-care page, opened 8 November 2026, publishes live-in from £1,195 a week. A live-in carer works alongside the NHS palliative team. The pricing page, opened the same day, still lists a two-week trial, no joining or exit fee, and two weeks' notice. Families choose the carer. Elder says it helps source a replacement. Trustpilot, last opened 12 October 2026, showed 4.8 out of 5 from 905 reviews.

Where it falls short. Elder is not CQC-registered as a provider. Insurance cover was not on the pages we opened, so those points are zero. The same introductory-agency page says self-employed carers can only prompt medication; Elder does not assess qualifications for administering it.

Sources: palliative care, pricing, introductory agency.

2. Match With Care · 89/100

Why it ranks here. We run Match With Care. On the same checklist we reach 89, second in this set, one point above Curam. Our FAQ states enhanced DBS, right-to-work, references, an interview, no joining or exit fee, a platform fee on the invoice, carer swaps at no extra matching cost, and replacement cover. The home care platforms table records that fee as 15%. London and the live-in page, both opened 8 November 2026, put live-in around £1,050 to £1,400 a week. The live-in page lists palliative care among what a carer can help with. Google shows a 5.0 average with fewer than 100 reviews, which earns 12 of 20 review points.

Where it falls short. We are not CQC-registered as a provider. Our own platform insurance cover is not published on our site yet; carers must hold their own public liability insurance. There is no dedicated palliative care-type page. The FAQ does not publish independent verification of a named palliative-training course. Two weeks' notice, or fees in lieu, is the usual standard. Twelve review points against Elder's 18 is most of the six-point gap.

Sources: FAQ, London, live-in care.

3. Curam · 88/100

Why it ranks here. Curam's client FAQ says every carer is interviewed, DBS-checked, right-to-work checked, and must supply two referees. No sign-up fee, no tie-in, and a 12% client fee. Insurance through CFC is on the FAQ. Care advisers are described as available seven days a week for replacements. The live-in cost guide starts ongoing live-in at £950 a week. The palliative-care page, opened 8 November 2026, lists average live-in at £1,127 a week, starting at £850, plus 12%. Trustpilot (NZ listing), last opened 13 October 2026, showed 4.5 out of 5 from 588 reviews.

Where it falls short. Self-managed care is not a CQC-regulated personal-care service. A trial shift is charged. Taking a carer off the platform after 90 days attracts a £750 plus VAT recruitment fee. The palliative page does not name a palliative course Curam independently verifies for every introduction. The family total is the carer's rate plus 12%.

Sources: client information, live-in costs, palliative care.

4. Live-in Care Direct · 75/100

Why it ranks here. The carers page states enhanced DBS, right-to-work, professional references checked, and an in-person interview. The homepage, opened 8 November 2026, publishes standard live-in from £1,200 a week as one fixed fee, you choose the carer, a named care manager, and replacement help. Google reviews are stated there as 4.9 out of 5 from 120 reviews. The palliative page, last reviewed 24 September 2026, prices live-in palliative from £1,300, or two carers from £2,600.

Where it falls short. Not CQC-registered as a provider. No joining fee, notice period, trial or insurance policy was spelled out on the pages we opened. Specialist palliative at £1,300 sits £100 above the standard plan. The homepage Trustpilot widget showed 4.8 from 41 reviews, which would score lower on volume.

Sources: homepage, palliative care, carers.

5. PrimeCarers · 72/100

Why it ranks here. The palliative explainer, opened 8 November 2026, is plain about the model. You choose a self-employed carer. What PrimeCarers checks is identity, right to work, an enhanced DBS issued within two years (or DBS Update Service, PVG or Access NI), and an online interview. Hourly visits at £18 to £25, fee included; a night from £160; live-in from £1,050; complex live-in from £1,260.

Where it falls short. The same page is plain that PrimeCarers does not check qualifications, training or references. Palliative experience on a profile is the carer's own account. The insurance they arrange does not cover clinical procedures. Trustpilot, last opened 13 October 2026, showed 4.1 out of 5 from 43 reviews. No free trial was stated.

Sources: palliative, end of life and hospice at home, end-of-life care at home.

6. Country Cousins · 55/100

Why it ranks here. The live-in cost page (reviewed 13 October 2026), opened 8 November 2026, publishes live-in from around £1,155 a week and states a one-off lifetime registration fee; the amount was still not published. The palliative-care-at-home page describes live-in support. Trustpilot, last opened 13 October 2026, showed 3.8 out of 5 from 108 reviews.

Where it falls short. Not CQC-registered as a provider. The palliative page does not publish a from-price. The palliative-cost article quotes live-in around £1,000 to £1,800 a week; that is a range. Notice, trial, insurance and family online tools were not published. The registration fee costs it the "no joining fee" points. No named palliative course was independently verified.

Sources: live-in cost, palliative care at home, palliative care at home cost.

7. Gladys · 47/100

Why it ranks here. Gladys is an introductory platform. The homepage still lists local carers across BANES, Bristol, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset and South Gloucestershire. The client FAQ, opened 8 November 2026, states enhanced DBS, references, interviews, and public liability insurance. Families choose from a handpicked list. Live-in from £200 a day, which we treat as £1,400 a week. The end-of-life page says all carers have specialised palliative training.

Where it falls short. Right-to-work, joining fees, a trial or free swap, and replacement-cover help were not on the pages we opened. We did not open a third-party review listing with at least 10 reviews, so reputation points are zero. The end-of-life page does not name the palliative course or who independently verified it, and it publishes no from-price.

Sources: gladys.care, client FAQ, end-of-life care services.

8. Care.com UK · 14/100

Why it ranks here. The elderly-care listings page, opened 8 November 2026, puts the average caregiver rate at £15.07 an hour as of November 2026. Families post a job, message, interview and hire. The family FAQ makes a paid Premium membership the gate to reading applications and sending messages. Palliative care appears in some carer profile text.

Where it falls short. The same listings page states Care.com does not introduce or supply carers and does not verify identity or posted information, including condition experience. £15.07 is a caregiver average, not a family from-price. No dedicated palliative service page. The UK Trustpilot listing, last opened 21 October 2026, showed 3.6 out of 5 from 6,405 reviews. A 3.6 rating at that volume earns 6 of 20 review points.

Sources: elderly care listings, family FAQ, Trustpilot UK.

Best-for picks from the same scores

• Most thorough published vetting (25/25): Elder, Curam, Match With Care and Live-in Care Direct.
• Lowest published live-in starting price: Curam, from £950 a week on its cost guide. Add the 12% client fee before you treat that as the family total.
• Most flexible published terms (15/15): Elder and Match With Care, which both publish no fixed term plus a trial or a free carer swap.
• Strongest third-party review points: Live-in Care Direct, on the Google figure stated on its homepage (4.9/5 from 120).
• Published palliative specialist from-price: Live-in Care Direct, from £1,300 or two carers from £2,600. PrimeCarers, from £1,260 for complex live-in.

If you want a CQC-inspected agency instead of an introductory platform, that is a different list: how we rank agencies. Related scored lists: best live-in care platforms in the UK and best MND care platforms in the UK.

The fast-track form is in the same drawer as the spare inhalers. Helen has not filled it in. The 19:32 is still Friday.

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We run Match With Care as an introductory care marketplace, not a CQC-registered agency. If you want us to introduce a vetted self-employed carer, see who is available. We'll tell you the 15% fee before you choose. The live scores sit on home care platforms.