Home & Visiting Care in Exeter

Exeter • Devon

Flexible visiting care at home in Exeter

Not everyone needs round-the-clock support. For many people in Exeter, the right help is a familiar face who calls in at the right moments: a hand with the morning wash, a prompt to take medication, a hot meal at lunchtime, or a friendly check before bed. Visiting care is built exactly for that. It can be as light as a single 30-minute call a day or as involved as several visits from morning to night, and it grows and shrinks with the person rather than locking them into a fixed package. Protocol Healthcare Services has spent more than a decade arranging this kind of flexible, hourly care, and we bring the same standards to Exeter that we apply everywhere we work.

We are open about how we operate. Our offices are in the South of England, so we do not run a high-street branch in Exeter itself. What we do run is a genuinely national service, coordinating vetted, background-checked Care Professionals wherever they are needed. Every carer we place has completed enhanced DBS and right-to-work checks, references and training before they start, and a consultant is on hand around the clock, so a family in St Thomas, Whipton or Topsham gets the same reassurance as those on our own doorstep.

What visiting care in Exeter can include

• ✓ Short calls from 30 minutes, or several visits a day
• ✓ Help getting up, washing, dressing and continence care
• ✓ Medication prompts and reminders
• ✓ Meal preparation and help with eating and drinking
• ✓ Light housework, laundry and shopping
• ✓ Drop-in and welfare check-in visits
• ✓ Companionship, walks and lifts to appointments
• ✓ Bedtime and settling calls

Care that fits your day, across Exeter

The point of visiting care is that it works around real life. Someone in a Georgian flat in St Leonard's may only want a morning call to help start the day; a couple in a bungalow in Pinhoe might prefer a lunchtime and a teatime visit; a person recovering after an illness in Exwick could need four calls a day for a few weeks and then far fewer once they are back on their feet. We plan the rota with you and the person receiving care, and we keep the same small team of carers visiting wherever we can, so trust and routine build over time rather than a stranger arriving each day.

Local knowledge across Exeter

Exeter is the cathedral city and county town of Devon, a compact place on the River Exe with distinct communities that each have their own rhythm. We arrange visiting care right across the city, from the centre and the historic Quayside in EX1 to Heavitree and Whipton in the east, across the river to St Thomas, Exwick and Alphington, up to Pennsylvania and Duryard, and out to Countess Wear and Topsham near the estuary. Practical things matter in a city like Exeter, from parking near the older terraces to the timing of calls around the school run and city-centre traffic, and we factor them in when we build a schedule so visits actually land when they are needed.

Visiting care is also one of the best ways to support someone coming home after a hospital stay. The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital at Wonford, part of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, discharges many local people who are well enough to be home but not yet fully back to themselves. A few daily calls to help with medication, meals and washing can make the difference between a steady recovery and an avoidable return to hospital, and we liaise with community teams to keep everyone informed.

Funding and the cost of visiting care in Exeter

Visiting care is usually charged by the hour or by the visit, so it is often the most cost-effective way to get regular support, and you only pay for the time you actually need. We agree a clear schedule and rate before anything starts. Many Exeter families self-fund, but you may be entitled to help: Devon County Council can carry out a free care needs assessment followed by a financial assessment, while Exeter City Council handles district services such as housing. Our team is always happy to explain how the routes fit together, and you can read more on our paying for care guide.

More than home care: staffing for Exeter providers

Alongside care for families, we are also an REC-affiliated healthcare staffing agency with national reach. Care homes, supported living services and NHS teams across Exeter rely on us for dependable cover, from NMC-registered nurses and support workers to mental health and learning disability specialists. If you run a service in and around Exeter, see our staffing services overview.

Areas of Exeter we cover for visiting care

We arrange hourly visiting care at home across the city and its surrounding communities, including:

• St Leonard's
• Heavitree
• St Thomas
• Pennsylvania
• Exwick
• Whipton
• Pinhoe
• Alphington
• Wonford
• Topsham
• Countess Wear
• St James