Don't want to live in a care home? You can still receive supported living services at home.
Supported living services combine suitable accommodation with personal care, allowing people who do not want to live in a care home and who have difficulty managing at home to continue living in their own home or a shared home, with staff visiting to help with daily tasks. The specific content varies by area and individual needs; an assessment should be carried out before arrangements are made.
Machine translation of our Chinese article, without human translation review. Suggestions concerning China remain specific to China.
Automatically reviewed, without human verification. Programmatic checks are not professional review. Seek professional advice where appropriate. Automatically reviewed on 10/4/2026, 7:14:25 AM
Chinese fact summaries and suggestions for China (not a full translation)
Original: Supported living services - Social care and support guide - NHS · Original language: en
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Facts from the sources
Supported living services can help people who do not want to live in a care home but have difficulty managing at home. View source
Supported living services combine suitable accommodation with personal care, and the accommodation can be one's own home. View source
Some supported living homes are shared by 2 to 3 people with similar health problems. View source
Staff will usually visit the home to help with getting up, going out to school or work, and simple tasks such as shopping, housework, and repairs. View source
Supported living services are flexible and sometimes better value than the alternatives, whether self-funded or with a personal budget. View source
Services providing home care must be delivered by a registered home care agency or provider and are regulated by the Care Quality Commission. View source
For older people and families
If an older person does not want to live in a care home but has difficulty managing at home, they can learn about supported living services.
Supported living services combine housing with personal care, so older people can continue living in their own home.
Some people also share a home with two or three others in similar circumstances, looking out for one another.
Staff will visit to help older people get up in the morning and go out to handle matters.
Staff can also help with shopping, housework, and simple repairs.
This kind of service is more flexible, and in some cases it is better value than living in a care home.
The specific services should first involve a personal assessment, then be arranged according to need.
Before using it, ask clearly whether it is self-funded or whether you can apply for a personal budget.
See what care and community teams can do
Before providing such services, each household should be assessed for the older person's ability to care for themselves, the condition of the home, and care needs.
The service content should be written into a personal support plan, covering matters such as getting up, going out, shopping, housework, and repairs.
Shared-living arrangements require assessment of the health conditions and compatibility of the co-residents, and must not be formed solely by disease category.
The frequency and timing of home visits should be designed around the older person's actual daily routine, and leave room for adjustment.
If the service constitutes home care, it must be delivered by a registered home care agency.
In the UK it is regulated by the Care Quality Commission; for implementation in China, local qualification requirements must first be verified.
Cost calculations should compare service packages with care home or long-term care insurance options on a case-by-case basis, and must not simply promote "better value".
The service boundaries should specify which tasks are done by staff and which need referral to medical or professional repair services.
What needs local assessment
The facts in this article are drawn from public information reviewed by the UK NHS in March 2024 and introduce only the concept of supported living services in the UK; they are not current policy in China. Specific services vary by area, and local assessment and regulatory requirements must prevail. For issues such as medical care, level of nursing care, housing safety, and cost subsidies, please consult qualified professionals or agencies before deciding. Specific indicators involving housing adaptations, load-bearing, and slip resistance must also be verified by professionals. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Information from the NHS website is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. This article is an independent Chinese translation and recommendation by this website, not an official NHS translation or content approved by it. Licence: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
Sources
UK National Health Service (NHS)Was this article helpful?
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