Daytime, overnight and live-in support
Home visitPersonal and live-in care
Live-in care is a carer based in the home. We also offer personal care visits, companionship and overnight cover for families across our coverage area.
This is not an emergency service. If someone has chest pain, stroke signs, severe breathing difficulty, heavy bleeding or collapse, call 999 or go to A&E. We work alongside the NHS, not instead of it.
Live-in care is a carer based in the home. It is the option families reach for when a few hours a day is no longer enough: nights have become unsafe, a parent cannot be left, or going home from hospital only works if someone is there at 3am. Friends Medical GP also arranges shorter personal care visits, companionship, overnight cover and a nutrition visit at the kitchen table.
This is personal care and presence, not a doctor living in the spare room. GP and nurse visits are booked on top unless a quote says otherwise. Carers help with washing, dressing, meals and a safe presence. They do not diagnose, they do not run drips, and they do not replace 999.
Most enquiries come from an adult child, often working, often tired of being the night shift. You can request a call back. We quote after a needs conversation, because a week of live-in care for someone who needs a waking night is not the same job as companionship on a Tuesday afternoon. We would rather lose a booking than send the wrong person.
Services in this family
These are the visits we actually book. Each page says who it is for, what happens, who delivers the care, and the from-price.
Personal Care at Home
Daily help with washing, dressing and the essentials of living — delivered with dignity by trained carers backed by a clinical team.
Home Help & Companionship
Meals, shopping, housekeeping and genuine company — the practical support that keeps small problems from becoming crises.
Live-in Care
Round-the-clock, one-to-one support in your own home — the genuine alternative to a care home, with doctor-led oversight built in.
Overnight Care
A care worker in the home through the night — waking or sleeping nights — so the patient is safe and the family can finally rest.
Nutrition Support at Home
A dietitian at the kitchen table, solving the real reasons someone is losing weight — with a practical plan built around what's actually in the cupboard.
Who this is for
- A parent who is not safe alone overnight, or who needs help with washing and dressing every day
- A family considering a care home and wanting a serious home-based alternative first
- Discharge from hospital where going home only works with 24-hour presence
- Respite: a run of nights so a family carer can sleep
- Unplanned weight loss or a kitchen that is no longer producing meals
When this is not the right service
- An emergency tonight with no assessment — call 999 if they are collapsing or injured
- Nursing tasks such as complex dressings, catheters or IV — those stay with registered nurses
- A request to leave a carer in charge of a person who has refused care
How we arrange care
1. A needs conversation, not a web checkout
Request a call back or call the Lurgan clinic. We ask who the care is for, what nights look like, what the NHS or Trust already provide, and whether the person consents. Live-in care is a big decision. We will not price it from a form alone.
2. We match the service to the house
Personal care visits for mornings and evenings. Companionship for the long afternoon. Overnight as a waking night or a sleeping night — we will not pretend those are the same. Live-in when presence has to be continuous. Nutrition support when the issue is the cupboard and the appetite, not only the rota.
3. Clinical backup sits next door in the same family of services
If the carer notices a change, we can add a nurse or a GP. If the home is no longer the right place, we will say so in the first fortnight review rather than stretching an unsafe plan.
Who delivers your care
AccessNI-checked care staff for personal care, companionship, overnight and live-in. Nursing tasks stay with registered nurses. GPs stay with GMC-registered doctors. Live-in carers have a clinical escalation route through the Friends Medical team. We do not ask a companion to act as a nurse.
Working alongside the NHS
Keep any Trust home-help or reablement package. This is a private arrangement. Tell us the Trust rota so we do not clash. Keep your NHS GP. Social-work assessments, care-home placements and continuing healthcare decisions stay with the statutory services that own them. We can write a letter that describes what we see at home. We do not replace a Trust assessment.
Where we cover
We arrange personal, overnight and live-in care across Lurgan, Craigavon, Portadown and nearby villages, with Banbridge, Lisburn, Armagh and Dungannon arranged subject to travel and availability. Distance, nights and whether a live-in carer can be matched in your town all affect whether we can help quickly. Call 028 9621 1981 with a postcode.
Pricing
Personal care, companionship, overnight care, live-in care and nutrition support are coming soon. Each will be quoted after a needs conversation, because waking nights, sleeping nights and live-in weeks are different jobs. Every figure is confirmed before care starts.
Who we are, and how this is governed
Friends Medical GP is the GP and care-at-home face of Friends Medical Service, based at Southside Healthcare, 41 High Street, Lurgan, BT66 8AH. GPs are GMC-registered. Nursing staff are registered nurses. Care staff are AccessNI-checked. The Lurgan site holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001. Patient reviews on Doctify currently sit at 4.95 from 404 reviews. Domiciliary care and nursing agencies in Northern Ireland are regulated by RQIA. We only promote nurse visits, personal care, live-in and palliative care at home where the correct registration is in place. Current registration details are on our regulation page, and we will not over-claim what is still being confirmed. Live-in and personal care are not sold as a medical cure. They are support in the home, with an honest limit: if the person needs a registered nurse or a hospital, we say so.
Clinical governance, AccessNI, indemnity and the current RQIA position are published on ourregulation page. Health information you send us is handled under ourprivacy notice. The clinic address is Southside Healthcare, 41 High Street, Lurgan, BT66 8AH. Call 028 9621 1981.
Related care
- Nursing at home — Wounds, catheters and injections are nurse jobs, not carer jobs.
- Hospital to home — The first week after discharge often needs both a clinician and a carer.
- Long-term conditions — Dementia, COPD and palliative needs should sit on a clinical plan, not only a rota.
- Areas we cover — See whether we cover the address before you plan a live-in week.
Common questions
How much is live-in care in Northern Ireland?
Live-in care with Friends Medical GP is coming soon. The figure will depend on nights, personal care needs, and whether nursing cover is included. We quote after a needs conversation, not from the website alone.
What is the difference between overnight care and live-in care?
Overnight care is a carer in the house through the night, waking or sleeping as agreed. Live-in care is a carer based in the home across the week. A run of nights is sometimes the right test before live-in. We will say if live-in would be kinder than stacking nights.
Is personal care the same as a Trust home-help?
No. This is a private arrangement. Keep any Trust package you have. We can avoid clashing times if you tell us the rota.
Does live-in care include a GP or a nurse?
Not by default. GP and nurse visits are booked on top unless the quote says otherwise. Live-in care is personal care and presence, with clinical services available from the same organisation.
Can a son or daughter book live-in care without the parent agreeing?
The person receiving care should consent. A family member can enquire and help arrange. We will not put a carer into a house where the person has refused.
Are you RQIA registered for domiciliary care?
Domiciliary care in Northern Ireland is regulated by RQIA. We promote live-in, overnight and personal care only where the correct registration is in place. See our regulation page for the current position rather than assuming a registration number from this article.
Trust
Friends Medical GP
Part of Friends Medical Service. GMC-registered GPs. Doctify 4.95 from 404 reviews. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 at the Lurgan site.
Ready to book your GP appointment?
Same-day and next-day private GP appointments in Lurgan from £70, or a clinician at home if you cannot travel.