Claiming home and nursing care costs
You now need paid or family help at home and want to know what that costs the claim.
Home and nursing care costs cover the value of help with daily living that you need because of your injury, whether paid or from family. They are assessed on what a specialist says you need, not a standard daily rate.[1] The need can be short-term during recovery, or ongoing if the injury is permanent.
How is paid professional care shown?
Where a caregiver, home nurse or care agency is engaged, invoices and a care plan showing the hours are the clearest evidence. A quotation for ongoing care supports the future part of the claim.
How is care from family counted?
Care from a spouse, parent or adult child does not need to be paid to have value. What matters is the medical and occupational therapy evidence of the help needed. It can be reflected even though no invoice exists.
How is family care valued?
A court can generally value family care by what professional care of the same kind would reasonably cost, rather than treating it as worthless because it was unpaid. This depends on specialist evidence of what help was given and how often.
What strengthens this part of a claim?
- An occupational therapy assessment of the daily tasks affected.
- A simple diary of the help given, by whom, and how often.
- Invoices or an agency quotation, where paid care is involved.
- A clear statement of whether the need is short-term or ongoing.
What should you do next?
Ask for an occupational therapy assessment as soon as your care needs are clear. Do not wait for a settled picture.
Claiming for future medical and care explains how this fits with other future needs, and the need for home care covers daily living in more depth. For equipment, see aids and appliances.
Putting a value on care and obtaining the assessment is where an independent lawyer can take your claim on. For first contact, send only the accident date, location, whether anyone was injured (yes/no) and the police report status. Keep details of your care needs private until an identified independent lawyer contacts you and specifically asks you to share them directly.
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
Common questions
Do I need to hire a professional carer for this to count?
No. Care from a family member can be reflected in the claim, based on the medical evidence of what is needed, even if the help was unpaid and informal.
How is unpaid family care actually given a value?
It is generally valued by what equivalent professional care would reasonably cost, applied to the hours and tasks the specialist evidence shows were needed.
What if the amount of care I need changes over time?
That is normal and can be reflected by updating the evidence. An early assessment may show intensive short-term needs, and a later one a more settled long-term picture.
Does this include help with things like driving me to appointments?
Yes. Transport and accompanying you to medical appointments can be part of the care, especially where your injury means you cannot travel safely alone.
Sources
- Civil Law Act 1956, s.28A (Attorney General's Chambers) (accessed 2026-09-22)
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.