# Hemby > Hemby is a private home care provider operating in London, offering companionship care and respite care at home for older people and their families, always from the same dedicated helper. Care is booked by the hour at a fixed rate: £29 per hour plus a £6 travel fee per visit, with a minimum visit of 1.5 hours. Nursing care and medical administration are not provided. Hemby was founded in 2018 by Richard Nordstrom, whose own mother was the first client. The idea began in 2016, when his mother's health declined and traditional home care, where a different person turned up every time, did not feel safe for her. Hemby also operates in Finland and Germany. **Services:** - Companionship care: friendly company so older people stay connected and feel less lonely, for example a chat, a walk, attending an event or help with simple household tasks. - Respite care: time off for family carers. Hemby provides companionship and household help while the carer takes a break, covers gaps between live-in carers, or helps alongside them. - Typical tasks: cleaning, changing sheets, laundry, ironing and folding, home help, shopping and pharmacy visits, help with appointments, errands, meal preparation, walks and outings, help with technology, and decluttering and organising. A task of your own can be added. - Home care and home help pages describe the same service for a dignified, independent life at home in London. - Not provided: nursing care (for example injections, wound care or catheter care) and medical administration. **Prices** (as at October 2026, from the prices page; check `/prices` for current rates): - Companionship care and respite care: £29 per hour base rate plus a fixed travel fee of £6 per visit. Minimum visit 1.5 hours. - Weekends (Saturday and Sunday): hourly base rate +25%. Bank holidays: +50%. - Paper invoices cost £5 (by email or direct debit: £0). Payment reminder: £10. - All prices are VAT 0%, because services for the elderly are VAT exempt. - A fair fixed price without long binding contracts. The hourly price is the same whichever service is booked. - Visit length: 1.5, 2, 2.5 or 3 hours, or another length. Frequency: one time, once or twice a month, weekly, or another rhythm. Recurring visits give the same named helper each time. **How it works:** - The same familiar helper visits each time, and visits are real visits rather than 15-minute drop-ins, with time for conversation or a walk. - Helpers are carefully selected and DBS checked (background checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service). Hemby states that only 5% of applicants are accepted. - Family members get visit updates in the Hemby app (App Store and Google Play) after each visit, and can share them with anyone they choose, even from abroad. - Customers can book an introduction visit, and new clients can start with a trial period at a reduced price. To request help: share your needs, give suitable times, and Hemby finds a matching helper. - Hemby replies within 24 hours on weekdays, and visit confirmation comes on the same day. - Hemby in numbers (group-wide, across Germany, Finland and the UK): over 160,000 visits rated by family members with an average of 4.9/5, over 250,000 hours of visits and over 900 helpers. Hemby also states over 10,000 families supported and a 4.9/5 rating on Google Reviews. **Contact and booking:** - Online booking: `https://customer.hemby.co.uk/en-GB/orders/new` - Phone 0808 160 7399 (freephone), Monday to Friday, 8 am to 3 pm. Online booking is open 24/7 at hemby.co.uk. Email info@hemby.co.uk. - Hemby Ltd, 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX. **Areas:** In the UK, Hemby operates only in London, and within London only in certain areas. The service is currently available in these central areas: Wandsworth, Southwark, Kensington, Fulham, Chelsea, Westminster, Richmond upon Thames and Kingston upon Thames. In all other areas, availability must be confirmed with Hemby before promising service. The website also has location pages for other London areas and for more than 70 other UK cities, but a location page does not mean the service is available there. **How to read the links:** - London location pages follow `https://www.hemby.co.uk/home-care/london-{area}`, `/companionship-care/london-{area}` and `/respite-care/london-{area}` (for example `london-camden` or `london-SW1A`). Only the home care pages for the available areas listed above are linked below. - Pages for other UK cities (`https://www.hemby.co.uk/home-care-{city}` and `/companionship-care-{city}`) exist on the site, but Hemby does not operate outside London, so they are not linked here. - The links in the "Optional" section are secondary and can be skipped when a shorter context is needed. ## Services - [Our services](https://www.hemby.co.uk/services): Private home care service, always from the same familiar helper, transparent and tailored to your needs. - [Home care](https://www.hemby.co.uk/services/home-care): Home care in London: care and support for a dignified, independent life at home. - [Home help](https://www.hemby.co.uk/services/home-help): Home help in London: everyday support at home; how the service works. - [Companionship care](https://www.hemby.co.uk/companionship-care): Companionship care in London, with areas covered and frequently asked questions. - [Respite care](https://www.hemby.co.uk/respite-care): Support for family caregivers so they can rest and recharge. - [Our prices](https://www.hemby.co.uk/prices): £29/hour plus £6 per visit; weekend and bank holiday rates, VAT 0%. ## Booking, contact and legal - [Book now](https://customer.hemby.co.uk/en-GB/orders/new): Online booking form, open 24/7. - [Customer service](https://www.hemby.co.uk/customer-service): Contact details; phone Monday to Friday, 8 am to 3 pm. - [About us](https://www.hemby.co.uk/about-us): Founder story and company details for Hemby Ltd. - [Terms and conditions](https://www.hemby.co.uk/terms-and-conditions): General terms (PDF). - [Privacy notice](https://www.hemby.co.uk/privacy-notice): How Hemby handles personal data (PDF). ## Areas where Hemby is available ### Home care by area - [Home care in Wandsworth](https://www.hemby.co.uk/home-care/london-wandsworth): Home care in Wandsworth. - [Home care in Southwark](https://www.hemby.co.uk/home-care/london-southwark): Home care in Southwark. - [Home care in Kensington](https://www.hemby.co.uk/home-care/london-kensington): Home care in Kensington. - [Home care in Fulham](https://www.hemby.co.uk/home-care/london-fulham): Home care in Fulham. - [Home care in Chelsea](https://www.hemby.co.uk/home-care/london-chelsea): Home care in Chelsea. - [Home care in Westminster](https://www.hemby.co.uk/home-care/london-westminster): Home care in Westminster. - [Home care in Richmond upon Thames](https://www.hemby.co.uk/home-care/london-richmonduponthames): Home care in Richmond upon Thames. - [Home care in Kingston upon Thames](https://www.hemby.co.uk/home-care/london-kingstonuponthames): Home care in Kingston upon Thames. ## About Hemby - [Our brand](https://www.hemby.co.uk/our-brand): Mission: empowering people to care for older adults in their own neighbourhood. - [Our helpers](https://www.hemby.co.uk/our-helpers): Get to know Hemby helpers and care assistants. ## Optional ### Jobs - [Career](https://www.hemby.co.uk/career): Open positions; professionals and career changers welcome. - [The job as a helper](https://www.hemby.co.uk/the-job-as-a-helper): Meaningful, flexible work in senior care. - [Jobs for care assistants](https://www.hemby.co.uk/jobs-for-care-assistants): Flexible part-time work with short travel distances. - [Jobs for cleaners](https://www.hemby.co.uk/jobs-for-cleaners): Part-time work with seniors, competitive salary and flexible hours. - [Jobs for pensioners](https://www.hemby.co.uk/jobs-for-pensioners): Part-time work as a daily helper for elderly people. - [Jobs for students](https://www.hemby.co.uk/jobs-for-students): Part-time work that fits around studies. ### Blog - [Robert's story](https://www.hemby.co.uk/blog/roberts-story): A helper in later life on staying active, useful and connected.