From an hour of company once a week to several visits a day, our carers come when you need them. You see the same small team, week after week, so the relationships have time to grow.
When you need a little more support, or prefer to have constant company, our carers can live 24/7 with you at home. It's the peace of mind of full time care, with the familiarity of home.
The fundamentals of good care aren't complicated. They're just hard to do consistently — which is what we've spent more than 50 years getting right.
Our team has been with us for an average of over eight years. They're employed, trained, and treated well — which is why your loved one sees the same familiar faces, week after week.
Time enough to do the job, and to know the person. A cup of tea, a proper conversation, the chance to notice when something's changed. The small things that turn a visit into care.
When your regular carer is on holiday or off sick, the cover comes from a small team who already know your loved one — not whoever the agency could find.
Gardiner's started care for my dad in January 2026, after he had just lost his wife and had progressed into middle term dementia. They care for my dad with empathy, sympathy, kindness and warmth. My dad is now at ease with them and looks forward to them coming.
Gardiners cared for Dad at home in the final year of his life. The team treated Dad with such dignity, warmth and kindness. In Dad's final days, they could not have been kinder. With Gardiner's support we were able to fulfil his wish that he die peacefully at home.
Throughout the two and a half years that Gardiner's assisted my brother and I with the care of our sister during the latter stages of Alzheimer's, their carers and managers provided invaluable support. Our regular carer was a great source of comfort to our sister.
Care should never come with hidden fees or unclear bills. Here's what you can expect to pay — with the full price list available to download.
Gardiner's was founded in Caversham in 1968 by Dorothy Gardiner, who saw that older people in Reading needed a different kind of help — reliable, neighbourly, the sort you'd want for your own parents.
Nearly six decades on, the name and the principles haven't changed. We're still proudly independent and known for the quality of care we deliver. No franchise, no private equity, just a team that's grown up in this corner of Berkshire and South Oxfordshire. We're proud to be one of the top 20 home care groups in the country according to homecare.co.uk.
We're proud of the carers who've stayed with us for years, and the families who've trusted us with their loved ones for longer still.
Our carers all live locally — most within a few miles of the clients they visit. We cover Reading, Henley, and the villages between.
Don't see your village? Give us a call — we cover most of Berkshire and South Oxfordshire.
From your first call to a carer at the door, we typically need a minimum of 48 hours. We'll come to you for a free home assessment, agree a care plan, and introduce you to the team who'll be visiting.
We usually operate with a waiting list, we will let you know how long the wait may be when we do the assessment. If the situation is urgent — a sudden hospital discharge, for example — we'll do everything we can to start sooner.
Continuity is one of the things we're known for. We assign an individual named carer to every visit who gets to know your loved one well - total team size depends on the volume and timing of visits.
If a regular carer is on holiday or unwell, the cover comes from within that small team where possible, so there are no strangers at the door.
One of our care managers will visit at a time that suits you, usually within a few days of your enquiry. They'll listen, answer your questions, and look at the practicalities — medication, mobility, the layout of the house.
You're under no obligation. The visit is genuinely free, and there's no high-pressure pitch. You decide whether and when to start.
We accept direct payments and CHC funded clients. Local authorities typically fund at rates well below our charges, so if you are in receipt of a local authority direct payment it may be necessary to top it up.
If you're unsure about funding, we're happy to talk it through — we've helped many families navigate the options.
You can change a carer at any time for any reason or no reason at all. Care is intensely personal and fit is extremely important.
Within the first 14 days you can cancel at any time, after that we need 28 days notice for cancellations or termination.
Five or ten minutes on the phone. No script, no pressure — just an honest conversation about what you're navigating and whether we can help.
Mon–Fri 7:30am–5pm · Out of hours, leave a message and we’ll call back.
