Home care in Burghfield & Mortimer, since 1968.
Two villages, joined at the hip by the road that runs between them, both core to our patch. Hourly visits across the area and the surrounding parishes, live‑in care across the wider region.
Speak to us about Burghfield & Mortimer0118 334 7474A working area for us, for many years.
Burghfield Common and Mortimer aren’t one place, but for everyday purposes they’re close enough. The road from Reading runs out through Burghfield Village and Burghfield Hill into Burghfield Common, then on to Mortimer Common a couple of miles further south. The same bus does the run several times an hour. We’ve been visiting families along this road for many years, and the carers covering the area know it well.
Both villages have grown into more than they were — Burghfield Common in particular has nearly doubled in size since the 1980s, and Mortimer has its own surgery, post office, two supermarkets and a railway station. They’re practical commuter villages with active communities. Plenty of older residents have lived here for decades, often with adult children who’ve moved further afield for work.
What we offer here is the same as everywhere we work: a small, regular team of two or three carers who become familiar faces, working from a care plan we’ve built with you and your family. Every carer is directly employed — not zero‑hours. Our team has been with us for an average of eight years.
Both villages, and the parishes between them.
We cover the whole Burghfield parish — Burghfield Common, Burghfield Village, Burghfield Hill — plus Mortimer and the surrounding hamlets. If you’re unsure whether your road is in our area, give us a call.
- RG7Burghfield Common, Burghfield Village, Burghfield Hill, Mortimer, Mortimer Common, Stratfield Mortimer, Wokefield, Sulhamstead, Beech Hill, Padworth
Streets and lanes we know well
Burghfield Common is the larger village, stretched out along Reading Road and Recreation Road, with its mid‑century estates and newer additions. Burghfield Village — the older settlement to the north, near the Kennet — is smaller, more tightly clustered around the church and the pubs. The two are linked by Burghfield Hill, which has a few quieter lanes of older houses set back from the main road.
Mortimer is a couple of miles further south. It’s the kind of self‑contained village that has most of what people need within walking distance — surgery, pharmacy, post office, two supermarkets — with the older streets centred on The Street, Victoria Road and West End Road. Outside the village, lanes wind into Wokefield, Padworth and the woodland between.
For families further into West Berkshire — Aldermaston, Tadley, the villages out toward Newbury — live‑in care often makes more sense than running carers in and out several times a day. Worth a conversation either way.
Hospital catchment
Acute admissions are usually handled at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. We can usually arrange same‑day or next‑day starts when discharge is imminent — tell us when you call.
Funding routes
We work primarily with privately‑funded clients. We’re not a contracted provider to West Berkshire Council, but if you’ve been assessed for council-funded care you can use a direct payment towards our fees. Our rates sit above the standard council allowance, so a top‑up from private funds is usually needed.
Same-team continuity
Every client has a small, regular team — usually two or three carers, the same faces week after week. Cover comes from within that team where possible, not from whoever the agency could find.
Two main ways to bring care home.
We’re a CQC‑regulated provider for both hourly and live‑in care. The right fit depends on what your family needs — from a couple of visits a week to a full‑time live‑in carer.
From a few visits a week to several a day. Minimum visit one hour — long enough to do the job properly. Specialist support for dementia, Parkinson’s, post‑operative recovery and end‑of‑life care.
About hourly careA trained carer living with you, around the clock. An alternative to a care home that lets a loved one stay in their own house, with familiar surroundings, neighbours and routines intact.
About live‑in careClear pricing, no surprises.
Our rates are the same across our whole catchment — Burghfield and Mortimer included. No hidden travel charges, no postcode loading, no setup fees.
Hourly visits
Live‑in care
What people ask us about local care.
Where are your Burghfield and Mortimer carers based?
Most live close to the homes they visit — in Burghfield Common, Mortimer, the surrounding villages, or in nearby Reading suburbs. Local carers mean shorter travel, more reliable visits, and the kind of familiarity that matters in a long‑term care relationship.
Every carer is directly employed by Gardiner’s — not on a zero‑hours contract. Our team has been with us for an average of eight years.
Do you cover Sulhamstead, Wokefield, Padworth and the smaller villages?
Yes — on the same terms as Burghfield and Mortimer themselves. We also cover Beech Hill, Stratfield Mortimer, Mortimer West End, and the parishes between Mortimer and Burghfield.
For homes further out toward Aldermaston, Tadley or the villages on the way to Newbury, live‑in care often works better than hourly visits — the geography starts to make multiple short journeys impractical.
How quickly can care start?
From your first call to a carer at the door, we typically need a minimum of 48 hours. We’ll come to your home for a free assessment, agree a care plan, and introduce you to the small 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 from the Royal Berkshire, for example — we’ll do everything we can to start sooner.
Can I use a West Berkshire direct payment towards your fees?
Yes. We’re not on West Berkshire Council’s contracted provider list, but if you’ve been assessed as eligible for council-funded care and choose to take it as a direct payment, you can put that payment towards our fees.
One thing to be aware of: our rates sit above the standard hourly allowance most councils pay, so direct payments usually need to be supplemented with a private top‑up to cover the difference. We can talk you through the numbers honestly.
Is live-in care a good option for families out here?
Often, yes — particularly for the larger homes and for families further out toward Aldermaston, Tadley and the villages on the way to Newbury. Where running carers in and out several times a day becomes inefficient (and expensive once you account for everyone’s travel), a single live‑in carer who stays often works out better — both for the person being cared for and for the household budget.
Our live‑in catchment extends across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire. More about live‑in care.
How long have you been working in this area?
Since 1968 — the year Dorothy Gardiner founded the agency in Caversham. Burghfield and Mortimer have been part of our patch for many years, and our carers know the road between them well.
A free assessment, at home.
The first conversation is on the phone — five or ten minutes, no script, just to understand what you’re navigating. If it sounds like a fit, we’ll come out to the home in Burghfield or Mortimer for a free assessment, usually within a few days.
The assessment is much more useful in the home where the care will actually happen. We’ll meet your loved one, look at the practicalities — medication, mobility, the layout of the house — and answer your questions. You’re under no obligation, and there’s no high‑pressure pitch.
A quick chat about care in Burghfield or Mortimer.
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.
