Pangbourne is where we train our carers.
Our Pangbourne office is the home of our live‑in care service and our training centre — the place every Gardiner’s carer comes to learn the work properly. We also cover the village and the surrounding area for hourly visits.
Speak to us about Pangbourne0118 334 7474The home of our live‑in service.
Pangbourne is where Gardiner’s live‑in care is run from — the office, the placements, the matching, the day‑to‑day support of the carers who live with our clients across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire.
It’s also our training centre. Every Gardiner’s carer — live‑in or hourly — spends time here before they ever set foot in a client’s home. Manual handling, medication, dementia, end‑of‑life care, the practical small things that matter to whoever’s being cared for: it’s where we hold ourselves to a standard rather than hoping a one‑day induction will do. We’ve seen what happens elsewhere when training is treated as an afterthought, and we’re not interested in that model.
For Pangbourne families, the practical upshot is two things. First, we cover the village and the surrounding area for hourly visits the same way we do anywhere else. Second — if live‑in care is the right answer for your situation — you’re working with the team who actually run that service, in person, just down the road.
Hourly visits locally, live‑in care across the region.
Two different catchments come out of this office. Hourly visits cover Pangbourne and the surrounding parishes. Live‑in care reaches considerably further — across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire — because a live‑in carer travels to one home and stays.
- RG8Pangbourne, Goring, Streatley, Whitchurch‑on‑Thames, Purley‑on‑Thames, Tidmarsh, Basildon
- RG7Burghfield, Mortimer, Bradfield, Sulham, Theale — the West Berkshire villages south of Pangbourne
- RG31Tilehurst and Calcot — the western edge of Reading
Villages and lanes we know well
Pangbourne itself — the streets behind the high street, the lanes running down to the river, the houses set back from Reading Road and Whitchurch Road. Just upriver, Goring and Streatley are core to what we do: we’ve been visiting families in both villages for many years, and they’re close enough to feel as familiar as Pangbourne does.
South Oxfordshire is part of our patch too. Across the toll bridge, Whitchurch‑on‑Thames is in Oxfordshire but practically inseparable from Pangbourne; we cover it the same way. The same goes for Goring Heath, Mapledurham, and the smaller parishes inland.
South of Pangbourne, we cover the West Berkshire villages: Tidmarsh, Sulham, Bradfield, Theale, then on to Burghfield and Mortimer. They’re a meaningful drive from the office — but we plan visits in clusters, and most of the carers covering this area live close to the homes they visit.
Hospital discharge
Most Pangbourne residents are discharged from the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. We can usually arrange a same‑day or next‑day start 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. Because our rates sit above the standard council allowance, a top‑up from private funds is usually needed. We’re happy to talk through the numbers.
A small, regular team
Every Pangbourne 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. Live‑in is run from this office, so if it’s the right answer for your family, you’re working with the team who deliver it day‑to‑day.
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. Run from our Pangbourne office, with carers placed across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire. An alternative to a care home that lets a loved one stay in their own house.
About live‑in careClear pricing, no surprises.
Our rates are the same across our whole catchment — Pangbourne included. No hidden travel charges, no postcode loading despite the longer drive, no setup fees.
Hourly visits
Live‑in care
What people ask us about local care.
What does your training involve?
Every Gardiner’s carer — live‑in or hourly — spends time at our Pangbourne training centre before they ever set foot in a client’s home. Manual handling, medication, dementia, end‑of‑life care, safeguarding, the practical realities of working in someone else’s house with respect.
It’s a meaningful body of training rather than a one‑day induction, and it carries on after the initial period — refreshers, specialist modules, and ongoing support from senior staff. We’re happy to talk through it in detail if it would help.
Do you cover Goring, Streatley, and the Oxfordshire side?
Yes — all core areas for us. Goring and Streatley are easy reaches from the Pangbourne office, and we’ve been visiting families in both villages for years. South Oxfordshire is part of our patch too, including Whitchurch‑on‑Thames over the toll bridge, Goring Heath, Mapledurham, and the inland parishes.
Live‑in care reaches further again — well into Oxfordshire and beyond.
How quickly can care start in Pangbourne?
For hourly visits, 48 hours is typical from your first call to a carer at the door. 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. Hospital discharges from the Royal Berkshire can often be next‑day.
Live‑in care usually takes a little longer to set up properly — we want time to match the right carer to your situation rather than rush it — but in urgent cases we can sometimes start within a few days.
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 — including, where it makes sense, pointing you toward providers whose rates match the council allowance more closely.
Can I visit the Pangbourne office?
Yes, by appointment. We’re happy to show families round the office and the training centre — particularly if you’re considering live‑in care and want to meet the team who’d be running the placement.
That said, almost everyone we work with would rather we came to them first. The free assessment is much more useful in the home where the care will actually happen.
Where do your live-in carers go?
Live‑in care is run from this office, with carers placed across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire. Our catchment for live‑in is meaningfully wider than for hourly visits, because a live‑in carer travels to one home and stays — the geography of the rota matters less.
If you’re outside our hourly area but interested in live‑in care, please call. More about live‑in care.
Our Pangbourne office & training centre.
The office sits on Reading Road, the main road through the village. It’s where our live‑in care team works, where we hold training, and where families considering live‑in care often visit before deciding.
You’re welcome to drop in by appointment. Most enquiries are faster on the phone — we’ll usually pick up within a few rings.
A quick chat about care in Pangbourne.
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.
