Respite Care

What is Respite Care?

Respite Care is a service to support carers enabling you to take an essential break from your caring role.  The break can be for a few hours, an overnight absence or several days.  The care service is provided directly to the person that is cared for and may be a single service or part of package of support services. 

Respite care is not: the provision of a holiday for a service user or a service to cover a time when you are not available because of your own personal needs e.g. other family commitments, your own health care needs or employment.

Where will the Respite Care be provided?

It can be provided in a number of settings e.g.

• in the home of the person you care for
• in alternative housing where the care can be provided on site
• in a residential care setting
  

How do you get a respite care service through Social Services?

Social Services may identify your needs when an assessment is made of the person who is being cared for.  You may also be referred by a GP, nurse, relative or can refer yourself.

An assessment will be carried out to identify your needs, including the need for a break service.  It is also important to get the agreement of the person you are caring for to accept the respite services that will support your break.  

Who pays and how much?

A carer is not charged for respite care services.

Respite care services provided in the cared for person's own home are free of charge.

Where respite care is given in addition to a regular homecare service, then the additional care will be free of charge but the regular homecare service will be charged for as usual.

Where respite care is provided in a residential care setting, then the charge is payable by the person cared for.  Up to 4-weeks care in a year will be provided at a rate linked to income support payments.  Charges for respite care for more than 4 weeks in a year will be individually assessed under the Department of Health's guidance on 'Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide'.

Is there a choice about how and where respite care is provided?

Respite care will be provided by the best resource to meet the needs of the person you care for.  Depending on the level of care needed this is usually in the cared for persons own home, as long as it does not affect your ability to have a break.
Where needs can only be met by providing respite care in another setting a choice is usually offered depending on the availability of suitably priced accommodation.
An alternative is to make use of a Direct Payment which may allow you to access other forms of respite i.e. therapies or attending training courses.

Can respite be provided at short notice?

Respite facilities are limited and demand can be high, it is recommended to give as much notice as possible.
In an emergency or crisis situation short-term care can be arranged where this is the most appropriate way to meet the assessed need e.g. if you are suddenly admitted to hospital leaving the person you care for without a carer.

Contact details

If you do not have an allocated care manager you should contact the Access Team. on Tel: 01628 683744.  We will record all your information and pass this to the appropriate community team who will then contact you to arrange an assessment.

Alternatively, if you would like us to contact you by phone or email, please complete the details in the Social Services Contact Us/Self Referral Online Form and someone will be in touch with you as soon as possible.

If you are already receiving services from us make the request through the named care manager.  If you would like to notify us of any change of circumstances, please complete the on-line Social Services Change of Details Form.