Home care · County Durham
Respite care in Esh Winning
A break for the person who usually provides care is the point of respite care, whether that is a couple of hours a week at home or a short care home stay. Below are the 24 CQC-registered agencies that cover Esh Winning; ask each whether it offers this.
Updated 27 October 2026 (CQC register) · Prices: Usual 2026 prices across England
In short
- 24 home care agencies registered with CQC have an office within 7 miles of Esh Winning, and 19 of them hold a Good or Outstanding rating.
- County Durham council has to offer a care needs assessment free of charge, plus a carer's assessment of its own for whoever looks after them.
- Expect the visiting rate, typically around £32–£34 an hour, for respite at home.
- CQC does not record which agencies provide respite care, so ask each agency directly.
Citation: "Respite care in Esh Winning", The Care Panel analysis of CQC register data, Oct 2026.
Types of respite care
There are three main routes. A carer can come to the home for a few hours while you get out, or live in for days or weeks (live-in respite) while you are away. A care home can offer a short stay, usually a week or two and often booked well in advance for holidays. Or there are day centres run by charities or the council.
Paying for respite yourself
Paying privately? Check each agency's shortest visit and how much notice it needs, and ask care homes if they hold rooms for short stays. Visit the home first, and pass on the care plan, the list of medicines and daily routines to help the stay go well.
Ask for a carer's assessment
Funded breaks, personal budgets for carers and other support can all follow from a carer's assessment. As a carer you are entitled to one from County Durham council, free and apart from any assessment of the person you look after; it focuses on how caring affects your life. For advice, call Carers UK free on 0808 808 7777. Requesting an assessment from County Durham council.
Home care in Esh Winning by the numbers
On their CQC registrations, 19 of 24 list physical disabilities, 16 of 24 list learning disabilities and 17 of 24 list mental health conditions. Apollo Home Healthcare Northeast is the most recently registered, joining the CQC register in August 2026. Crescent Homecare Limited has the oldest rating still in force, from September 2018. Dementia appears on 16 of 24 registrations here (67%), compared with 72% in County Durham as a whole. Counting all listed agencies, not only rated ones, Esh Winning (79% Good or Outstanding) is 3rd out of 7 local towns, led by Sacriston (87%). 2 Outstanding agencies are covering Esh Winning, against 3 across County Durham. 17% of agencies covering Esh Winning have a CQC rating from the last two years, against 15% across County Durham. Compare Esh Winning's 95% Good or Outstanding with 97% for the rated agencies among the 189 we list in County Durham.
What respite care costs in Esh Winning
| Visiting care | around £32–£34 an hour |
|---|---|
| Live-in care | around £1,540–£1,610 a week |
| Residential care home | £1,185 a week |
| Nursing home | £1,305 a week |
What Durham County Council pays providers: £22.83 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £857 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £890 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).
Ask every agency for a full list of charges, with weekend and bank holiday rates: hourly rates vary more between agencies than between regions. Homecare Association figure for 2026/27: a sustainable council rate for home care in England starts at £34.42 an hour. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Estimate the weekly cost or see what you might pay
Home care agencies serving Esh Winning
Check with each agency that it offers respite care. Order: CQC rating, then how recent, then distance.
Home Instead Durham
Est. £34–£42/hr
MMAB Healthcare- MMAB Consulting Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
TLC Community Services Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
Social Return Case Management Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
The Care and Support Group County Durham
Est. £30–£37/hr
Potens Dipton Supported Living and Outreach
Est. £30–£37/hr
Excellence Home Care
Est. £30–£37/hr
Dale Care Durham
Est. £30–£37/hr
St Anne's Community Services - Durham DCA
Est. £30–£37/hr
Care and Protect UK
Est. £30–£37/hr
Yeshua Healthcare
Est. £30–£37/hr
Helping Hands Durham
Est. £29–£35/hr
Extra Care
Est. £30–£37/hr
Crescent Homecare Limited
Est. £32–£39/hr
The Integration Trust Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
YS Services Limited trading as Embracing Care
Est. £30–£37/hr
Second to None Care Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Perfect Care - Durham Home Care
Est. £30–£37/hr
Human Support Group Limited - Appleton Lodge
Est. £30–£37/hr
Portland Domiciliary Service
Est. £30–£37/hr
Your questions on respite care in Esh Winning
Where can I find respite care in Esh Winning?
24 agencies on the CQC register have an office within 7 miles of Esh Winning, and 19 hold a Good or Outstanding rating. Which of them provide respite care is not recorded by CQC: ask them.
Is there free respite care?
Free or low-cost sitting services are run by charities and carers' centres. The council can also arrange or fund breaks when a carer's assessment, which you request from County Durham council, shows you are eligible.
When should we book a respite stay in a care home?
Several weeks if you can, and longer for school holidays. Not every home keeps rooms for short stays, so ask when you first call.
Are home care agencies in Esh Winning well rated?
19 of the 20 rated agencies (95%) are Good or Outstanding; 16 list dementia as a specialism and 4 were inspected or rated in the last two years.
Arranging respite care in Esh Winning?
Tell us what's needed once. Featured partners and up to three rated agencies that take enquiries through us reply to you directly, by email.
Care options in Esh Winning
Respite care in nearby towns
- Respite care in Lanchester 3.7 mi
- Respite care in Sacriston 4.7 mi
- Respite care in Durham 5.4 mi
- Respite care in Spennymoor 6.4 mi
- Respite care in Stanley 6.7 mi
- Respite care in Chester-le-Street 7.7 mi
- Respite care in Bowburn 7.7 mi
- Respite care in Pelton 8.1 mi
Provider details from the Care Quality Commission register, updated Oct 2026. Contains CQC data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel is not a care provider.