Respite Care in Brent: Costs, Funding and 95 Local Agencies (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. Ask the 47 registered care homes in Brent whether they take short stays. 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 the London Borough of Brent, 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. Asking the London Borough of Brent for an assessment.

Agencies covering Brent: the data

Kensington and Chelsea has the highest share of listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding nearby (73%); Brent, at 62%, is 3rd of the 7 towns compared. One rating goes back to May 2018: Striving For Independence Care Solutions. Ask what has changed since. CQC registered LifeCome Care Brent in September 2026, the newest on this list. Compare Brent's 86% Good or Outstanding with 89% for the rated agencies among the 2,431 we list in London. By specialism, 78 of 95 list physical disabilities, 51 of 95 list learning disabilities and 56 of 95 list mental health conditions. In Brent, 82% of agencies support people with dementia (78 of 95); the London figure is 81%.

What respite care costs in Brent

Usual 2026 prices in London
Visiting care	£30–£40 an hour
Sleeping night	£190–£230
Waking night	£240–£320
Live-in care	£1,300–£1,800 a week
Residential care home	£1,456 a week
Nursing home	£1,680 a week

Homecare Association figure for 2026/27: a sustainable council rate for home care in England starts at £34.42 an hour. Work out a weekly cost · What would we pay?

Respite care in Brent: common questions

Which agencies provide respite care in Brent?

95 agencies on the CQC register are based in the borough of Brent, and 59 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 the London Borough of Brent, 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.

What CQC ratings do agencies covering Brent have?

CQC rates 59 of 69 as Good or Outstanding, or 86%. Recent evidence: 16 rated or inspected in two years. Dementia specialists: 78.

Arranging respite care in Brent?

Tell us what's needed once. Up to three agencies that take enquiries through us reply to you directly, by email.

Get local care prices

Care options in Brent

Respite care in nearby towns

Respite care in Ealing 3.6 mi
Respite care in Harrow 3.7 mi
Respite care in Hammersmith and Fulham 4.8 mi
Respite care in Barnet 4.9 mi
Respite care in Kensington and Chelsea 5.6 mi
Respite care in Camden 5.8 mi
Respite care in Westminster 5.9 mi
Respite care in Islington 7.0 mi

Get local care prices See agencies

Respite care in Brent