Home care · London
Respite care in Chelsea
Respite care gives a family carer time off: it can be a few hours each week at home, or a brief stay in a care home. 34 agencies registered with CQC cover Chelsea. Check with each one that it provides this kind of care.
CQC register data as of 27 October 2026 · Prices: Prices typically seen in London in 2026
Key points
- Of the 34 CQC-registered agencies that have an office within 2 miles of Chelsea, 23 have a Good or Outstanding rating.
- Respite at home typically costs the same as ordinary visits: about £30–£40 an hour. Short stays in the 16 local care homes are charged weekly.
- CQC does not record which agencies provide respite care, so ask each agency directly.
- Ask the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for a care needs assessment, which is free, and the person caring for them can have their own carer's assessment.
Reference this page as: The Care Panel, "Respite care in Chelsea", Oct 2026, based on the CQC register.
Your respite options
- Respite at home: a few hours of visits, or a live-in carer for days or weeks while you are away.
- Care home stay: usually one or two weeks, booked well ahead for holiday periods. Of the 16 CQC-registered care homes in Chelsea, ask which accept short stays.
- Day centre: run by the council or a charity.
Start with a carer's assessment
If you look after someone, you are entitled to your own free carer's assessment from the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, separate from the assessment of the person you care for. It looks at the effect caring has on you and can lead to funded breaks, a carer's personal budget or other support. Carers UK runs a free helpline on 0808 808 7777. Requesting an assessment from the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
If you are paying privately
- Agencies: ask for the minimum visit length and the notice they need.
- Care homes: ask whether rooms are kept for short stays, and visit before booking.
- Before the stay: share the care plan, the medicines and the daily routine.
What the register shows for Chelsea
At 100% Good or Outstanding, Chelsea sits above the London figure of 89% (from 2,452 agencies). Elite Care Partners Limited is the most recently registered, joining the CQC register in June 2026. Hammersmith has the oldest rating still in force, from January 2020. Of Chelsea and the 6 nearest towns we cover, Chelsea ranks 4th for the share of all listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding (68%); Kensington and Chelsea is highest at 80%. Dementia appears on 24 of 34 registrations here (71%), compared with 81% in London as a whole. Registered specialisms here: 26 of 34 list physical disabilities, 11 of 34 list learning disabilities and 16 of 34 list mental health conditions.
Respite care prices in Chelsea
| 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 | £1,615 a week |
| Nursing home | £1,850 a week |
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's own rates: £23.84 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,146.86 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,045.31 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).
The Homecare Association puts the minimum sustainable price for council-funded home care in England at £34.42 an hour for 2026/27. Estimate the weekly cost or see what you might pay
Home care agencies in and around Chelsea
Ask each agency whether it provides respite care. Ranked by CQC rating and how recent it is, then distance.
Margaret Thatcher Infirmary
Est. £36–£44/hr
Battersea Place Retirement Village Limited
Est. £34–£42/hr
Home Instead Kensington & Chelsea
Est. £37–£45/hr
Graceful Care - Wandsworth
Est. £34–£42/hr
Ashbourne Healthcare Services
Est. £34–£42/hr
Civic Care Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
Vincentian Care Plus
Est. £34–£42/hr
Standard Care Limited
Est. £34–£42/hr
Puretouch Care Limited
Est. £34–£42/hr
Mia Care Services Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
Domiciliary Care Agency Surrey
Est. £34–£42/hr
IPDiagnostics Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
Bliss Care and Training Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
London Care (Olive House)
Est. £34–£42/hr
Arale Group Limited
Est. £34–£42/hr
Vital Care and Support Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
Hamilton George Care Ltd
Est. £34–£42/hr
SureCare Chelsea
Est. £34–£42/hr
Ethos Care Family Services Limited
Est. £34–£42/hr
Questions about respite care in Chelsea
Where can I find respite care in Chelsea?
The CQC register does not show who offers respite care. There are 34 registered agencies that have an office within 2 miles of Chelsea, 23 of them rated Good or Outstanding, so ask each one.
Can respite care be paid for by the council?
Start with a carer's assessment from the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: eligible carers can have breaks arranged or funded. Separately, look for sitting services from carers' centres and charities that are free or cheap.
How far ahead should we book respite in a care home?
Give several weeks where possible, more around school holidays. Ask on the first call whether the home holds rooms back for short stays, as not all do.
Are home care agencies in Chelsea well rated?
23 of the 23 rated agencies (100%) are Good or Outstanding; 24 list dementia as a specialism and 10 were inspected or rated in the last two years.
Respite care in Chelsea: ask who can help
Describe what's needed in one form, and featured partners and as many as three rated agencies that accept enquiries via The Care Panel email you back.
Related care pages for Chelsea
Respite care nearby
Built from the Care Quality Commission's register (Oct 2026) under Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel lists and compares services but runs none.