Respite Care in Westminster: Costs, Funding and 24 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 9 registered care homes in Westminster 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 Westminster, 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 Westminster for an assessment.

Westminster's agencies in figures

LDN London Domiciliary Care Service has the oldest rating still in force, from August 2018. Kensington and Chelsea has the highest share of listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding nearby (73%); Westminster, at 42%, is 5th of the 7 towns compared. 100% of rated agencies covering Westminster are Good or Outstanding, compared with 89% of those rated among the 2,431 we list across London. Prestige Care Support Services Ltd is the most recently registered, joining the CQC register in August 2026. Registered specialisms here: 17 of 24 list physical disabilities, 7 of 24 list learning disabilities and 10 of 24 list mental health conditions. Dementia appears on 15 of 24 registrations here (63%), compared with 81% in London as a whole.

What respite care costs in Westminster

Typical 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. Estimate the weekly cost or see what you might pay

What families ask about respite care in Westminster

Which agencies provide respite care in Westminster?

24 agencies on the CQC register are based in the borough of Westminster, and 11 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 Westminster, 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 Westminster have?

CQC rates 11 of 11 as Good or Outstanding, or 100%. Recent evidence: 8 rated or inspected in two years. Dementia specialists: 15.

Arranging respite care in Westminster?

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

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Care options in Westminster

Respite care in nearby towns

Respite care in Camden 1.3 mi
Respite care in Kensington and Chelsea 2.2 mi
Respite care in Islington 2.5 mi
Respite care in City of London 2.6 mi
Respite care in Southwark 3.4 mi
Respite care in Hammersmith and Fulham 3.6 mi
Respite care in Hackney 3.7 mi
Respite care in Lambeth 4.3 mi

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CQC register data (Oct 2026), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel is independent of every provider listed.

Respite care in Westminster