Home care · Oxfordshire
Respite care in Oxford
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. None has confirmed it to us yet, so ask the 65 CQC-registered agencies covering Oxford directly.
Updated 27 October 2026 (CQC register) · Prices: Usual 2026 prices across England
Key points
- 65 home care agencies registered with CQC have an office within 7 miles of Oxford, and 38 of them hold a Good or Outstanding rating.
- Ask each agency about respite care; the CQC register has no record of who provides it.
- Expect the visiting rate, typically around £32–£34 an hour, for respite at home. The 20 local care homes charge short stays by the week.
- Oxfordshire council has to offer a care needs assessment free of charge, with the family carer entitled to a carer's assessment too.
Citation: "Respite care in Oxford", 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. Ask the 20 registered care homes in Oxford 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 Oxfordshire 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. Getting assessed by Oxfordshire council.
Agencies covering Oxford: the data
88% of rated agencies covering Oxford are Good or Outstanding, compared with 86% of those rated among the 323 we list across Oxfordshire. Two-year-old ratings or newer: 9% covering Oxford, 9% across Oxfordshire. Oxfordshire has 10 Outstanding agencies in total; covering Oxford the figure is 2. Counting all listed agencies, not only rated ones, Oxford (58% Good or Outstanding) is 5th out of 7 local towns, led by Woodstock (88%). In Oxford, 91% of agencies support people with dementia (59 of 65); the Oxfordshire figure is 81%. One rating goes back to October 2017: Crystal Business Solutions Ltd T/A Everycare Oxford. Ask what has changed since. CQC registered Thera South Midlands in October 2026, the newest on this list. On their CQC registrations, 58 of 65 list physical disabilities, 36 of 65 list learning disabilities and 35 of 65 list mental health conditions.
What respite care costs in Oxford
| Visiting care | around £32–£34 an hour |
|---|---|
| Live-in care | around £1,540–£1,610 a week |
| Residential care home | £1,555 a week |
| Nursing home | £1,830 a week |
What Oxfordshire County Council pays providers: £30.26 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,184.25 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,231.43 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. Check what you would pay · Weekly cost calculator
Home care agencies serving Oxford
Check with each agency that it offers respite care. Order: CQC rating, then how recent, then distance.
Bluebird Care Oxford
Est. £33–£41/hr
Genuine Carers - Oxford City
Est. £30–£37/hr
George Springall Homecare Partnership
Est. £30–£37/hr
YoD Care Services (Oxfordshire)
Est. £30–£37/hr
Elmthorpe Convent Domiciliary Care
Est. £30–£37/hr
Acquire Care Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Helping Hands Oxford
Est. £29–£35/hr
Brandon Trust Supported Living - Oxfordshire
Est. £30–£37/hr
Bolff Healthcare Services Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Procare Healthcare Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Flexi Direct Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Care Outlook (Oxford)
Est. £30–£37/hr
Chamomile Care Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Saint Catherine's Care Oxford
Est. £30–£37/hr
Crossroads Care (Oxford)
Est. £30–£37/hr
We-Care-Recruitment Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
OSJCT Isis Court
Est. £30–£37/hr
Kcare
Est. £30–£37/hr
Crystal Business Solutions Ltd T/A Everycare Oxford
Est. £30–£37/hr
Enable Health Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Respite care in Oxford: common questions
Who provides respite care in Oxford?
65 agencies on the CQC register have an office within 7 miles of Oxford, and 38 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 Oxfordshire 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.
How good are home care agencies around Oxford?
88% Good or Outstanding (38 of 43 rated). 8 were inspected or rated within two years, and 59 are registered for dementia.
Arranging respite care in Oxford?
Tell us what's needed once. Up to three agencies that take enquiries through us reply to you directly, by email.
Care options in Oxford
Respite care in nearby towns
- Respite care in Kidlington 5.4 mi
- Respite care in Abingdon-on-Thames 5.5 mi
- Respite care in Eynsham 6.6 mi
- Respite care in Kingston Bagpuize 9.4 mi
- Respite care in Didcot 9.8 mi
- Respite care in Bicester 11.0 mi
- Respite care in Wallingford 11.2 mi
- Respite care in Witney 11.4 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.