Respite Care Explained: Taking a Break as a Family Carer

Respite care is support that temporarily takes over from a family carer — for an afternoon, a fortnight, or an emergency. It exists so that the person doing most of the caring can rest, work, attend their own appointments, or go away without guilt.

Many carers go years without a proper break, and a great many describe asking for one as selfish. It isn’t. It’s the thing that determines how long caring at home remains possible at all.

Why respite matters more than carers think

Family carers in the UK save the state an enormous sum every year and pay for it in their own health. Carers report worse physical health, higher rates of anxiety and depression, and sleep deprivation that would be treated as a clinical problem in any other context.

The hard-edged version of the argument, for anyone who won’t accept the compassionate one: if you collapse, your relative’s care collapses with you — usually into an emergency placement, chosen in a hurry, in circumstances neither of you wanted. Respite is not a luxury purchase. It’s the maintenance schedule.

Signs it’s overdue are covered in carer burnout: signs and support.

Types of respite care

Sitting service (a few hours)

A carer stays with your relative while you go out — a haircut, a coffee, your own GP appointment, an hour in the garden. A few hours a week is the most underrated intervention in the whole of home care, and the easiest to introduce.

Regular scheduled respite

A fixed block each week — every Thursday morning, say. The predictability is the point: you can plan around it, and your relative gets used to the carer, which makes longer breaks far easier later.

Overnight respite

A carer covers the night so you sleep properly. For carers dealing with night-time waking or sundowning, this is frequently the difference between coping and not. Sleeping nights and waking nights are explained in our overnight care page.

Live-in respite (a holiday or an extended break)

A live-in carer moves in for one to four weeks while you go away or recover from your own treatment. The person stays in their own home with their own routine — which matters especially for anyone with dementia, for whom a temporary care home stay can trigger a decline that doesn’t reverse.

Emergency respite

For when the carer is suddenly ill, injured, bereaved or admitted to hospital themselves. Good providers can mobilise within hours. See emergency respite care — and read it before you need it.

Care home respite

A short stay in a residential home. Available, sometimes cheaper for very high needs, but it means a move, an unfamiliar environment, and for someone with dementia a real risk of disorientation on return.

What respite costs

These are England-wide averages; prices vary by region and are usually highest in London and the South East. Short-notice emergency cover may carry a premium, and some providers set a minimum booking for live-in respite. Work out a weekly figure with the home care cost calculator.

Funding respite — including the route carers miss

Get a Carer’s Assessment

Under the Care Act 2014, you as the carer have your own legal right to an assessment from your local council — separate from the person you care for, and regardless of whether they accept support. It considers your wellbeing, work, sleep, relationships and whether you want to carry on caring.

It can result in funded respite, a direct payment, or a one-off carer’s budget for something that sustains you — a course, a short break, a gym membership, a washing machine. A great many eligible carers never request this, often because nobody tells them it exists. It’s free. Request it.

Other funding

• The cared-for person’s funding — their personal budget or direct payment can usually be spent on respite.
• Attendance Allowance — £76.70 or £114.60 a week, not means-tested, and can be used to buy respite hours.
• Carer’s Allowance — £86.45 a week (2026/27) if you care 35+ hours a week and earn under the threshold. Note it continues during short respite breaks.
• Charitable grants — Carers Trust, the Alzheimer’s Society and condition-specific charities fund carer breaks.
• NHS Continuing Healthcare — where the person qualifies, respite is part of the funded package.

Full detail in the home care funding page.

Making respite work in practice

1. Start small and start early. Two hours while you’re still in the house. Then two hours while you’re out. Then an overnight. Building tolerance gradually is far more successful than a first-ever break being a fortnight away.
2. Use the same carer. Continuity is what turns a stranger into a familiar face, and it’s what makes a longer break possible later.
3. Write it down. A one-page profile — how they take their tea, what upsets them, what settles them, their routine, the names that matter. Good providers will ask for this; give it whether they ask or not.
4. Book ahead for holidays. School holidays and Christmas get booked out.
5. Have an emergency plan now. Your local carers’ centre will help you make one. Who gets called if you’re taken to hospital tonight? Write it down and put a card in your wallet.
6. Actually leave. Respite spent doing three loads of washing isn’t respite. Go out.

Arrange respite in your area

CQC-registered agencies provide respite from a couple of hours to several weeks in every part of England — find home care in your area. Ask for an introductory visit before the first booking, so that nobody is a stranger on the day.

Call the provider directly. If it’s an emergency, say so when you call.

For families in London

Most of this guide applies anywhere in England. If the person you care for lives in London, these points are specific to the capital.

How much does respite care at home cost in London?

As of 2026, typical private prices in London are shown below. Sources vary, and prices depend on care needs, provider and postcode. Always ask for a written quote.

Sources: The Care Panel analysis of 2026 provider and marketplace prices, including Lottie (September 2026), Nightingales HomeCare price list (April 2026), Steaz Forte (August 2026) and Homecare Association figures.

Why respite can cost more than regular care

Short bookings take the same effort to set up as long ones: an assessment, a care plan, carer matching and introductions. Some providers pass this on:

• A Bromley agency adds a 5% surcharge to respite bookings (Nightingales, April 2026).
• Short visits cost more per hour. Thirty-minute visits are often 20–30% more per hour than longer ones.
• Minimum booking periods may apply, particularly for live-in respite. Ask what the minimum is.

Worked example

A daughter in Barnet caring for her father wants every Wednesday off for four hours, plus a week away in August.

• Weekly sitting: 4 hours × £33 = about £132 a week.
• One week of live-in respite: about £1,300–£1,800, plus any surcharge.

These are illustrative figures based on 2026 London ranges, not a quote. Prices vary by provider.

How does home respite compare with a care home stay?

Lottie’s September 2026 data puts care home respite in London at about £1,532 a week for residential care and £1,751 a week for nursing care. Live-in respite at home can cost a similar amount per week for one person, while keeping the person at home. For short breaks of a few hours, visiting care is usually far cheaper. Our respite care hub compares all the options.

How to book respite care at home in London

1. Decide what kind of break you need. A few hours a week, regular nights, or a full week away.
2. Ask for a carer’s assessment from your borough’s adult social care team, even if you think you will pay privately. It records your needs and may unlock funding.
3. Contact providers early. Summer and Christmas book up. For live-in respite, aim for at least a few weeks’ notice where you can.
4. Check CQC registration and rating. Home care agencies providing personal care must be registered. You can check this on the CQC website.
5. Arrange an assessment visit. The provider should meet the person, write a care plan and ask about routines, medicines and risks.
6. Plan an introduction. A short shift with you at home before you go away helps everyone settle.
7. Write a handover pack. Include medicines, GP details, emergency contacts, likes and dislikes, and how to use equipment.
8. Get the quote in writing. Check weekend, night and bank-holiday rates, any respite surcharge, and cancellation terms.

Frequently asked questions

What is respite care?

Temporary care that gives a family carer a break. It ranges from a few hours’ sitting service to overnight cover or a live-in carer for several weeks. It can be planned in advance or arranged in an emergency.

How much does respite care cost?

Around £32–£34 an hour for a sitting service (many agencies charge £26–£38), roughly £210 a night for a sleeping night, and £1,540–£1,610 a week for live-in respite. Prices vary by region. Funding may be available through a carer’s assessment, the cared-for person’s personal budget, or Attendance Allowance.

Can I get free respite care?

Possibly. Request a Carer’s Assessment from your local council — a legal right under the Care Act 2014, free, and separate from any assessment of the person you care for. It can result in funded respite or a carer’s budget. NHS Continuing Healthcare also covers respite where the person qualifies.

How do I arrange respite in an emergency?

Call a local provider directly and say it’s urgent; many can mobilise within hours. Also contact your council’s adult social care team, which has a duty to respond where someone is at risk. Make an emergency plan in advance rather than improvising on the day.

Will my relative cope with a different carer?

Usually, especially if they’ve met the carer beforehand and the handover is unhurried. Introduce respite gradually with short visits first, use the same carer each time, and provide a written profile of routines and preferences.

How do I get respite care?

Ask your local council for a carer’s assessment, or contact your local carers’ centre (for example, Carers Support West Sussex) for local options and possible grants. You can also book respite privately with a home care agency or a care home. Local guides: respite care in Worthing.

The Care Panel is an independent publication. We are not a care provider and are not regulated by the Care Quality Commission, because we do not deliver care. Always check a provider’s own CQC registration and inspection report before you commit.

Written and fact-checked by The Care Panel. Last updated September 2026. General information, not financial advice.

A regular break during the day: day centres and day care for older people.

New guides: Dementia Respite Care: Types, Funding and How to Prepare · In-Home Respite Care Dementia: A Practical Guide for Carers · Hospice Respite Care: Short Stays, Day Services and Home Nurses

See also: Summer respite care: how to arrange a short break for your relative

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 9 November 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.