Care types
Respite care
Respite care is a short stay in a care home — to give a family carer a break, or to help someone recover after a hospital stay.
What is respite care?
A respite stay gives someone professional care, company and activities for a short period, and gives their usual carer a genuine, planned rest.
It’s also a low-pressure way to “try” a home before any permanent decision.
Who it's for
- Family carers who need a break to protect their own health
- Someone recovering after a hospital stay or illness
- Families considering a home and wanting to experience it first
What it costs
Respite is charged per night or week, at rates similar to residential or nursing care. A carer’s assessment from your council may unlock help toward the cost.
Work out the numbers for your situation: compare a care home with care at home, or check whether the council will help pay.
Respite care by area
England
- Barnsley (1)
- Barrow Upon Humber (1)
- Barton Upon Humber (3)
- Bedfordshire (9)
- Berkshire (30)
- Birmingham (16)
- Bristol (19)
- Buckinghamshire (20)
- Cambridgeshire (21)
- Cheshire (36)
- Cleethorpes (1)
- Cornwall (3)
- County Durham (11)
- Coventry (1)
- Cumbria (7)
- Darlington (3)
- Derbyshire (18)
- Devon (23)
- Dorset (35)
- Dudley (3)
- East Riding of Yorkshire (8)
- East Sussex (29)
- Essex (30)
- Gloucestershire (32)
- Greater London (101)
- Greater Manchester (24)
- Hampshire (62)
- Herefordshire (5)
- Hertfordshire (47)
- Hull (2)
- Humberston (3)
- Isle of Wight (6)
- Kent (39)
- Lancashire (16)
- Leicester (3)
- Leicestershire (12)
- Lincolnshire (44)
- Merseyside (18)
- Norfolk (18)
- North Yorkshire (22)
- Northamptonshire (15)
- Northumberland (9)
- Nottinghamshire (14)
- Oxfordshire (47)
- Peterborough (2)
- Rotherham (1)
- Scunthorpe (1)
- Shropshire (12)
- Solihull (9)
- Somerset (22)
- South Yorkshire (7)
- Staffordshire (24)
- Suffolk (23)
- Surrey (61)
- Tyne and Wear (8)
- Walsall (1)
- Warwickshire (15)
- West Sussex (20)
- West Yorkshire (16)
- Wiltshire (38)
- Wolverhampton (5)
- Worcestershire (32)
Scotland
- Aberdeenshire (4)
- Angus (1)
- Argyll and Bute (1)
- Ayrshire and Arran (9)
- City of Aberdeen (7)
- City of Dundee (1)
- City of Edinburgh (10)
- Clackmannan (1)
- Dunbartonshire (8)
- East Lothian (1)
- Falkirk (1)
- Fife (3)
- Inverness (6)
- Kincardineshire (2)
- Lanarkshire (5)
- Midlothian (2)
- Moray (1)
- Nairn (1)
- Perth (1)
- Renfrewshire (5)
- Stirling (2)
- The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright (2)
Wales
- Clwyd (4)
- Dyfed (3)
- Gwent (1)
- Mid Glamorgan (3)
- South Glamorgan (10)
- West Glamorgan (4)
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Who pays for respite care?
It’s means-tested like other care, but a carer’s assessment from your council may provide help toward the cost.
Can respite lead to a permanent stay?
Yes — a good respite experience often makes a later permanent move feel far less daunting.