Respite Care in Banstead for Family Carers

If you look after a husband, wife or parent in Banstead and need a rest, a holiday or time for your own treatment, this page is for you. Across Reigate and Banstead, the 2021 Census counted almost 8% of residents aged five and over giving unpaid care each week, and about 2% giving 50 hours or more.

Three ways Surrey can pay towards a break

Banstead carers deal with Surrey County Council for this, not the borough council. There are three routes, and they suit different situations.

1. The carer wellbeing break payment

A one-off sum from Surrey, paid on a card, for a carer aged 18 or over looking after an adult who lives in Surrey. It is meant for carers who aren't already getting support from the council and haven't had a carer's payment before, for example through a GP. You apply online, and Surrey's information and advice team then asks for one proof of identity and one proof of address dated within the last three months, which you must send within two weeks.

2. A carer's assessment

This looks at how caring affects your health, work and life. Apply through Surrey's carer's assessment page, or register with Action for Carers Surrey (0303 040 1234) and ask them to request it. If you have eligible needs, the support plan can include a carer's direct payment and an emergency plan. Regular replacement care is arranged for the person you look after, who may need their own assessment and may be charged. Our carer's assessment guide explains how to prepare.

3. The Carer's Prescription from your GP

Tell your GP practice you are a carer. In Surrey, practice staff and other professionals can refer you to Action for Carers through the Carer's Prescription, a secure online referral. Action for Carers then assesses what would help. Registering as a carer with your GP can also bring more flexible appointments and a flu jab.

Regular time out in Banstead, month by month

A weekly or monthly fixture can matter as much as a long holiday. These are run by local groups, not by us. Times change, so check with the organiser first.

• Dementia carers' support group, Age Concern Banstead: second Wednesday of each month, morning, at Banstead Day Centre. It is for carers only, so it is your space.
• Musical Memories, Age Concern Banstead: Thursday afternoons at Banstead Community Centre, for people with memory problems and their carers together. There is a small charge.
• Bereavement Café: second Thursday of each month, 11am to 12.30pm, at the community centre, run with Princess Alice Hospice. Book through the Age Concern Banstead office on 01737 352156.
• Weekday lunches at Banstead Community Centre on Bolters Lane, booked on 01737 361 712. The centre's minibus runs two days a week, which can give you a few hours at home on your own.
• Befriending: Age Concern Banstead's vetted volunteers visit for a chat, free of charge. For some carers, that hour is enough to get to the shops.

Surrey also lists Dementia First, an East Surrey charity offering dementia day care and advice. Ask them directly whether they can take someone from Banstead.

A live-in stay with us: how it works

For a holiday, an operation or a fortnight to recover, our carer moves into the home for the length of the break. This is what we can offer at any Banstead address, since the carer arrives once and stays. Here is how it usually goes:

1. Tell us your dates early. A few weeks' notice gives time to match a carer and agree the plan.
2. Free assessment at home. Usually with Jackie, our registered manager. We look at routines, medicines, mobility and the spare room.
3. Overlap if you can. Ideally the carer arrives before you leave, so you can show them how things are done.
4. The stay. The carer follows the written care plan and keeps the daily care notes up to date.
5. Handing back. When you get home, the carer talks you through how the stay went and anything to keep an eye on.

Short sitting visits of a few hours are different. They only work if one of our carers lives close to you, and in Banstead we often won't have one. Ask, and we'll give you a straight answer. A respite stay is also a low-risk way to see what longer-term live-in care in Banstead would be like.

If you are the one going into hospital

A planned operation at Epsom, St Helier or East Surrey Hospital is the moment to book cover, so it starts the day before you go in. Ask the ward for Surrey's Carers' Hospital Passport, which tells staff you are a carer. Action for Carers has Hospital Carer Support Advisors at East Surrey and Epsom hospitals. They can help with discharge planning and advice when it is your own stay.

How respite care works →