Respite Care in Brent

Yes, we can give unpaid carers in Brent a break. The most dependable way we do it is a short live-in stay, where one of our carers moves in for the days or weeks you are away; shorter visiting cover is possible in some parts of the borough, depending on carer availability. You can arrange it privately with us after a free assessment, or go through a carer's assessment with Brent Carers Centre to see whether the council will fund it.

How do I get respite care through Brent Council?

Brent is clear that to get respite arranged by the council, the carer needs a carer's assessment. In Brent the route runs through the Carers Centre:

1. Fill in the council's online carer's self-assessment. It goes straight to Brent Carers Centre, not to the council.
2. Brent Carers Centre reviews it and contacts you, which the council says happens within two weeks, to arrange the full assessment.
3. You get a support plan. It may include respite, someone to sit with the person you care for, help with household tasks or adaptations, and advice on carer-related benefits.

There is no minimum number of caring hours, and your income does not affect whether you can be assessed. You can also skip the form and contact Brent Carers Centre directly. The person you care for may need their own care needs assessment from Brent Adult Social Care on 020 8937 4300, particularly if a longer break or a short stay away from home is being considered.

Is respite care free in Brent?

It can be. Brent says that if you are eligible for respite services provided by its Adult Social Care team, they are free to you, and that support could be free if the person you care for is eligible for Adult Social Care. Any costs are meant to be discussed before anything is arranged. A council budget for respite may be taken as a direct payment, which can pay an agency.

If you arrange respite privately with us, we give you a written figure after the assessment. We do not quote over the phone, because the price depends on how long the break is and how much help is needed.

Two ways we cover a break at home

A short live-in stay

A carer moves into the spare room for the length of your break, from a long weekend to a few weeks. This works anywhere in Brent, from Kingsbury and Sudbury to Kilburn, because once the carer is in the house our distance from the borough stops mattering. It needs a spare bedroom, which many of the interwar semis in north and west Brent have and many converted flats in the south do not. See live-in care in Brent.

Visiting cover and sit-ins

If you need a few hours out each week, a sit-in or a run of visits can help. Our office is in Lewisham, so this is most realistic along the Jubilee line in Kilburn, Queen's Park, Willesden and Dollis Hill. In Wembley, Alperton, Neasden or Harlesden we will tell you honestly whether we can staff regular visits before you plan around them. Brent's own list of short breaks also includes a personal assistant supporting the person at home while you rest.

If you suddenly can't carry on caring

The hardest gaps are the ones nobody planned: a carer's own fall, an admission to Northwick Park or Central Middlesex, a family emergency abroad. Brent recommends three things to do while life is calm.

• Make a contingency plan with Brent Carers Centre, setting out who steps in and what the person you care for needs.
• Get a carer's card from the Carers Centre, with an emergency contact on it, so whoever finds you knows someone at home depends on you.
• If the person has dementia and might go missing, fill in a Herbert Protocol form, the Metropolitan Police scheme that lets you share key details in advance.

In a real emergency outside office hours, Brent's out-of-hours social care line is 020 8863 5250. You can also call us. We will tell you straight away whether we can put a carer in and when; we will not promise cover we cannot staff.

A short stay at our Uxbridge home

Sometimes the right break is one where the person you care for goes somewhere else for a while. We run three supported living homes, in Whitton, Kingston upon Thames and Uxbridge, and they take respite stays as well as permanent residents. For Brent, Uxbridge is the nearest: the Metropolitan line runs direct from Wembley Park in roughly 30 to 35 minutes, and the Piccadilly line from Alperton and Sudbury Town also gets there. Whether a supported living home suits the person depends on their needs, so ask us first and we will talk it through honestly.

Brent also lists residential or nursing home short stays among its council-arranged breaks, through the carer's assessment.

Breaks that happen outside the home

Respite does not have to mean a carer in the house. Elders Voice in Kensal Green runs day centres and a wellbeing centre for people over 55. Ashford Place in Cricklewood runs dementia projects and activities for older Brent residents. Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow and Brent runs volunteer support for people over 65. Brent also suggests carers register as a carer with their GP, which means free flu jabs, an invitation to an annual health check, and the chance of home visits or longer appointments.

What we can help with in Brent

• Regular visits so you can rest
• Live-in cover while you are away
• Planned breaks booked ahead
• Cover if the main carer is unwell
• Dementia-aware respite
• Short stays in our supported living homes
• Help with the carers' assessment route
• A care plan the family agrees