Respite Care in Bromley

Two doors to a break: the council and Bromley Well

Carers in Bromley have two places to start, and it is worth using both. The first is the council, whose carer's assessment can lead to respite care for the person you look after, short breaks or direct payments. Ask on 020 8461 7777, or fill in the online carer's self-assessment and someone will contact you.

The second is Bromley Well, a partnership of local charities, including Age UK Bromley & Greenwich, Bromley Mencap and South East London Mind, funded by the council and the NHS. Register as a carer on freephone 0808 278 7898 or through its online form. The carers service is free: one-to-one support, training, groups and help planning ahead, including for emergencies. There are also services for people caring for someone with poor mental health, and Mutual Carers for people over 55 who live with a disabled adult relative who helps care for them in return.

Is respite care free in Bromley?

The assessment is. Bromley Council charges nothing for a carer's assessment or advice, but some services that follow may cost money, settled by a financial assessment. If the council agrees a personal budget, you can take it as a direct payment, and the council lists "a short break for your carer" among the things a direct payment can buy. It can be used to pay an agency you choose, including us.

If you pay privately, we quote after a free home assessment. Our guide to paying for care in London explains the means test and NHS Continuing Healthcare.

Three hours of dementia respite, and the rest of the week

If the person you look after has dementia, Bromley Well lists a dementia respite at home service that offers up to three hours a week of activities and support in the home, tailored to the person, so the family carer can step out. It may need to be paid for in part or in full, with council financial support available to those eligible. You can ask Bromley Council's care management team to refer you on 020 8461 7777, or contact the service directly on 020 8249 7282 on weekdays.

Three hours covers a haircut or a coffee with a friend. It does not cover your own hospital appointment, a family wedding or a week away. That is where paid respite fits, planned around the days the dementia service already covers; see our dementia care page.

What we can cover in the house

Visits and sit-ins. A carer comes in while you go out, or covers the morning and evening routine so you can stay over somewhere. From our Lewisham office, the Hayes line, the Orpington line and the 208 bus make Penge, Anerley, Beckenham, Bromley town, Chislehurst, Petts Wood and Orpington reachable, though cover depends on which carers are free. Biggin Hill and the rural south are over an hour away by public transport, so visits there are hard to promise. See our sit-in service.

A short live-in stay. For a holiday, an operation or a week off, a live-in carer moves in and takes over the routine. Distance does not matter, so this is the realistic way to cover a break in Biggin Hill or Downe. The carer needs their own bedroom, which most Bromley semis and bungalows have, and can learn the routine from you before you go. Our live-in care in Bromley page has more on the practicalities.

If caring stops without warning

Sometimes there is no time to plan: you are admitted to the Princess Royal yourself, or simply cannot go on. If the person you look after cannot be left alone, phone Bromley Adult Social Care on 020 8461 7777 and explain that their carer cannot care. If you are admitted, tell the ward staff that someone at home depends on you; the council says a social services care manager is based at the hospital. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999.

You can call us too, on 0203 375 4047 or 07446 010486 (also WhatsApp). Whether we can step in at short notice depends on who is free, and we will tell you straight away if we cannot.

A regular day off: day centres and the Memory Lane Café

Some respite is better taken outside the house. Bromley Council's list of older people's day centres includes the Saxon Day Centre, run by Age Concern Orpington on Lych Gate Road, BR6, and the Biggin Hill Community Care Association, alongside specialist day care for people with dementia. Places usually come through a council assessment, though a GP or district nurse can refer and some centres take people directly. A fixed day-centre pattern gives predictable time off, and we can cover the days in between.

For something you do together, Age UK Bromley & Greenwich runs the Memory Lane Café with South East London Mind and the Bromley Dementia Support Hub. It meets at Community House near Bromley North station and is free for Bromley residents with a dementia diagnosis and their carers.

Short stays at our supported living homes

For some younger adults with a learning disability, a few nights somewhere new can be a break for the whole household. Our supported living homes take short stays, but none of them is in Bromley. The nearest is in Kingston upon Thames, about 45 to 60 minutes from Bromley town by car via the A232 and A240, or 70 to 90 minutes by tram from Beckenham Junction or Elmers End to Wimbledon and a train on to Kingston. Whitton and Uxbridge are further. If the council is paying, or the Bromley 0-25 Service or the Oxleas Community Adult Learning Disability Team is involved, speak to the social worker before booking.

What we can help with in Bromley

• 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