Respite Care in Hillingdon

Yes, we provide respite care for family carers in Hillingdon. The arrangement we can always offer is a live-in carer who stays at home with the person you look after while you are away; shorter sit-in visits depend on carer availability, because our office is in Lewisham. For some adults, a short stay at our supported living home in Uxbridge is another option.

Start with a carer's assessment: two routes in Hillingdon

If you look after an adult without being paid for it, you are entitled to a free carer's assessment under the Care Act 2014. In Hillingdon you can ask for one through the council's online carer's assessment form or by calling Hillingdon Social Care Direct on 01895 556633. If the person you look after already has a needs assessment, the council should take your role into account there too, and you can ask for a combined assessment.

The second route is Carers Trust Hillingdon, which leads the Hillingdon Carers Partnership and holds the council's carer support contract. Its office is at 126 High Street, Uxbridge (01895 811206), and it offers one-to-one advice, benefits checks, carer cafes and support for young carers. If the person you care for funds their own care, the council directs you to the Carers Partnership, so contact Carers Trust Hillingdon for respite advice. The council's carers information pages set out what is available.

Will Hillingdon Council pay for a carer's break?

It can. According to the council's respite for carers page, when the person you care for has a needs assessment, an amount for respite is built into their personal budget. They can choose to pass that to you as a direct payment, which you can spend on replacement care from a provider you choose. The council charges for care it arranges after a financial assessment of the cared-for person.

If you are paying yourself, we give you a written quote after a free assessment. A fortnight of live-in cover for someone with advanced dementia costs a different amount from a few afternoons of sitting, so we do not guess over the phone. Our paying for care guide explains the means test and NHS Continuing Healthcare.

A live-in carer while you are away

For a holiday, an operation or simply a week of unbroken sleep, a live-in carer moves into the home for the length of your break and follows the routine you have written down with us: personal care, medication, meals, the dog, the walk to the Lido. Many Hillingdon houses, especially the semis of Ruislip, Eastcote and Ickenham, have a spare bedroom, which is the one thing live-in respite needs. Because the carer stays put, it works just as well in Northwood or Harefield as in Hayes.

Shorter breaks, such as a weekly sit-in so you can go to a carer cafe or an appointment, depend on whether we have a carer who can reach you. The Elizabeth line side of the borough, around Hayes, Harlington, Yiewsley and West Drayton, is easier for us than the north. Ask with your postcode and we will give you a straight answer.

A short stay at our home in Uxbridge

One of our supported living homes is in Uxbridge, inside the borough. For adults with a learning disability, a physical disability or other support needs, a short stay there can give the family a break while the person has a change of scene. It is typically 10 to 25 minutes by car or bus from Hillingdon village, Ickenham, Cowley, Yiewsley and West Drayton, around 20 to 30 minutes from Ruislip or Hayes, and 30 to 40 minutes from Northwood or Harefield. Uxbridge is also the end of the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines. A short stay depends on a room being free and on an assessment that the home suits the person. See the Uxbridge home for details.

Dementia carers: sitting, cafes and the Admiral Nurses

Caring for someone with dementia can leave little time off at all, and Hillingdon has several sources of help worth knowing about:

• Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow and Brent runs a dementia sitting service giving carers a break at home.
• The Alzheimer's Society's Hillingdon Dementia Carer Support (01923 842444, by appointment) offers a Dementia Adviser after diagnosis, and the council lists Alzheimer's Society cafes in Hayes and at Templeton.
• The council's Hillingdon Admiral Nurse team (01895 556480) supports family carers of people with dementia and holds carers' information days at the Civic Centre in Uxbridge.
• Harlington Hospice runs Caring with Confidence courses for dementia carers.
• The Dementia Resource Centre at Grassy Meadow Court, Hayes, offers day places agreed by a social worker, which can give a carer regular time back each week.

For someone with dementia, staying at home with one consistent carer while you are away is often less unsettling than a move. Our dementia care page explains how we work.

What we can help with in Hillingdon

• 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