Respite Care in Kensington and Chelsea

Yes, we provide respite care for family carers in Kensington and Chelsea. The most dependable form is a short live-in stay, where one of our carers moves in for a few days or weeks so you can go away, rest or have treatment yourself. Shorter sitting visits are possible in some parts of the borough, depending on carer availability, because our office is in Lewisham.

Before you book: get a carer's assessment

If you look after someone in the Royal Borough without being paid for it, you have a right under the Care Act to an assessment of your own needs, separate from theirs. In Kensington and Chelsea the council may carry it out itself or ask Carers Network to do it on its behalf. You can request a carer's assessment through People First, the information site the council shares with Westminster, or call the Social Services Line on 020 7361 3013.

Eligible carers may get a Carer's Personal Budget, which can go towards things that make caring sustainable. The person you care for may separately be assessed as needing replacement care while you take a break. Say plainly in the assessment how often you need time off and what would happen if you fell ill. That's the record any future respite is planned from.

Can the council pay for respite in Kensington and Chelsea?

It can, if the person you care for is assessed as eligible. What they then contribute depends on the council's financial assessment. If a personal budget is agreed, it can be taken as a direct payment and used with a registered agency you choose, and the bi-borough councils offer a Virtual Wallet account to manage it online. If you're arranging respite privately, we give you a written figure after a free assessment. We don't quote over the phone. Our guide to paying for care in London explains the rest.

A carer who moves in while you're away

For a holiday, a family wedding abroad or your own hospital stay, a short live-in placement is the steadiest cover we offer here. The carer travels in once, so it works just as well in North Kensington or World's End as it does near Sloane Square. It needs a spare bedroom. That's usually available in a family house in Holland Park or a larger mansion flat in Kensington, but not in a one-bedroom estate flat or an Earl's Court studio. Book early, so there's time for an assessment and an introduction before you leave.

A few hours off each week

Regular sitting cover depends on getting a carer to you reliably from south-east London. That's most realistic in the south of the borough: Chelsea near Sloane Square, South Kensington, Gloucester Road and Earl's Court, which are roughly 40 to 50 minutes from our office via Victoria. Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove and North Kensington take longer, and the riverside end of Chelsea is a long walk from the Tube. A sit-in suits someone with dementia who can't safely be left alone. Ask us first, and we'll tell you honestly whether we can keep a weekly slot going before you plan around it.

A short stay at one of our homes

Our three supported living homes, in Whitton, Kingston upon Thames and Uxbridge, take respite stays as well as permanent residents. From the south of the borough, Whitton is nearest: about 45 to 60 minutes by public transport from Earl's Court or West Brompton, via Clapham Junction or Richmond and then South Western Railway, or roughly 30 to 40 minutes by car along the A4 and M4 or the A316. From North Kensington, Uxbridge is about 45 to 60 minutes along the A40, or by the Hammersmith & City line to Hammersmith and then the Piccadilly line. Talk to us first about whether a home suits the person's needs.

If you care for an adult with a learning disability, talk to the council's Learning Disability Team at 1-9 St Marks Road, W11 (020 7313 6880; duty worker 020 7313 6843) before arranging a stay. It carries out Care Act assessments, and any short break the council funds would be agreed with the social worker there.

When you suddenly can't carry on

The breaks nobody plans for are the hardest: your own fall, an admission to Chelsea and Westminster or St Mary's, or a family crisis. During office hours, call Adult Social Care on 020 7361 3013. Out of hours, the council's emergency number is 020 7373 2227. If someone is at immediate risk, call 999. Write down now who would step in, where the medication list is, and who has a key. Your carer's assessment is the right place to agree an emergency plan.

You can also call us. We'll tell you honestly whether we can get a carer into the house, and from when. We won't promise cover we can't staff.

Day-time support while you catch your breath

• Age UK Kensington & Chelsea dementia and memory loss services run monthly Memory Cafés, cognitive stimulation groups and one-to-one support for people over 55, which gives carers time back as well.
• Open Age, based at the St Charles Centre on Exmoor Street, runs activities and befriending for people aged 50 and over across Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.
• The Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster Memory Service, run by CNWL at the Memory and Dementia Resource Centre on Westbourne Park Road (020 3317 3666), is the place to ask about diagnosis and post-diagnosis support.

What we can help with in Kensington and Chelsea

• 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