Respite Care for Family Carers in Redbridge

The carer's assessment comes first

Redbridge is clear on this point: council-arranged breaks are only provided after the carer has had a carer's assessment. So even if you plan to pay for respite yourself, the assessment is worth having. It looks at how caring affects your health, sleep, work and life outside caring, and it puts your needs on record if things get harder later.

Redbridge Adult Social Services carries out carer's assessments, in person or sometimes by phone. You can request a carer's assessment online or call 020 8708 7333. There is no charge, and you can ask for one even if the person you look after does not want help themselves.

Is respite care free in Redbridge?

Sometimes. According to the council's take a break from caring page, if the person you care for is eligible for and receiving council-funded adult social care, respite arranged by the council is free to you, the carer. That can be a short stay in a care home, or other kinds of short break.

If the council funds care through a personal budget, the direct payment can be spent on short breaks, including respite from an agency like ours. If you are paying privately, we give you a written quote after a free home assessment. We do not quote figures over the phone. Our guide to paying for care in London explains the funding routes.

Talk to Redbridge Carers Support Service

Redbridge Carers Support Service (RCSS) is the borough's carers' charity. It was set up by local carers in 1994 and works as a strategic partner of the council. It is based at Clements Court on Clements Lane in Ilford (020 8514 6251) and runs advice surgeries, support for people caring for someone with dementia, Older Carers Connect for carers aged 65 and over, and a group for young adult carers aged 16 to 30. RCSS cannot carry out the statutory assessment, which is the council's job, but it can help you prepare for one and tell you what else is available locally.

The breaks we can give you

• A live-in short stay. For the length of your break, a carer lives in and picks up the routine you normally run: personal care, medication, meals and company. It works anywhere in the borough, from Woodford Green to Goodmayes, because the carer is not commuting from Lewisham each day. They need a bedroom of their own for the stay.
• A regular few hours off. A sit-in or a visit each week, so you can get to an appointment, see a friend or just sleep. This depends on where you live. Ilford, Seven Kings, Goodmayes, Wanstead and South Woodford are reachable from SE13 in about 45 to 55 minutes. Barkingside, Clayhall, Hainault and the Woodfords take longer, so we check carer availability before we agree to anything.
• Respite when the person has dementia. A carer in the house keeps the same chair, the same kitchen and the same routine, which is often the least unsettling option. It is part of our dementia care.

If you can, be at home when the respite carer arrives, so you can walk them through the routine in person. We arrange this handover at the assessment.

If you suddenly cannot carry on

Unplanned respite is the hardest kind to arrange, for example if you are admitted to King George or Whipps Cross yourself. Two things help:

1. Plan it now. At your carer's assessment, ask what would happen if you could not provide care, and have the answer written into the plan. Keep a short note of the routine, medication and contacts somewhere visible at home.
2. If it has already happened, phone. Redbridge treats online referrals as general enquiries, not emergencies, so ring Redbridge Adult Social Services on 020 8708 7333 and say that the person is now without their carer. Then call us. We will tell you honestly whether we can staff an emergency live-in stay and from when.

Day centres and breaks outside the home

Respite does not always mean a carer coming in. Two local services give carers regular time back:

• Redbridge Respite Care Association runs a day centre with activities and outings for people living with dementia, on Padnall Road, Chadwell Heath (020 8599 0151). It also supports people with mental ill health and their carers.
• The Age UK Activity Centre, also called the Allan Burgess Centre, at 2 Grove Park in Wanstead, is open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 3.30pm (020 8989 6338). It is run by Age UK Redbridge, Barking and Havering.

The council's page also lists Tu Vida (formerly Carers Trust), which offers respite at home or in the community.

A short stay at one of our homes

We have three supported living homes that take respite stays, in Whitton, Kingston upon Thames and Uxbridge. All three are on the far side of London from Redbridge. Uxbridge is the easiest to reach: roughly an hour to an hour and a quarter by car off-peak via the North Circular and the A40, or an hour and a half or more by public transport from Ilford. A carer at home is usually simpler from Redbridge, but if a change of scene is what the person needs, ask us about it.

What we can help with in Redbridge

• 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