Richmond upon Thames · South and south-west London
Respite Care in Richmond upon Thames
Short breaks for family carers in Twickenham, Kew, Barnes, Hampton and across the borough, with a carer at home or a short stay at our house in Whitton.
Yes, we provide respite care for family carers in Richmond upon Thames. Because our office is across London in Lewisham, the most practical option is usually a live-in carer who moves in for a planned break, so you can go away, rest or have an operation. Visiting sit-in cover is possible where we have a carer near you, and for some adults a short stay at our supported living home in Whitton may suit. Every break starts with a free assessment.
Start with Richmond Carers Centre
If you look after someone in this borough, the first organisation to know is Richmond Carers Centre, on Briar Road just off Twickenham Green (020 8867 2380). It offers free information and advice, emotional support and counselling, workshops, and help applying for funding, and it runs a young carers' service too. Richmond GP practices keep a carers' register and can refer you, so it is worth telling your GP that you are a carer.
If the person you look after has a severe mental illness, Richmond Borough Mind runs Carers in Mind (020 8940 7384) specifically for their families and friends.
Will Richmond Council pay for a break from caring?
It may, after a carer's assessment. Richmond Council's carers' assessment page lets you start online with a self-assessment, or you can go through Adult Social Care on 020 8891 7971. The council says it aims to assess you at the same time as the person you care for, if you both agree, though you can ask to be assessed separately if you would find it easier to speak freely.
The council lists respite care for the person you care for, short breaks, training, direct payments and its Carer's Emergency Card among the possible outcomes. Eligibility is decided against the national criteria for carers. If you are not eligible, the council still signposts you to free local services. If the person you care for already has a personal budget, a direct payment may be usable to buy a break from us. We give our figure in writing after the assessment; our guide to paying for care in London explains the rest.
Breaks we can cover
- A live-in carer for a week or two. This is the most practical form of respite we offer in Richmond. A carer moves in, follows the routine you have built, and you can go away knowing someone is in the house. See live-in care in Richmond.
- Sit-in cover for an afternoon or evening. Our sit-in service means someone stays with the person you care for while you are out. Our office is in Lewisham, more than an hour from most of the borough, so regular sit-in visits depend on carer availability near you. Ask, and we will be straight with you.
- Cover while you are in hospital. If you are booked into Kingston Hospital or West Middlesex for planned surgery, plan the cover at home before the date, with time to introduce the carer.
Is your emergency plan written down? Richmond Council runs a Carer's Emergency Card Scheme, free to join. You carry a card with a 24-hour number and your own ID, linked to a plan for the person you care for. If something happens to you, the plan is put into action and the people you nominated are contacted. Registration starts with a conversation with the council, and any emergency care provided may be chargeable. Details are on the council's getting help in an emergency page.
When the break isn't planned
If you are suddenly unable to care, the council's route comes first: your emergency card number if you have one, Adult Social Care on 020 8891 7971 in office hours, or the Adults Emergency Duty team on 020 8744 2442 from 5pm to 8am on weekdays and all day at weekends and bank holidays. You can also ring us. We will tell you honestly whether we can staff cover at short notice in your part of the borough. We will not agree to something we cannot deliver.
A short stay at our home in Whitton
Our supported living home in Whitton is inside the borough, about five to ten minutes from Twickenham and reachable from Richmond, Teddington and Hampton by road or by train to Whitton station. It takes people on a permanent or respite basis. For Ham and Teddington, our Kingston home is about as close. Barnes and East Sheen are further, roughly half an hour from either. See supported living for what each home offers. A stay there would usually be agreed with the person's social worker where the council is funding it.
A few regular hours: day centres in the borough
Respite does not have to mean a week away. A regular day at a centre gives many carers a dependable few hours each week. Age UK Richmond runs weekday wellbeing centres in Twickenham (Arragon Road) and at Barnes Green, and a social centre in Whitton on Tuesdays and Fridays. The council's own centres include the Woodville Centre in Ham, for people over 60 with moderate to severe dementia, and the Sheen Lane Day Centre in East Sheen, for people over 60 with frailty, a physical disability or sensory loss. Ask Adult Social Care how to arrange a place at one of the council's centres.
What we can help with in Richmond upon Thames
- 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
Areas of Richmond upon Thames we cover
Care across the borough, including these neighbourhoods. Each has its own page with local detail.
Our services
How we can help in Richmond upon Thames
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Visiting care in Richmond upon Thames
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Richmond upon Thames
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Supported living in Richmond upon Thames
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →Richmond upon Thames FAQs
Respite in Richmond: carers' questions
Questions families ask us about Richmond upon Thames. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionDo I need a carer's assessment from Richmond Council before booking respite with you?
No, not if you are paying yourself. You only need it if you want the council to help fund the break. It is still worth doing, because it can open up other support, such as the Carer's Emergency Card and direct payments.
My wife goes to the Woodville Centre in Ham twice a week. Can a respite carer keep that going while I am away?
Yes, we would build it into the plan. Keeping her usual days at the centre helps someone living with dementia cope with a change at home. Tell us the days, the transport arrangements and who the centre staff know as her contact.
I am having an operation at Kingston Hospital. Who looks after my father in Teddington?
Call us as soon as you have a date. We can assess your father at home, arrange a live-in carer for the time you are in hospital and recovering, and introduce them to him before you go in.
My son has a learning disability. Could he have a short stay in Whitton?
Possibly. Our Whitton home takes respite stays. If Richmond Council funds his support, talk to his social worker, who would need to agree the placement. Call us to talk through whether the home would suit him.
Can you come for a few hours every Saturday in Barnes?
Barnes is the closest part of the borough to us by train, but weekly sit-in visits still depend on having a carer available. Ring with the times you need and we will tell you whether we can cover them reliably.
Nearby
Other areas near Richmond upon Thames
Get started
Looking for care in Richmond upon Thames?
Tell us what is happening and we will tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.