RELATED GUIDANCE
Carers’ breaks and respite care (NHS)
SUPPORT AND INFORMATION FOR CARERS IN HULL
Caring for Someone (Live Well Hull website)
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
A carer is anyone who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support. The care they give is unpaid. Carers can be adults or children.
There are many types of caring, such as taking someone to appointments, managing finances, preparing meals, helping them with bathing or toileting, managing their medication, or providing emotional support.
Many carers juggle their caring responsibilities with work, study and other family commitments.
It can be difficult for carers to prioritise their own needs, when caring for a dependent other who either lives with them or who lives elsewhere (either on their own or in supported accommodation) but who still needs regular visits, support and companionship.
When a carer takes a break, it can also mean that the adult being cared for has an opportunity to enjoy new experiences, have a change of scene and routine and mix with other people.
2. Different Types of Breaks
There are different ways in which carers can take breaks. Some may be very short but regular, for example an hour or two each week, occasional full days, a one or two week holiday (when the carer either goes away or stays at home with no caring responsibilities) or a combination or all of these.
3. Care and Support Options for the Adult
There are a number of different care options available for the adult, whilst the carer has a break.
3.1 Arranging alternative care themselves
Adults and carers can make private arrangements such as:
- day-sitting services, where someone comes to the adult’s home during the day to look after them;
- night-sitting services, where someone comes to the adult’s home during the night, so the carer can sleep without interruption;
- day opportunities, where the adult goes to a day centre, or takes part in activities away from home;
- employing a paid care worker (directly or through an agency);
- paying for short-term residential care;
- arranging a holiday for the adult or the carer.
3.2 Family and friends
Some carers may be able to ask friends or family to care for the adult while they take a short break or holiday. The adult could go to stay at the other person’s house or family and friends could stay with them or visit them regularly.
3.3 Support from organisations
The Carers Information and Support Service (CISS) can provide information about local services and organisations to support adults and carers living in the community, where carers are planning breaks of any type.
Organisations can provide services for either the carer or the adult, or provide information to help them decide what alternative care services to use.
The local authority can arrange short breaks or ‘respite care’ (also known as replacement care) for the adult so that the carer can have time away from caring. Such breaks can help carers stay well and feel better able to cope with caring
To receive a short break / respite care, the local authority needs to carry out assessments on both the adult and the carer, to ensure they are eligible for support (see Carer’s Assessment and Self-Assessment chapter).
Carers can request a carer’s assessment from the local authority where the adult is ordinarily resident (see Ordinary Residence chapter).
A carer’s assessment will look at the caring role and how the carer feels about this. It will consider how caring affects the carer’s:
- work and personal life, including their wellbeing;
- physical, mental and emotional health;
- work, study, training and leisure commitments and goals;
- personal relationships; and
- housing situation.
The assessment will also look at contingency planning / planning for emergencies.
If the local authority assesses that the carer is in need of support, this may be provided directly to the carer, to the adult they are caring for, or a combination of both.
Short breaks / respite care can be provided through:
- day care – where the adult attends a service or participates in activities away from home, enabling the carer to have a break;
- day-sitting service – which enables the carer to go shopping, meet friends or have time to do other things they want to do;
- night-sitting service –to care for the adult during the night, to enable the carer to rest and sleep throughout the night;
- residential or nursing care – where the adult goes for a short stay in a residential or nursing home;
- holidays – help and support for the carer and / or adult to go on holiday either together or separately;
- direct payments – following assessment a person with a disability or ill health can receive payments so that they can arrange and pay for their own care and support services (see Direct Payments chapter).
Breaks for carers could take the form of an agreed number of nights per month, or an agreed number of weeks per year.
The frequency and amount will be agreed in response to the needs of the carer but the type of break provided must be in response to the needs of the person being cared for.
3.4.1 Paying for short breaks / respite care
The local authority where the adult being cared for lives may charge them for any respite care services / short breaks provided. It can also request that carers pay for services they receive. Where the local authority does charge for services, it must follow the Care and Support Statutory Guidance about how income / capital is taken into account. Carers should be told about this when their assessment is undertaken.
4. Costs of a Break
If a carer needs financial assistance in order to be able to take a break, either alone or with the adult, there may be some help they can receive.
This should be covered as part of the carer’s assessment to see if there is any financial help the local authority can provide.
There may be grants or schemes available locally to help carers with the cost of a holiday.
5. Unpaid Leave for Carers
Under the Carer’s Leave Act (2023), employees who provide or arrange care for someone with a long-term care need can take up to ‘one week’s’ unpaid leave each year so they can better balance work with their caring responsibilities. (The number of days they can take depends on how many days each week they work; for example if they work three days a week they can take three days a year.) The time can be taken flexibly in full or half days, or in a whole block of five days. It is available from the first day of employment, and ensures carers have the same employment protections as employees taking other forms of family-related leave.
See also Unpaid Carer’s Leave (gov.uk) and the Carer’s Leave Act (Carer’s UK).
6. Benefit Payments
Payment of benefits can sometimes be affected if the carer has a break or they or the adult goes into hospital or residential care.
Up to date advice about carers, adults and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits is available from:
