How Long Can You Book Respite Care For?

There is no national limit on how long you can book respite care. Stays range from a few days to several weeks, and can run to a year in some cases. What changes with length is how the stay is funded and charged, and whether your benefits are affected. The table below shows what each length usually suits.

Respite stay lengths at a glance

How to work out the right length

Start with what the break is for, not with a number of days.

• If you need a rest: think about how long it takes you to properly switch off. Most people need a few days before they stop listening for the phone
• If you're having an operation or treatment: book the hospital stay plus your recovery time, not just the days you're in
• If your relative is coming out of hospital: a longer stay gives time to see how they get on before anyone decides what comes next
• If you're not sure the home is right: book a short first stay, then a longer one once you both know what to expect

Our view: if it's a first stay, book a week rather than a weekend if you can. The first couple of days are mostly settling in, and a week gives your relative time to find their feet while you actually get a break. A weekend can end just as they've got comfortable.

A common booking

A daughter looking after her dad, who lives with dementia, is having a hip operation. She books ten days, covering her hospital stay and the first few days at home when she can't lift or help him in and out of his chair. He stays at the home, she recovers, and they both go back to their routine. A few months later she books a week so she can go away with her husband. It's a small change to how the year works, and it's often how families first find out what a care home is really like.

Is there a limit on respite care?

Not a national one. How much you can have depends on how it's funded.

• Paying privately: you decide the length and dates, subject to the home having a room free
• Council funded: the amount depends on your assessment and your council's own policy. It's set out in your support plan and reviewed
• Carer's assessment: if you care for someone regularly, you have the right to ask your council for a free carer's assessment. Replacement care so you can take a break can be part of what the council puts in place. Ask even if you think you won't qualify for funding

How length affects what you pay and what you receive

This is the part most families don't hear about until after they've booked.

• Short stays (up to 8 weeks): councils can choose to charge as if the person were receiving care at home, which usually means a lower charge than residential rates
• Temporary stays (up to 52 weeks): the stay should be agreed with the person, and written into their care plan. A financial assessment applies
• Carer's Allowance: you can take up to 4 weeks of temporary breaks in any 26-week period, such as a respite stay, and keep being paid
• Attendance Allowance, PIP and DLA: where the council pays some or all of the cost, the care part stops after 28 days in a care home. Stays separated by 28 days or less are added together, so a run of short stays can count as one long one
• If you pay privately: the person's own benefits can usually continue, but Carer's Allowance still only allows 4 weeks

Benefit rules are detailed and every situation is different. Before you book a stay of four weeks or more, check with the DWP, Carers UK or your council.

Booking and extending a stay

• Book early if you can. Rooms are limited, so the earlier you ask, the more choice you have over dates
• Extending is often possible, but it depends on whether the room is free and, for council funded stays, whether the funding can be extended. Ask when you book, not on the last day
• Emergencies happen. If you're ill or something changes suddenly, get in touch and we'll tell you honestly what we can do and how quickly

Respite that leads to a longer stay

For some families, respite becomes the first step towards residential care or nursing care. That should never be a surprise or a rush. A stay lets your relative get used to the home, and lets you see them in it. If it isn't right, you go home as planned. If you'd like to talk about dementia care, or whether nursing care is needed during a stay, ask us.

Common questions

What's the shortest respite stay? It depends on the home and on room availability. Some stays are just a few days. Tell us what you need and we'll agree a length with you.

How often can I book respite care? There's no national limit on how often. If the council funds it, your support plan sets out how much you're entitled to and when it's reviewed. If you pay privately, it's down to availability.

Does respite care affect my benefits? It can. Carer's Allowance allows 4 weeks of temporary breaks in any 26 weeks. Where the council funds the stay, the person's Attendance Allowance, PIP or DLA care part usually stops after 28 days in a care home. Check before booking a long stay.

Can I book respite if I'm paying privately? Yes. Privately funded respite has no cap set by the council. The length is agreed with the home.

Can a respite stay become permanent? Yes, if you both decide it's right. It doesn't have to. Many people use respite regularly and stay at home between visits.

Planning a break?

Tell us when you need it and roughly how long, and we'll help you work out what makes sense. Get in touch, read about respite care, or see all our care homes.

Sources

• Paying for short-term and temporary care in a care home, Age UK (England)
• Temporary residential care and charging, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
• Care and support statutory guidance, GOV.UK
• Respite care (short breaks for carers), Sense