Live-in & Home Care
Cover for family carers, so you can stop for a while
A break is not a luxury. It is what keeps a family carer able to carry on — and we make sure the person you look after is properly cared for while you take one.
Looking after someone is a job with no rota
Most care in this country is delivered by relatives, unpaid and largely unnoticed. It works until it doesn't — until a holiday, an operation, a funeral, or simply the point where exhaustion has quietly become the baseline.
Respite care puts a trained carer in place for a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks, so the person you look after keeps their routine and you get to stop being on duty.
Planned respite is better than emergency respite, and far better than a crisis admission. If you are reading this because things are close to breaking, that is exactly the point to call.
Respite Care may be right if…
- You are a family carer and have not had a proper break in months
- A holiday, wedding or family event is coming up
- You are facing your own operation or hospital stay
- Care needs have grown faster than the family can absorb
- You want to test whether outside care could work before committing
- You are close to burnout and need someone to step in now
Speak to a care advisor
OFFICE HOURS
+44 20 4634 2291
No obligation. Most people who call aren't sure what they need yet.
How respite works
A few hours at a time
Regular sitting service so you can shop, work, swim, or sleep.
Overnight cover
Someone in the house through the night so you get an unbroken night's sleep.
Live-in respite
A carer moves in for a week or two while you go away, keeping everything in its usual place.
Emergency respite
Cover at short notice when something has gone wrong. CONFIRM emergency respite lead time and availability
A proper handover
We learn your routine before you go — the medication, the mealtimes, the small things nobody writes down.
Updates while you are away
Agreed contact so you can actually switch off, without wondering.
Getting started is simpler than you'd expect
Talk to us
A no-pressure conversation about what's happening. No paperwork, no commitment.
Free assessment
We visit at a time that suits you and understand the practical detail. TYPICAL DURATION
Your care plan
A plan built around the person's routine and goals, agreed with you, and a matched carer.
Care begins — and adapts
We review at REVIEW INTERVAL and whenever things change.
Why Bellus
Your routine, not ours
Respite fails when the substitute carer imposes a new way of doing things. We spend time with you first, write down how the day actually runs, and follow it — because familiarity is what keeps the person you care for settled while you are gone.
CONFIRM minimum and maximum respite booking length, and notice required
- Matched, not allocated — on personality and interests as well as skills
- Thoroughly vetted — DBS LEVEL AND REFERENCES
- Properly trained — INDUCTION AND MANDATORY TRAINING
- A named care manager and regular reviews
- Support out of hours — ON-CALL ARRANGEMENT
Photo 18Bellus carer reading a handwritten routine sheet in a client's kitchen
What it costs
Cost depends on the level of support needed, so we quote after the free assessment rather than before it. Our quote is the full cost — no agency fees, no hidden charges, and no obligation to proceed.
DECIDE whether to publish rates for this service
Help with funding
- Local authority funding after a Care Act assessment
- NHS Continuing Healthcare where needs are primarily health-related
- Attendance Allowance — not means tested, often unclaimed
- Personal Health Budgets and direct payments
- Charitable grants, including condition-specific funds
- Self-funding
Talk to us about respite care
No pressure, no obligation. Just a conversation about what you need.
Your details are handled in line with our privacy policy.
Common questions
How far in advance should I book?
Can you cover at short notice?
Will the carer stay in the house?
Can respite be funded by the local authority?
What if my relative has dementia?
Can I try a short block first?
Explore our other home care services
Let's talk about what would actually help
One conversation, no obligation. We'll tell you honestly if we're not the right fit.