Respite Care at Home

Trusted support for individuals with complex needs, providing reassurance for families and carers.

  • Specialist support for complex needs
  • Flexible care tailored to your circumstances
  • Helping families maintain balance and wellbeing

What Is Respite Care?

Respite care provides temporary support for individuals who normally receive care from a family member, friend or regular support network. Providing ongoing care for a loved one can be rewarding, but it can also be demanding. Taking time to rest, attend appointments, spend time with family or simply recharge is important for your own wellbeing.

Our respite care services provide flexible, high-quality support for individuals with complex needs, giving families and carers peace of mind that their loved one is receiving safe, consistent and personalised care.

Whether support is needed for a few hours, overnight, during a family holiday or while a carer takes a short break, respite care can provide valuable reassurance and continuity. Every package is tailored to the individual's needs, routines and preferences, helping ensure care remains familiar and consistent.

Supporting the Whole Family

The wellbeing of family members and carers is an important part of any long-term care arrangement. Caring responsibilities can affect everything from physical wellbeing to mental health, family relationships to employment, and social activities and personal time.

Taking a break is not a sign that support is failing. It is often an important part of maintaining sustainable care arrangements and supporting long-term wellbeing for everyone involved.

Flexible Support That Works Around You

Every family's circumstances are different. Respite care can be arranged to provide:

  • Planned short breaks
  • Overnight support
  • Daytime support
  • Support during holidays
  • Additional assistance during periods of illness
  • Temporary cover when a usual carer is unavailable

Our goal is to provide flexible support that fits around existing routines and requirements.

Supporting Complex Needs

Our teams are experienced in supporting a wide range of clinical and care needs, helping ensure continuity and confidence while families take time to recharge.

Many of the people we support have complex or multiple conditions, including:

  • Brain Injury Care

    Helping individuals rebuild confidence, maintain independence and continue rehabilitation following acquired or traumatic brain injury.

  • Mental Health Support

    Supporting people with mental health conditions to live independently, maintain stability, and rebuild confidence in everyday life.

  • Neurological Care

    Specialist support for people living with neurological and neurodegenerative conditions, helping them maintain independence, wellbeing and quality of life at home.

  • Physical Disability Support

    Specialist support for people with disabilities, that promotes independence, opportunity and quality of life.

  • Spinal Cord Injury Care

    Supporting recovery, independence, and quality of life through specialist, clinically-led care.

Our Approach to Respite Care

  • Maintaining Consistency

    We understand the importance of routines, familiarity and trusted relationships. Where possible, we work closely with families and existing care teams to ensure support is delivered in a consistent and reassuring way.

  • Personalised Support

    Every respite package is tailored to the individual, their preferences and their existing routines.

  • Nurse-Led, Clinical Oversight

    Where required, support is backed by nurse-led oversight, training and competency management to ensure complex needs can be safely supported.

  • Supporting Independence

    While providing reassurance for families, we also aim to help individuals continue pursuing their interests, routines and personal goals.

What We Can Support With

Support may include:

  • Personal care
  • Medication support
  • Mobility and transfers
  • Meal preparation and nutrition
  • Attending appointments
  • Rehabilitation programmes
  • Community access and participation
  • Overnight reassurance
  • Managing complex clinical needs

Frequently Asked Questions

Respite care can be helpful whenever family members or regular carers need time to rest, attend appointments, take a holiday, manage other responsibilities or recover from illness.

Many families use respite care on a planned basis, while others access support during unexpected circumstances.

The right approach depends on the individual and their support network, but respite care can play an important role in maintaining long-term wellbeing and sustainable care arrangements.

Yes. We regularly provide respite support for individuals with complex needs, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, neurological conditions, respiratory needs, PEG feeding requirements and other clinical interventions.

Support is planned around the individual's specific requirements and, where appropriate, is supported by nurse-led oversight and competency-managed care teams.

Absolutely. We understand that consistency is important, particularly for individuals with complex needs, autism, neurological conditions or established rehabilitation programmes.

We work closely with families and professionals to understand routines, preferences, goals and support requirements, helping ensure care remains familiar and person-centred.

Yes. Active Assistance's respite packages are delivered within the individual's own home, allowing them to remain in familiar surroundings while their usual carers take a break.

Providing support within the home can help maintain routines, reduce disruption and provide reassurance for both the individual and their family.

Yes. Some families use respite care occasionally, while others arrange regular support as part of a longer-term care plan.

The frequency and duration of support can be tailored to the individual's needs and the family's circumstances.

Support should evolve alongside the individual. Care plans are reviewed regularly and can be adapted whenever circumstances change. Our teams work closely with families and professionals to ensure support remains safe, effective and appropriate.

Timescales depend on the level of support required and the complexity of the individual's needs.

Following an initial conversation, we will work with you to understand your circumstances and identify the most appropriate way to provide support.

Certainly. For some families, respite care is their first experience of receiving professional support. If needs change over time, we can discuss additional services and develop a longer-term package of care that reflects the individual's circumstances and goals.

Yes. Our services are regulated by the relevant care regulators, including the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England and the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) in Wales.

This provides reassurance that care is delivered within robust clinical, governance and safeguarding frameworks, and is regularly assessed against recognised standards for quality, safety and effectiveness.

Active Assistance is registered for both Personal Care and the Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury, reflecting our ability to support individuals with complex health needs as well as day-to-day care requirements.

Your first conversation doesn't need to be a commitment to care.

We will take time to understand your situation, answer any initial questions, and discuss the support you may need. From there, we can arrange an assessment and recommend a care plan tailored to the individual.

For many families, that initial conversation provides valuable clarity and reassurance at a time when there can be a lot of uncertainty.

Funding arrangements vary depending on individual circumstances.

Respite care may be funded privately, through NHS Continuing Healthcare, local authority funding, direct payments, case management arrangements or personal injury and insurance settlements.

Our team can help explain the different options available and guide you through the process.

Our Awards, Memberships & Accreditations

Start Your
Care Journey

Everyone needs time to rest and recharge.

Whether you're looking for occasional support, planning ahead for a family break or exploring longer-term options, our team is here to help.

We'll take the time to understand your circumstances, answer your questions and help you put the right support in place.