A break for the family carer, or the first weeks home from hospital
Respite and hospital discharge
Short-term care: cover so that a family carer can have a holiday, a weekend or a regular afternoon off, and support for the first days and weeks after a stay at Nevill Hall or the Grange, so coming home goes well.
Family carers do an extraordinary job and rarely take a break until they collapse. Planned respite, before that point, is one of the most useful things we do.
Respite can be a regular afternoon a week, a weekend, or a fortnight while the family carer goes away, with visits, nights or live-in cover depending on what the person needs. We meet the person beforehand, so the carers are not strangers, and the family carer leaves a list we actually follow. Carers in Wales can ask the council for a carer's needs assessment, which may help with the cost; we can explain how.
Hospital discharge care starts the day the person comes home, or the day after: meeting them at the door, making sure there is food in, medicines collected, the heating on, and visits for the first days and weeks while they find their feet. We can often start within 48 hours of a call from the ward or the family, and reduce the visits as the person recovers.
What it includes
- Regular afternoons, weekends or holidays
- Met beforehand, not strangers
- Discharge care often within 48 hours
- Food in, heating on, medicines collected
- Visits reduced as the person recovers
- Help asking for a carer's assessment
What it costs
The same hourly and night rates; no minimum length for respite. Discharge care can often start within 48 hours. The cost estimator works out a weekly figure, and explains what the council may pay towards.
Questions about respite and discharge
How quickly can you start after a hospital stay?
Often within 48 hours, sometimes the same day. Ring us as soon as a discharge date is mentioned, even if it is not confirmed.
Is there a minimum for respite?
No minimum length. Visits have our usual minimum of thirty minutes, and nights are booked by the night.
Talk to Bethan or Tomos about care.
Ring, send the enquiry form or drop into Frogmore Street. We will talk through what is needed, explain the costs and the council's part honestly, and arrange a free first visit at home, usually within a week.