Respite Care in York

York • North Yorkshire

Short-term respite care at home in York

Caring for a relative is rewarding, but it is also relentless, and every family carer needs to rest. Respite care from Protocol Healthcare Services gives you that break by putting a trusted Care Professional in place for a short spell, whether that is a few visits a day or full live-in cover, so you can take a holiday, catch up on your own health, or simply recharge, knowing your loved one is safe at home in York. When things happen suddenly, we can also step in at short notice with emergency cover.

We will be straight about how we work. Our offices are in the South of England, so we do not run a branch in York. What we do run is a genuinely national service, coordinating vetted, background-checked Care Professionals wherever they are needed. Everyone we place has completed enhanced DBS and right-to-work checks, references and training before they start, and a consultant is on hand around the clock, so respite cover in Acomb, Heworth or Bishopthorpe is arranged to the same standard we apply everywhere.

When York families ask us for respite

• ✓ A planned break or holiday for the main carer
• ✓ Emergency cover when a carer is unwell
• ✓ Recovery time after the carer's own operation
• ✓ Support after a hospital stay or discharge
• ✓ Short-term cover while care needs are assessed
• ✓ Regular, repeating breaks built into the week
• ✓ Visiting respite or full live-in respite
• ✓ A trial of care before a longer arrangement

Planned breaks and emergency cover in York

Respite comes in two broad shapes, and we arrange both. Planned respite is booked in advance, perhaps a fortnight while you take a holiday, or a regular day each week so you can keep up your own commitments. Emergency respite is exactly what it sounds like: when a carer in York falls ill, has a fall of their own, or is admitted to hospital, we can often arrange cover within 24 to 48 hours so there is no gap in support. Both can be delivered as visiting calls through the day or as a live-in Care Professional staying in the home, depending on how much support your relative needs.

Local knowledge across York

York is a compact city wrapped inside its medieval walls, and we arrange respite across its communities, from Acomb, Clifton and Rawcliffe to the west and north, to Heworth, Huntington and Wigginton towards the villages, Fulford, Fishergate and Bishopthorpe to the south, and Heslington, Dringhouses and Haxby around the edges. Whether your relative lives on a terraced street near the Minster and The Shambles in YO1, out towards Acomb in YO24 and YO26, or in Heworth in YO31, we keep their normal routine going while you are away.

Respite is also a natural fit after a hospital stay. When someone is discharged from York Hospital on Wigginton Road, part of York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, a short block of respite care can cover the tricky first weeks, helping with medication, meals and getting moving again, while giving the usual family carer a chance to catch their breath before taking the reins.

Funding a break in York

Respite care is priced on the length and level of cover you need, and we will be clear about the cost before anything starts. Importantly, the person who does the caring has rights too. City of York Council, based at West Offices near the railway station, can carry out a carer's assessment as well as a needs assessment for the person cared for, and may help fund a break following a financial assessment. Many York families also choose to self-fund their respite. Our team is happy to explain how it all fits together, and you can read more on our paying for care guide.

More than home care: staffing for York providers

Alongside care for families, we are also an REC-affiliated healthcare staffing agency with national reach. Care homes, supported living services and NHS teams across York rely on us for dependable cover, from NMC-registered nurses and support workers to mental health and learning disability specialists. If you run a service in York or the wider North Yorkshire area, see our staffing services overview.

Areas of York we cover for respite care

We arrange respite care at home across the city and its surrounding communities, including:

• Acomb
• Clifton
• Fulford
• Heworth
• Bishopthorpe
• Haxby
• Heslington
• Wigginton
• Dringhouses
• Rawcliffe
• Huntington
• Fishergate