Respite Care in Plymouth

Plymouth • Devon

Short-term and emergency respite care in Plymouth

Caring for someone you love is rewarding, but it is also relentless, and every family carer needs to rest sometimes. Respite care gives you that space: a trusted Care Professional steps in to look after your relative for a short period, so you can take a proper break, go on holiday, recover from your own illness, or simply catch up on sleep. Protocol Healthcare Services has spent more than a decade arranging short-term cover for families, and we bring the same reliability to Plymouth that we apply everywhere we work.

We will always be honest about how we operate. Our offices are in the South of England, so we do not run a branch in Plymouth and the city lies a good way to the west of us. What we do run is a genuinely national service that coordinates 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 a carer in Plymstock, Mannamead or Stoke gets the same support as one nearer our office. When cover is needed urgently, that around-the-clock coordination matters.

When respite care helps in Plymouth

• ✓ A planned break or holiday for a family carer
• ✓ Emergency cover when a carer falls ill
• ✓ Recovery time after a carer's own operation
• ✓ Support after a hospital stay or discharge
• ✓ A trial of care before committing longer term
• ✓ Extra help over a busy or difficult period
• ✓ Regular, repeating breaks built into the week
• ✓ Peace of mind while you step away

Planned breaks and holiday cover

Most respite is planned in advance. Perhaps you have a wedding to travel to, a holiday booked, or you simply know you need a week to recharge. We arrange respite that fits the dates you give us, keeping your relative in their own home with their own routine while you are away. Because the care happens at home in familiar surroundings, there is none of the upheaval of a temporary move into a care home, which matters a great deal for anyone living with memory problems. We arrange planned respite right across Plymouth, from the waterfront around the Hoe and the Barbican to the suburbs of Plympton, Peverell and Crownhill.

Emergency respite when you need it fast

Not every break can be planned. Carers get ill, have accidents, or face sudden family emergencies of their own, and when that happens the person they look after still needs support that day. We are set up to respond quickly to requests for emergency respite in Plymouth, arranging visiting calls or a live-in Care Professional at short notice. If you are in that situation now, the fastest thing to do is call us and talk it through.

Visiting or live-in respite, and hospital-to-home

Respite in Plymouth can be arranged either as visiting calls through the day or as live-in cover, where a Care Professional stays in the home around the clock. Live-in respite is often chosen when a carer is going away overnight or for several days. Respite is also a natural bridge after a hospital stay or an operation: we regularly support people discharged from Derriford Hospital in Crownhill, part of University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, with short-term cover for medication, mobility and personal care while they get back on their feet, and while their usual carer recovers too. We cover the west of the city in Devonport, Stonehouse and Ford, and the north around St Budeaux, Honicknowle and Efford.

Funding, carer's assessments and getting started

Respite care is arranged by the week or as emergency cover, and we give you clear costs before anything begins. Many Plymouth families self-fund, but you may qualify for help. Plymouth City Council can carry out a carer's assessment as well as a care needs assessment for the person you look after, and support towards respite is sometimes available. Care at home in England is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), so standards stay consistent whoever provides your cover. Our team is happy to explain the routes, and you can read more on our paying for care guide. To see how respite fits alongside our other options, visit our services overview.

Areas of Plymouth we cover for respite care

We arrange short-term and emergency respite across the city and its surrounding communities, including:

• Plymstock
• Plympton
• Devonport
• Stonehouse
• Stoke
• Mutley
• Mannamead
• Peverell
• Crownhill
• St Budeaux
• Efford
• Honicknowle