Short breaks

Short breaks for older people are stays in a residential/nursing home to provide respite for the older person or their carer.

The short breaks service for older people provides:

short breaks for carers of older people by offering the older person a brief period in a residential/nursing home
and
short breaks for older people whose well being would be enhanced by a brief period in residential/nursing home

A short break can be considered as a stay for one or two days, but is usually offered in blocks for up to two weeks.

Under this planned short breaks service, the maximum breaks that anyone can have is a total of eight weeks over a twelve month period where there are exceptional circumstances. A total of four weeks is the usual limit.

To qualify
An older person will qualify for a short break:

if they are ordinarily resident in the borough
their medical condition (if they have one) is one which can be managed by a GP
the break is part of a care plan (ask your care manager if you are unsure about this)

How to apply
If you already receive a service from social services, contact your care manager. If not telephone the social services customer contact centre on (020) 8825 8000; email: sscallcentre@ealing.gov.uk or visit your nearest social services reception point. You will be asked for more information about yourself, your needs and circumstances. They will also need to contact other people who know you well (such as your GP). However, they would only contact such people with your permission. This process is called a community care assessment. On the basis of this, your need for a short break will be assessed as part of the plan for your total care.

If a short break is offered in order to give the carer a break, the carer will be offered a carers' assessment to find out more about their needs and how they might best receive support.

The Data Protection Act 1998 defines the rules for processing personal information and applies to most paper and computer records.

Can I arrange a short break whenever I want one?
While the aim is to provide a flexible service there are constraints on the number of short breaks that can be offered at any one time - a person cannot be accommodated in a home unless a bed is available. For this reason, short breaks need to be planned and cannot be offered less than two weeks in advance of the break.

Can I arrange a short break in an emergency?
It is not usually possible to have a short break in an emergency. If there is an emergency in which an older person needs to be admitted to a home it will be treated under the normal procedures for emergency admissions to residential or nursing care.

Cost
As a general guide, if the person taking the short break has savings of over £20,500 (figure as at April 2005) they will probably need to pay the cost of the break in full. If they have fewer savings, they will need to pay a set amount towards the cost of the home. This amount is fixed, but differs between council homes and private or voluntary homes. You can find out more information on these charges from your care manager, or from contacting social services finance on (020) 8825 7066 (9am-5pm).

Feedback
We welcome your comments and suggestions about any of our services and how they may be improved. The customer care unit can deal with your comments or complaints, and they can be contacted on (020) 8825 8100; email: sscallcentre@ealing.gov.uk; or write to Social Services, Perceval House, 14-16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London W5 2HL.