We live right on the border of our county. The nearest town to us, and where our son lives, is in our neighbouring county. Who do we need to contact about booking respite care there? We are self-funding.
Hi Janice,
Good news - as a self-funder, there's no formal cross-county process you need to go through. Care home funding rules around local authority boundaries really only apply when a council is arranging and paying for the placement. Since you're self-funding, you can book directly with any registered care home in England, regardless of which county it's in.
The steps are simple:
Contact the care home directly to check they offer respite care and have availability for the dates you need.
Confirm their CQC rating and that they're registered for the right type of care (you can check this on our site or directly on the CQC website).
Agree the price and terms with the home, just as you would with any other booking.
The only practical thing to watch is that if your son ever needed ongoing council-funded care later down the line, that would usually be arranged through his local authority based on where he lives, not where the care home is. But for a self-funded respite stay, the county border genuinely doesn't matter.
Hope that helps. Let us know which home you're considering if you want a second opinion on anything.
Geoff
CareHomeGuide Team