Best respite care platforms in the UK (scored, October 2026)

Key Takeaways

This is a scored list of the best respite care platforms in the UK: eight introductory matching services, judged on published vetting, fees, flexibility, family support and third-party reviews. None of them is CQC-registered as a care provider for the service we scored. We run Match With Care and put it in the table on the same rules. Facts we could not find are marked not published and score zero. Method: how we score platforms. Checked 21 October 2026.

The live table on home care platforms uses the same checklist.

Elder still leads this set, on 95/100. If you're booking a week's break rather than ongoing live-in, that rank is the least useful number on the page. Elder's own respite page prices a week from £1,595. Its pricing page still starts ongoing live-in at £1,150. Same platform. Same carer model. Four hundred and forty-five pounds a week for being short-term.

NHS guidance on carers' breaks (reviewed 1 May 2026) is blunt: councils only fund respite after a carer's assessment and a care needs assessment. Age UK (updated 18 February 2026) says if savings sit above £23,250 the council will not help with care costs. Most of the families who land on these platforms are paying themselves, and they are comparing a three-day wedding with a fortnight in Spain as if the weekly rate were the same number.

What are the best respite care platforms in the UK?

On this 21 October 2026 check we scored Elder, Match With Care, Curam, Live-in Care Direct, PrimeCarers, Country Cousins, Gladys and Care.com UK. Elder leads on published facts, at 95/100. Rank is a score, not a recommendation to switch.

How we scored these respite care platforms

The CQC (updated 1 July 2025) registers people who carry on regulated activity. These platforms introduce self-employed carers, so a CQC grade cannot rank them.

Each platform is scored out of 100 from facts on its own pages: vetting 25, price transparency 20, flexibility 15, family support 20, third-party reviews 20. Review points need at least 10 reviews and are weighted by volume up to 100. A perfect 5.0 with fewer than 100 reviews earns 12 of 20. A fact we cannot find is not published, and earns nothing. Ties break on review volume, then name. Full rules: platform ranking methodology. We run Match With Care. Its rank is the score. Pages opened for this round are named under each platform. Checked 21 October 2026.

Priya in Sevenoaks needed Friday to Sunday so she could go to her sister's wedding in Bath. Elder would sell her three days from £684. Live-in Care Direct's respite page talks about two weeks as a sensible minimum. PrimeCarers would let her buy the hours. Those are different products wearing the same search result.

Comparison table

Rank	Platform	Score	Respite from	Family fee	Reviews
1	Elder	95/100	3 days from £684; week from £1,595	One agreed weekly rate	4.8/5 from 905, Trustpilot
2	Match With Care	89/100	£1,050–£1,400 a week, short stays may be pro-rata	15% platform fee on the invoice	5.0 on Google, fewer than 100 reviews (12/20 review points)
3	Curam	88/100	Live-in respite £850–£1,200 a week	12% on the carer's rate	4.5/5 from 588, Trustpilot
4	Live-in Care Direct	75/100	£1,200 a week, usually from 2 weeks	One fixed weekly fee	4.9/5 from 111 Google reviews, as stated on their homepage
5	PrimeCarers	66/100	From £1,050 a week; visits £18–£25 an hour	Platform fee inside the quote; no short-term premium	4.1/5 from 43, Trustpilot
6	Country Cousins	55/100	Short-term (under 4 weeks) £1,344 a week	One-off lifetime registration fee, then weekly packages	3.8/5 from 108, Trustpilot
7	Gladys	47/100	From £200 a day (£1,400 a week)	Carer-set rates	No third-party score with 10+ reviews opened
8	Care.com UK	14/100	Not published	Paid Premium to message carers	3.6/5 from 6,405, Trustpilot UK

Checked 21 October 2026. Elder's Trustpilot figure is the 12 October check; that listing failed verification again today. Curam, PrimeCarers and Country Cousins review pages were last opened 13 October. Care.com UK's Trustpilot listing loaded today at 3.6/5 from 6,405 reviews.

That £1,595 from Elder's respite page is not a quirk of one brand. Country Cousins publishes £1,344 for anything under four weeks, against £1,155 long-term. PrimeCarers is the one that says there is no premium for a one-off.

1. Elder · 95/100

Why it ranks here. Elder's introductory-agency page states enhanced DBS or PVG, right-to-work, and that it aims to verify at least two professional references before introduction, plus a situational assessment. The pricing page publishes live-in from £1,150 a week, respite three days from £684 and weekly from £1,595, a two-week trial for full-time care, no joining or exit fee, and two weeks' notice. Families choose the carer. Elder says it helps source a replacement. MyElder handles schedules and payments. The respite page says care can begin in 24 hours and that Elder has introduced respite carers in over 500 towns. Trustpilot, last opened 12 October 2026, showed 4.8 out of 5 from 905 reviews.

Where it falls short. Elder is not CQC-registered as a provider. Hourly visiting prices and insurance cover were not on the pages we opened, so those points are zero. The same introductory-agency page says Elder cannot mandate training for self-employed carers. A week's respite is priced £445 above the ongoing live-in starting rate.

Sources: pricing, introductory agency, respite care.

2. Match With Care · 89/100

Why it ranks here. We run Match With Care. On the same checklist we reach 89, second in this set, one point above Curam. Our FAQ states enhanced DBS, right-to-work, references, an interview, no joining or exit fee, a 15% platform fee on the invoice, carer swaps at no extra matching cost, and replacement cover, including holiday cover. London pricing puts live-in around £1,050 to £1,400 a week. The respite page and respite cost page price short-term cover similarly, and say short stays may be pro-rata. Google shows a 5.0 average with fewer than 100 reviews, which earns 12 of 20 review points. The 5.0 figure was still on the London page on 21 October 2026.

Where it falls short. We are not CQC-registered as a provider. Our own platform insurance cover is not published on our site yet; carers must hold their own public liability insurance. Two weeks' notice, or fees in lieu, is the usual standard for ending or pausing. We do not publish a separate three-day or overnight from-price. We sit below Elder mainly on third-party review volume.

Sources: FAQ, London, respite care, respite cost.

3. Curam · 88/100

Why it ranks here. Curam's client FAQ says every carer is interviewed, DBS-checked, right-to-work checked, and must supply two referees. The 12% client fee is added to invoices. Insurance through CFC is described on the FAQ. Care advisers are described as available seven days a week for replacements. No minimum contract length; a trial shift is charged. The respite page publishes hourly respite at £15 to £25, sleeping nights at £120 to £160, waking nights at £150 to £200+, and live-in respite at £850 to £1,200 a week. The live-in cost guide still starts ongoing live-in at £950 a week. Trustpilot (NZ listing), last opened 13 October 2026, showed 4.5 out of 5 from 588 reviews.

Where it falls short. Self-managed care is not a CQC-regulated personal-care service. Taking a carer off the platform after 90 days attracts a £750 plus VAT recruitment fee, as stated in the terms. The respite prices are a guide; the family total is the carer's rate plus 12%. No free trial or free carer swap was stated.

Sources: client information, respite care, live-in costs, terms.

4. Live-in Care Direct · 75/100

Why it ranks here. The carers page states enhanced DBS, right-to-work, professional references checked, and an in-person interview before introduction. The homepage publishes standard live-in from £1,200 a week as one fixed fee, you choose the carer, a named care manager, and replacement help. The respite page uses the same £1,200 starting rate, says care can start in 24–48 hours for emergencies, and describes most stays as running from two weeks. Google reviews are stated on the homepage as 4.9 out of 5 from 111 reviews, still there on 21 October 2026.

Where it falls short. Not CQC-registered as a provider. No joining fee, notice period, trial or insurance policy was spelled out on the pages we opened. Two weeks as a "sensible minimum" is a poor fit for a weekend wedding. The same homepage's Trustpilot widget showed 4.8 from 41 reviews, which would earn fewer volume-weighted points than the Google figure we used.

Sources: homepage, respite care, carers.

5. PrimeCarers · 66/100

Why it ranks here. The respite page is the plainest of the lot on price. Respite is the same carers at the same rates as ongoing care, fee included, no minimum block, no premium for a one-off. Visits £18 to £25 an hour. Nights £130 to £165. Live-in from £1,050 a week. They check ID, right to work, an enhanced DBS issued within two years, and interview online. You choose the carer. Contract and payment tools sit on the platform, with insurance subject to policy terms. They will help look for another carer if plans change; availability is not guaranteed.

Where it falls short. The same page is equally plain that they do not check qualifications, training or references. A profile can say "respite" without anyone at PrimeCarers having called a previous employer. Trustpilot, last opened 13 October 2026, showed 4.1 out of 5 from 43 reviews. No joining fee and no free trial were stated.

Sources: primecarers.co.uk/respite-care.

6. Country Cousins · 55/100

Why it ranks here. Country Cousins has introduced self-employed live-in carers since 1959. The jobs page requires proof of right to work, DBS or PVG, an interview, and two professional references to be shortlisted. The price comparison publishes long-term live-in from £1,155 a week and short-term, under four weeks, at £1,344. The live-in respite page itself asks you to call for a quote. Trustpilot, last opened 13 October 2026, showed 3.8 out of 5 from 108 reviews.

Where it falls short. Not CQC-registered; managed, inspected care sits with sister company Trinity Homecare. The pages we opened do not say Country Cousins itself verifies those two references. Notice, trial, insurance and family online tools were not published. A one-off lifetime registration fee is stated elsewhere; the amount was not on the pages we opened today. Short-term costs £189 a week more than the long-term starting rate.

Sources: respite at home, live-in respite, prices, carer vetting.

7. Gladys · 47/100

Why it ranks here. Gladys is an introductory platform. The client FAQ states enhanced DBS, references, interviews, and public liability insurance. Families choose from a handpicked list. Live-in is from £200 a day, which we treat as £1,400 a week. The respite page covers a few hours, a weekend, or a longer period away.

Where it falls short. Right-to-work, joining fees, a trial or free swap, and replacement-cover help were not on the pages we opened. We did not open a third-party review listing with at least 10 reviews, so reputation points are zero. The terms require at least one month's notice to cancel or pause live-in respite, with cancellations charged at the full daily rate unless the booked carer agrees otherwise. The respite page still talks about Bath and surrounding areas.

Sources: respite care, client FAQ, live-in cost 2026, terms.

8. Care.com UK · 14/100

Why it ranks here. The UK homepage is childcare, housekeeping and pets first. The first two profiles when we opened it were Sarah W., a nanny in Wrexham, and Catherine F., a pet sitter in London. Families post a job, message, interview and hire. The family FAQ makes a paid Premium membership the gate to reading applications and sending messages. The hiring guide (updated 1 October 2021) tells you to request DBS and references yourself.

Where it falls short. The same hiring guide says carers' DBS checks have not always been verified by Care.com. No weekly respite or live-in price. No respite service page sat next to those nanny profiles. The UK Trustpilot listing, opened 21 October 2026, showed 3.6 out of 5 from 6,405 reviews. Most of those reviews are about childcare, housekeeping and membership billing. A 3.6 rating at that volume earns 6 of 20 review points, which is why this score moved from the 8/100 we recorded when the same listing last showed 2.4.

Sources: care.com/en-gb, family FAQ, hiring guide, Trustpilot UK.

Best-for picks from the same scores

• Most thorough published vetting (25/25): Elder, Curam, Match With Care and Live-in Care Direct.
• Lowest published live-in starting price: Curam, from £950 a week on its cost guide. Add the 12% client fee before you treat that as the family total. Its respite page guides live-in respite even lower, from £850, still plus 12%.
• Most flexible published terms (15/15): Elder and Match With Care, which both publish no fixed term plus a trial or a free carer swap.
• Strongest third-party review points: Live-in Care Direct, on the Google figure stated on its homepage (4.9/5 from 111).
• No published short-term premium: PrimeCarers, which prices respite at the same rates as ongoing care.
• Published three-day block: Elder, from £684.

If you want a CQC-inspected agency instead of an introductory platform, that is a different list: how we rank agencies. Related scored lists: best live-in care platforms in the UK, best dementia care platforms in the UK and what respite care is.

Age UK's respite page (updated 19 February 2026) says you can usually keep Carer's Allowance for up to four weeks in any six-month period if you have a break from caring. The rules are fiddly. I would rather a family overpaid for a week they could actually book than saved £200 on a three-day rate that nobody in their postcode can start on Friday.

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We run Match With Care as an introductory care marketplace, not a CQC-registered agency. If you want us to introduce a vetted self-employed carer for a short stay, see who is available. We'll tell you the 15% fee before you choose. The live scores sit on home care platforms.