Home Care on the Becontree Estate

We provide home care across the Becontree estate. Live-in care is usually the best fit here. Many Becontree houses have a box room upstairs, and a live-in carer can use it as their bedroom if it fits a bed and their belongings. Visiting care depends on whether we have a carer free for your times, and we tell you honestly before you commit. Every arrangement starts with a free home assessment and a written care plan.

Growing old on the biggest council estate ever built

The London County Council built Becontree between 1921 and 1935, and when it was finished it was the largest public housing estate in the world. By 1935 around 100,000 people lived in about 26,000 homes, many of them families moved out from the East End. The layout has hardly changed: long, curving terraces of two-storey "cottages" set around greens and wide verges, with small front gardens. Plenty of today's older residents moved in as children or young parents and never left.

For someone who is becoming frail, the cottages bring three things that matter:

• The stairs. They are steep and narrow, and the only toilet may be upstairs. Stairlifts and bedrooms moved downstairs are common.
• Small rooms. A hoist or a profiling bed needs floor space. At the assessment we measure the room before suggesting either.
• The box room. It is the deciding factor for live-in care. If it can be cleared and fitted with a single bed, storage and a door that closes, a live-in carer can usually stay.

Can a live-in carer stay in a two-bedroom Becontree house?

Often, yes. The carer needs a bedroom of their own, not a sofa, and in a two-up, two-down that means the second bedroom. A live-in carer takes daily breaks and has days off, which we cover with another carer. Live-in care also works for a couple who want to stay together in the house they have shared for decades. If there truly is no spare room, a package of visits may still be possible, depending on carer availability.

Getting around Becontree

Becontree station, on the District line, was called Gale Street Halt until 1932. The 62 and 145 buses stop outside. The 62 runs north to Chadwell Heath and Marks Gate and south-west through Upney to Barking; the 145 runs to the Heathway shops in one direction and to Ilford in the other. Dagenham Heathway station is also within reach for much of the estate. From our office in Lewisham it is about an hour each way, which is why visiting care here is limited.

Large parts of the estate have no controlled parking. The council is adding zones near stations, parades and schools, so tell us at the assessment if your road has one.

NHS and council teams on Becontree Avenue

The Becontree Centre at 508 Becontree Avenue houses the joint NELFT and council Community Learning Disability Team for adults. It also houses NELFT's North Mental Health and Wellness Team. If the person you care for already has a worker in that team, we can work alongside them on the home care side of the plan. Porters Avenue Health Centre (234 Porters Avenue, RM8) is a nearby NELFT community health site.

Who do I contact at the council about care for someone in Becontree?

The council's Adult Intake Team: 020 8227 2915 or intaketeam@lbbd.gov.uk. Ask for a care needs assessment for your relative and a carer's assessment for yourself if you have been doing the caring. Council-funded care is means-tested. NHS Continuing Healthcare is a separate route for people whose needs are mainly health needs. We give a written quote after our own assessment. The Barking and Dagenham page explains direct payments and more.

Short breaks for Becontree carers

Respite can be a live-in carer for a week or two while you go away, or a regular sit-in so you can get out of the house. Our respite care page explains both.

Care available in Becontree

• Live-in care
• Personal care
• Companionship
• Sit-in service
• Dementia care
• Complex care
• Home help
• Respite care

What we can help with in Becontree

• Personal care, washing and dressing
• Medication prompting and support
• Meals, laundry and home help
• Companionship and getting out
• Dementia care at home
• Support after a hospital stay
• Short breaks for family carers
• Live-in care when needs grow