Bermondsey · Southwark
Bermondsey Home Care, SE1 and SE16
Yes, we arrange home care in Bermondsey, from Bermondsey Street to Southwark Park Road. A free assessment at home comes first. After that, we arrange live-in care, or visiting care when we have a carer free at your times. London Bridge is about ten minutes by train from our Lewisham office.
Two postcodes, two Bermondseys
Bermondsey splits into two parts. The SE1 end, near London Bridge, grew up along Bermondsey Street, which ran from Tooley Street to the medieval abbey. It still has the Leather Market of 1833 and the old Leather, Hide and Wool Exchange, as well as converted warehouses towards Shad Thames and the river. The SE16 end stretches east along Jamaica Road and Southwark Park Road towards Southwark Park. Its everyday shopping centre is The Blue, the market square on Southwark Park Road. Many older residents there have lived in the area all their lives, often on the Dickens Estate or other inter-war and post-war council estates.
For care, these differences matter. A warehouse flat usually has a lift and wide doors but may have a concierge desk and fob access to arrange. A walk-up block off Jamaica Road may have no lift at all, so someone who cannot manage the stairs after a hospital stay may be stuck indoors. Deck-access blocks have long open walkways between the stairwell and the front door. We look at all of this at the assessment.
Care on Bermondsey estates: keys, lifts and parking
Before the first visit, we agree how carers will get in, whether through a key safe, a door entry fob or a family member. If the lift is unreliable, we plan for it and help you report it to the housing office. If the person has repeat falls, we may suggest asking the council's occupational therapist about grab rails or a lower bath.
Parking is a common question. Southwark council estates run their own permit schemes, separate from the on-street controlled parking zones. Estate residents who receive regular care can apply for an estate carer parking permit, which needs a GP letter confirming that regular carer visits are needed. Carers coming from Lewisham can use the train to London Bridge or the 47 bus, so visits do not depend on finding a space.
Ten minutes from Lewisham. Southeastern trains run from Lewisham to London Bridge. From there, Bermondsey is reached on foot, by the Jubilee line one stop east to Bermondsey station, or by the 47 bus along Tooley Street and Jamaica Road. The 47 also runs the other way, through Surrey Quays and Deptford to Lewisham. South Bermondsey station, on Southern services from London Bridge, serves the southern edge of the area. Bermondsey is easy for carers to reach, but visits still depend on a carer being free at your times.
Can I get council-funded home care in Bermondsey?
Possibly. Southwark Council's Older People and Physical Disabilities team assesses whether someone is eligible for support. Make a referral through the council's referral page, or call 020 7525 3324 if you cannot use the form or need help urgently. The council may point you to community services first. If it does fund care, it means-tests what you contribute, and it can pay a personal budget as a direct payment so you choose your own provider. We quote our own costs after the assessment. Our Southwark home care page covers direct payments and the carers' route in more detail.
Guy's next door, St Thomas' for A&E
Guy's Hospital, on Great Maze Pond at the western edge of Bermondsey, handles outpatient, specialist, cancer and day surgery work, but it has no A&E. Emergency admissions from Bermondsey usually go to St Thomas' in Lambeth, run by the same Guy's and St Thomas' trust, and many discharges back to Bermondsey come from there. Call us as soon as a discharge is being planned.
Help close to home
Ageing Well Southwark has a directory of older people's activities that you can search by area, including Bermondsey. Age UK Lewisham and Southwark is based a short walk west at the Stones End Day Centre in Borough. It runs a day centre with door-to-door transport and a toenail-cutting service.
Live-in care and respite
A live-in carer needs their own bedroom, which rules out many one-bedroom flats here but suits a two- or three-bedroom maisonette. If a family member is the main carer, respite care can be regular sitting visits or a carer staying for a week or two. A Southwark carer's assessment may open up council support for breaks.
Our services in Bermondsey
- Personal care
- Medication support
- Home help
- Companionship
- Sit-in service
- Live-in care
- Respite care
- Dementia care
- Complex care
- Palliative care
- Hospital discharge
- Nail care
What we can help with in Bermondsey
- 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
Elsewhere in Southwark
Home care pages for other parts of Southwark:
Our services
How we can help in Southwark
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Visiting care in Southwark
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Southwark
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Respite care in Southwark
Cover so a family carer can rest, recover or go away.
Read more →Supported living in Southwark
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →Bermondsey FAQs
Bermondsey questions
Questions families ask us about Bermondsey. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionMy aunt's block off Jamaica Road has no lift. Can you still care for her at home?
Yes, carers can manage the stairs. The bigger concern is whether she can, for appointments and going out. We will talk about that at the assessment, along with whether a housing transfer or a mobility referral is worth raising with the council.
Do you cover both the SE1 and SE16 parts of Bermondsey?
Yes, from Bermondsey Street and Tower Bridge Road east to Southwark Park and South Bermondsey. For the riverside area further east, see our Rotherhithe page.
Can a carer take my dad to The Blue for his shopping?
Yes. Accompanied shopping can be part of a home help or companionship visit, and many people get as much from the walk and the chat as from the shopping.
Does the Congestion Charge affect carers coming to Bermondsey?
Parts of SE1 around London Bridge are inside the Congestion Charge zone, so drivers need to check their route. The whole borough is inside the ULEZ. This is one reason many carers here travel by public transport.
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