Home Care in Blackfen, Sidcup DA15

Yes, we provide home care in Blackfen. Blackfen sits between Welling and Sidcup, both a short train ride from our Lewisham office, so visiting care is realistic here, subject to carer availability for the times you need. Care starts with a free home assessment and a written care plan, and live-in care is available if visits are not enough.

Street after street of 1930s houses

Blackfen was farmland until the Danson estate was sold off in the 1920s, and most of what stands today went up in the 1930s: semi-detached and terraced houses of a very similar pattern, nearly all owner-occupied.

That sameness is useful. Once you know one Blackfen semi, you know most of them: a front room and a back room downstairs, a kitchen at the back, a straight staircase, and the only bathroom upstairs unless a downstairs toilet has been added. When the stairs get hard, the back room is the natural place for a bed, with a commode or a converted ground-floor shower room. Carers can help with washing and dressing in whatever arrangement works, and the council's occupational therapists can assess for equipment.

Can I get council-funded home care in Blackfen?

Possibly. Blackfen is in the London Borough of Bexley, so the route is Bexley's Adult Social Care: phone the Single Point of Contact on 020 8303 7777, or use the online self-assessment. Some assessments are done for the council by OneBexley charities, so the person who visits may be from Age UK Bexley or another member charity.

If you are eligible, a financial assessment decides how much you contribute. Council funding can be paid as a direct payment to spend with an agency like ours. We give a written quote after our own assessment, because the cost depends on the hours and type of care. More on the council route is on our Bexley home care page.

Buses through Blackfen

Carers coming from Lewisham take the train to Welling or Sidcup and pick up the 51, which runs between the two stations along Westwood Lane, Blackfen Road and past the Oval. The B13 crosses Blackfen Road on its way between Bexleyheath and New Eltham. For family, the 51 also runs on to Sidcup station and the High Street, where the 229, 269 and 286 continue to Queen Mary's Hospital.

Queen Mary's is close but is not a full hospital: it has an urgent treatment centre, outpatient clinics and day surgery. A serious emergency from Blackfen usually goes to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, so a discharge home is often planned from there. Let us know as soon as a ward mentions a date; our hospital discharge page explains how we help.

Getting out: the Shuttle, the Oval and Sidcup

The River Shuttle runs east through Blackfen past Holly Oak Wood Park, Willersley Park and Marlborough Park, and these level green spaces are good for a short walk or a wheelchair outing with a companionship carer. The shopping parade on Blackfen Road and the Oval are close enough for a weekly trip to the shops.

For a full day out of the house, Age UK Bexley's day centre at Hadlow Road in Sidcup includes a dementia day service. Our carers can help someone get ready on day-centre mornings.

Live-in care and short breaks

A three-bedroom Blackfen semi usually has the spare room a live-in carer needs. It suits someone who needs help through the day, or a couple who want to stay together at home. If you are the one doing the caring, respite care can cover a weekly afternoon or a fortnight away, and Carers' Support Bexley can carry out your carer's assessment.

What we can help with in Blackfen

• 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