Home Care in Bloomsbury, WC1

Yes, we provide home care in Bloomsbury. Our carers travel in by Tube and bus from south-east London for visiting care, which depends on carer availability at the times you need, so call and ask; live-in care is available anywhere in WC1 because the carer moves in. Every package starts with a free home assessment by Jackie, our registered manager, and a written care plan.

Squares, mansion blocks and the Brunswick

Bloomsbury is the university and hospital quarter of Camden, but plenty of people grow old here, mostly in three kinds of building. There are the Georgian terraces around Bedford, Gordon, Tavistock and Mecklenburgh Squares, most long since divided into flats, where the upper floors mean four or five flights of narrow stairs. There are the mansion blocks, some with small lifts and some without. And there is the Brunswick Centre, the Grade II listed estate of around 560 flats stacked in terraces above the shops between Brunswick Square and Marchmont Street.

Each one changes the care plan. In a top-floor Georgian flat the question is whether someone can still manage the stairs safely, and whether a carer should come for the morning wash so that going out is not attempted alone. In the mansion blocks it is usually the bathroom: a deep bath in a narrow room is where many falls happen, and a personal care visit helps with that. In the Brunswick, with its long access walkways, it is getting to the lift and the shops on the level below.

Getting a carer to WC1 without a car

Bloomsbury sits inside the Congestion Charge zone, which Transport for London applies from 7am to 6pm on weekdays and from noon to 6pm at weekends. Parking is controlled on almost every street. Carers therefore come by public transport, and the area is easy to reach that way: Russell Square and Holborn on the Piccadilly line, Goodge Street on the Northern line, Euston Square on the Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines, and the Elizabeth line at Tottenham Court Road. The 68 bus runs up Southampton Row past Russell Square and Tavistock Square to Euston, and its other end is in south London at West Norwood.

Very early and late calls have to fit the Tube timetable, and we will tell you at the assessment which times we can cover.

GP surgeries in Bloomsbury

Two practices serve much of the area: the Ridgmount Practice at 8 Ridgmount Street, WC1E, and the Gower Street Practice at 20 Gower Street. Tell the surgery when an older patient starts having care at home. With consent we work with the GP on medication support.

How do I get Camden Council to assess someone in Bloomsbury?

Camden Adult Social Care covers all of WC1. You can make a referral through the council's online adult social care referral form, or phone Contact Camden on 020 7974 4444 and say "Adult Social Care" when prompted. The council looks at what the person needs help with and then, separately, at what they can afford to pay. If you look after a relative yourself, ask for a carers conversation, which is Camden's name for the carer's assessment. Our home care in Camden page covers the borough route in more detail.

How much does home care in Bloomsbury cost?

We don't publish prices: the cost depends on the number and length of visits, and we quote in writing after the free assessment. If Camden assesses the person as eligible, the council may pay some or all of the care after a financial assessment, either by arranging it or through a direct payment. Where needs are mainly health-related, ask the hospital or GP about NHS Continuing Healthcare. Our paying for care guide explains each route.

Live-in care in a Bloomsbury flat

A live-in carer needs their own bedroom, and in a one-bedroom mansion flat that is the sticking point. Where there is a second room, live-in care works well here, and the distance from our Lewisham office makes no difference to it.

Respite for family carers

If you are the main carer, respite care can be a few hours of sitting with your relative each week or a live-in carer covering a holiday. Camden Carers, the borough's commissioned carers' service, can also advise.

What we can help with in Bloomsbury

• 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