Home Care in Canonbury

Yes, we provide home care in Canonbury, with carers visiting at set times for personal care, medication, meals and company, or a live-in carer staying in the home. Canonbury has a direct rail line to south-east London, which makes it one of the more practical parts of Islington for visiting care from our Lewisham office, though visits still depend on having a carer free at your times. Care begins with a free assessment at home and a written plan.

Is home care easy to arrange in Canonbury?

Easier than in much of north London. Canonbury station is on the Overground Windrush line, which runs south through Shoreditch and Shadwell to New Cross, a short hop from Lewisham, so a carer can make the trip in about 40 minutes with one change. The Mildmay line also stops at Canonbury, and Essex Road station has Great Northern trains from Moorgate.

Buses fill the gaps. The 21 stops at Canonbury Square; the 38, 56, 73, 341 and 476 run along Essex Road; the 30 and 393 use St Paul's Road towards Highbury Corner. Drivers have a harder time. Several of Islington's parking zones add extra controls on Arsenal match days, including weekday evenings and Sunday afternoons, so check which zone the street is in and its hours on the controlled parking zone hours before a family visit by car.

Squares on one side, estates on the other

Canonbury's postcard view is Canonbury Square: Georgian terraces, the Estorick Collection of Italian art at the corner, and Canonbury Tower, a Tudor survivor, a few steps away. The New River Walk threads through the middle, a long, narrow garden of water, footbridges and benches.

Behind Essex Road and St Paul's Road the picture changes. Large post-war estates, including the blocks around Marquess Road, house many of the neighbourhood's older residents, often council tenants of long standing living a street away from owner-occupied period houses. Canonbury is one neighbourhood with two quite different care problems.

Stairs, landings and the bath

In the terraces, most houses were split into flats years ago. An upper-floor flat usually means a steep shared staircase that cannot take a stairlift, and a bathroom too small to turn round in with a frame. Some houses are still lived in whole, over four floors, which brings the opposite question: how much of the house is still in use. At the assessment we look at where your relative sleeps, washes and eats, and whether moving the bed downstairs would make the days safer.

On the estates, flats are often on one level, which suits a wheelchair or frame, but a block with a broken lift can strand someone for days. We plan around both. For grab rails, a bath board or a level-access shower, the council's occupational therapists are the route.

The GP on Essex Road

The NHS website lists River Place Health Centre, on River Place off Essex Road (N1 2DE), and at the time of writing listed it as accepting new patients. Carers regularly collect prescriptions, keep a medication record and go with people to appointments.

What a Canonbury care plan can include

Visits can cover personal care, medication support, home help with meals and laundry, companionship and a sit-in service so a partner can go out. We also provide dementia care, complex care, palliative care and support after a hospital stay; most Canonbury residents are discharged from the Whittington or University College Hospital. Nail care is mainly offered in south-east London, so ask us about it.

How much does home care cost in Canonbury?

We cannot give a figure before we have met your relative, because it depends on how many visits are needed and what they involve; we quote in writing after the free assessment. Islington Council may contribute once it has assessed needs and finances. The NHS explains that anyone with savings over the upper capital limit of £23,250 will usually pay for their own care, and the council has an online cost of care calculator that gives a rough idea of a contribution. To start the assessment, phone 020 7527 2299 or use the council's online form; our Islington home care page has the details, including direct payments.

What we can help with in Canonbury

• 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