Home Care at Elephant and Castle, SE1 and SE17

Yes, we provide home care at Elephant and Castle, through visiting carers or live-in care, after a free assessment at home. Elephant & Castle is two stops from London Bridge on the Northern line, and London Bridge is a short train ride from Lewisham, so visits here are practical, subject to carer availability.

A neighbourhood that has been rebuilt around its residents

Elephant and Castle has changed more in fifteen years than most of London. The Heygate estate was demolished in the 2010s and replaced by Elephant Park and new towers, and the old shopping centre closed in September 2020 and has since been knocked down. Many older residents still live in the post-war blocks around the junction, some have moved into new social-rent flats, and a smaller number live in the Georgian and Victorian terraces off Kennington Park Road.

The newer blocks usually have lifts, and many flats have level floors and walk-in showers, which makes care easier. Concierge desks and fob-only doors are the main thing to plan, so we agree how carers get in before the first visit. The older blocks are where we look harder at stairs, bathrooms and lifts.

Coming home from St Thomas'

The nearest A&E is St Thomas' Hospital, across the borough boundary in Lambeth, and many Elephant residents are discharged from there or from Guy's at London Bridge. The 12 and 453 run straight from Elephant & Castle to the St Thomas' Hospital stop.

The hospital team plans the discharge. Southwark's reablement service then often provides short-term support at home, usually free, for an average of three to four weeks and up to six (see the council's going into hospital page). If longer-term help will be needed when reablement ends, call us while it is still running, so there is no gap. Our hospital discharge support page explains how we work.

What does home care cost at Elephant and Castle?

We quote after the free assessment and don't give prices over the phone. If Southwark Council arranges the care, it will means-test your contribution; try its online cost calculator first. A council personal budget can also be taken as direct payments and used to buy care from an agency of your choice. For people with mainly health needs, NHS Continuing Healthcare is assessed separately and is not means-tested. Read more in paying for care.

Care we provide here

Visiting care covers personal care, medication support, home help, companionship and our sit-in service. For more involved needs we provide dementia care, complex care and palliative care, and we also offer nail care at home.

How carers reach you

Carers can come by Tube, train or bus. Elephant & Castle has the Northern and Bakerloo lines plus Thameslink and Southeastern trains, and the 136 runs direct from Lewisham. Driving is harder: the Elephant and Castle junction forms part of the Congestion Charge boundary, the whole area is in the ULEZ, and residential streets and estates have their own permit rules.

Live-in care and respite

Live-in care works in any flat with a spare bedroom for the carer, including the two-bedroom flats in the newer blocks. Respite care gives a family carer time off, from an afternoon sit-in to a live-in stay of a week or two.

To start with the council

If you moved into a new Elephant Park or other housing association flat after the Heygate or another estate was cleared, your landlord changed but your adult social care did not: it still comes from Southwark. Ask its Older People and Physical Disabilities team for a needs assessment through the online referral page or on 020 7525 3324, and raise adaptations such as grab rails with the housing provider as well. Our Southwark home care page has the full borough picture.

What we can help with in Elephant and Castle

• 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