Home Care in Erith

We cover Erith. Live-in care is the most dependable option here, because the carer moves in and the journey stops mattering. Visiting care is possible too, but Erith is one of the further parts of Bexley from our Lewisham office, at roughly 35 to 45 minutes by public transport, so visits depend on carer availability. Ask us about your times and we will give you a straight answer.

A different kind of Bexley

Most of Bexley is interwar suburb. Erith is not. It is an old Thames-side industrial town with the longest pier in Greater London, and from 1961 its old riverside centre was cleared and redeveloped as a modern shopping and working area, where the Riverside Shopping Centre now stands. A few older buildings survived, among them the 1906 Carnegie library and St John's Church in West Street. The Erith Playhouse is the largest theatre in the borough. Northumberland Heath adjoins the town to the south, and Slade Green, which shares the DA8 postcode, lies to the south-east.

Can you get home care in an Erith tower block?

Yes. The 1960s rebuilding left Erith with brutalist social housing towers alongside post-war council estates, Victorian terraces and newer flats by the river. Flats bring their own questions, and we work through them at the free assessment:

• The lift. For someone who cannot manage stairs, a broken lift means being stuck indoors. The plan should say what happens then: who gets shopping and prescriptions in, and whether a visit needs to change.
• Space. Live-in care needs a spare bedroom. Many one-bedroom flats do not have one, so a pattern of visits is the usual answer there.
• Equipment. A hoist or a shower chair has to fit the bathroom. Bexley's occupational therapists can assess for this; ask at the same time as the care assessment.
• Getting out. On a high floor it is easy to become cut off. A companionship visit can include a trip to the pier.

The Victorian terraces have the opposite problem: steep stairs and a bathroom upstairs, but often a spare room for a live-in carer.

Two hospitals, two directions

An Erith resident who is admitted may go west to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, or east to Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, run by Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. Darent Valley is in Kent, but its discharge planning for Erith patients still goes through London Borough of Bexley social care, because that is where the person lives. If a parent is on a ward at either hospital, call us early. Read about hospital discharge support.

For day-to-day health, Erith Health Centre at 50 Pier Road, DA8 1RQ, is home to Riverside Surgery.

Does Bexley Council pay for home care in Erith?

It can contribute after two assessments: one of needs and one of finances (the means test). Start through the council's self-assessment or ring 020 8303 7777. The council's share can be paid as a direct payment, which you can use with an agency of your choosing. Where needs are primarily health needs, the NHS may fund the care in full through Continuing Healthcare. We quote in writing after our assessment; our Bexley borough page and paying for care guide explain each route.

Travel and parking

Erith station is on the North Kent line, and Slade Green has its own station. Buses into the town include the 99, 180, 229, 428, 469 and B12, and the 89 from Lewisham runs to Northumberland Heath and Slade Green. The town centre is in the Erith controlled parking zone. Bexley's social care permit allows care staff on duty to use resident and pay bays.

Live-in care, breaks and care at the end of life

A live-in carer suits Erith well: one person, round the clock, with no journey to fit around. For a family carer, respite from us can be a run of visits or live-in cover while you are away. Crossroads Care also provides sitting services for carers in the area. Where someone is nearing the end of life, our palliative care can work alongside the Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice and the district nurses.

Help we provide in Erith

• Live-in care for one person or a couple
• Personal care, including help with washing in a small flat bathroom
• Medication support, including collecting prescriptions
• Home help with shopping, cleaning and meals
• Companionship and a sit-in service
• Dementia care
• Respite care for family carers
• Complex care and palliative care
• Support after a stay at Queen Elizabeth or Darent Valley

What we can help with in Erith

• 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