Home Care in Gipsy Hill, SE19

Visiting care in Gipsy Hill is possible when a carer's rota fits the journey from our Lewisham office, typically 35 to 50 minutes by public transport. When someone needs help through the day and night, we place a resident carer. Our first visit looks outside as well as in, because on these slopes the front path can matter as much as the bathroom.

Lambeth, Southwark or Croydon?

Most of Gipsy Hill is in Lambeth, but the neighbourhood crosses into Southwark on its eastern side towards Dulwich Wood, and the ridge along Westow Hill and Central Hill is the border with Upper Norwood in Croydon. At Crystal Palace, a few minutes further on, several boroughs meet. Whichever council sends the council tax demand handles the assessment. For a Lambeth address, the route is Lambeth Adult Social Care; Croydon residents should see home care in Croydon.

Hills, stairs and divided villas

Gipsy Hill lives up to its name. The area grew after the station opened in 1856, first with large villas, many now split into flats, and later with council housing, the biggest being the Central Hill Estate of the 1960s and 70s, stepped down the slope below Central Hill. An easy stroll down to the station shops can turn into a punishing climb home, and some roads need a strong pair of arms behind a wheelchair. Indoors, a flat in a converted villa often means a shared staircase and a small bathroom; an estate home may have steps between front door and road. We look at both.

How far it is, and how carers get here

Gipsy Hill station is in fare zone 3 on Southern's Crystal Palace line, with trains to Victoria and London Bridge. Its platforms are below the entrance, and National Rail describes step-free access as partial, with no lifts. The 3 bus runs from the top of Gipsy Hill, by Dulwich Wood, through West Dulwich and Herne Hill to Brixton, Kennington and Lambeth Palace, and the 249 along the ridge links Crystal Palace with Streatham and Clapham. Controlled parking zones cover much of Lambeth, mostly further north, so check the street.

Dementia support within walking distance

• The Wednesday Magnolia Club. Two free hours, 2pm to 4pm, at Christ Church on Highland Road, run by Age UK Lambeth for people living with dementia and whoever cares for them; there is free parking on site. Its dementia team also makes free home visits (07518 717512).
• Central Hill Day Services on Lunham Road, a weekday dementia day centre close by, reached through a Lambeth needs assessment.
• Diagnosis through the Southwark and Lambeth Memory Service, usually by GP referral.

A visiting carer can get someone ready for the club or the centre and be there when they come home. See dementia care.

Paying for care in Gipsy Hill

Lambeth residents apply to Lambeth (web form or 020 7926 5555). The council judges need, then means; any funding it agrees can come to the family as a direct payment. People paying their own way receive our written figure after we have seen the home. Paying for care walks through the means test.

After a hospital stay

SE19 patients mostly go to King's, with the occasional admission to Croydon University Hospital from streets near the ridge. Hospital location does not change the council: Lambeth still handles care for its residents. Call us when the ward mentions a date; our discharge support page explains what we can do.

Getting out without the climb

On the hills, the trick is to start at the top or use the bus. The 3 stops at the top of Gipsy Hill, near Dulwich Wood, and runs down through West Dulwich to Herne Hill and Brockwell Park, whose station has lifts. The 249 runs along the ridge from Crystal Palace towards Streatham. A carer can plan an outing that goes downhill on foot and comes back by bus.

Live-in care and respite

If visits are not enough, see live-in care in Gipsy Hill. A husband or daughter who needs a break can call Carers' Hub Lambeth for advice, or book a resident carer for a fortnight's respite.

Everything our carers can help with →