Home Care in Greenwich

The Greenwich most older residents live in

Visitors know the riverside: the Cutty Sark, the Observatory, the O2. Most of the borough's older residents live further east and south, in Woolwich, Plumstead, Eltham, New Eltham, Kidbrooke and Thamesmead, and that is where most visiting care in Greenwich actually happens.

Getting there is easier than in most boroughs we cover. From Lewisham, the DLR reaches Greenwich in under ten minutes, Southeastern trains get to Kidbrooke and Eltham in roughly ten to fifteen, and Charlton and Woolwich Arsenal in fifteen to twenty-five. By car, most addresses are fifteen to thirty minutes away on the A20, A2 or South Circular. The exception is Thamesmead and the far end of Abbey Wood, which take forty to fifty minutes by public transport. We still cover them, but for visits several times a day there, ask us early so we can tell you honestly whether we can staff it.

We do not have a separate Greenwich office or team. Carers travel out from south-east London, and whether a particular visit pattern works depends on who is available, so we will always confirm before agreeing to it.

What a home care visit can include

• Personal care: washing, showering, dressing, continence care and getting up or to bed
• Medication support, from prompting to assisting, with a written record
• Meals made and eaten, with someone checking that the last one was finished
• Home help: laundry, changing beds, tidying and shopping
• Companionship, including a walk along Eltham High Street or a trip to an appointment
• A sit-in so a family member can go out

Steep streets, deck-access blocks and 1930s semis

Greenwich's housing varies more than its reputation suggests, and the type of home shapes what care looks like.

The hills. The Victorian terraces of Plumstead, Charlton and the slopes above Woolwich sit on some of the steepest residential roads in south London. There are often steps up from the pavement, a steep internal staircase and a bathroom upstairs. For someone with a walking frame, the front door can be as much of a barrier as the stairs, and that changes what a carer needs to help with: getting in and out safely, not only washing and dressing.

The estates. In Woolwich, Abbey Wood and Thamesmead, many older residents live in post-war council blocks, including the 1960s and 70s deck-access blocks of Thamesmead now owned by Peabody. Flats are usually on one level, which helps, but everything depends on the lift. If it is out of service, a carer may be the only person who gets up to that floor that day.

The suburbs. Eltham, New Eltham and the older streets of Kidbrooke are mostly interwar semis and terraces with a straight staircase and an upstairs bathroom. When the stairs stop being safe, a bed downstairs or a stairlift often keeps the house workable, and the council can assess for equipment.

The new flats. Royal Arsenal Riverside, Greenwich Peninsula and Kidbrooke Village have lifts and level access throughout, which makes wheelchairs, hoists and walk-in showers much simpler.

How do I get a care assessment from Royal Greenwich?

Adult social care in Greenwich sits within the council's Health and Adult Services directorate. The front door is its Contact Assessment Team, based at The Woolwich Centre on Wellington Street, which also takes requests for occupational therapy and equipment. You can:

• fill in the council's online Ask for support with adult care and health form (you need the person's permission if you are applying for someone else);
• phone 020 8921 2304 (Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to 4pm); or
• email aops.contact.officers@royalgreenwich.gov.uk.

Out of hours, social care emergencies go to 020 8854 8888.

If the council finds the person eligible, a financial assessment follows. Royal Greenwich says that anyone with more than £23,250 in savings or assets pays the full cost, and that it does not count the value of your home when working out charges for care at home; its charging page explains the calculation. Council funding can be taken as a direct payment and used with an agency like us. You do not have to go through the council at all; you can arrange and pay for care privately. We give a written figure after our own assessment, never a guess over the phone, and our guide to paying for care in London covers NHS Continuing Healthcare too.

Parking: tell us about the CPZ

Controlled parking zones cover much of the north and west of the borough: Greenwich town centre, the Peninsula, Charlton, Woolwich and the streets around most stations, with extra restrictions near The Valley on Charlton Athletic match days. Residential streets in New Eltham, Shooters Hill and the south-east are mostly freer.

If you live in a CPZ and need visiting carers, the person receiving care can apply for a council carer parking permit. It is a paper permit, costs £15.60 and lasts 12 months. It makes visits by car much easier to arrange, so mention your zone when you call.

What we can help with in Greenwich

• 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