Home Care in Hackney Central

Hackney Central is the middle of the borough: the Town Hall, the Hackney Empire, the Narroway and St John-at-Hackney churchyard. Around the Town Hall our carers can call at fixed times, if one is free for the slot, to help someone out of bed and into the shower, put lunch on, hand over tablets, settle them at night and sit for a chat. Where a flat has a second bedroom, a carer can live in instead.

How far Hackney Central is from our office

By public transport, Hackney Central is about 50 to 55 minutes from Lewisham, usually up the Windrush line to Dalston Junction and a bus along Graham Road, or through Liverpool Street to Hackney Downs. That is a longer haul than Hoxton or Haggerston, so Mare Street calls are only taken on when a named carer can do them reliably. If none can, you will hear it straight away.

The council is on your doorstep

The borough's adult social care team works from the Hackney Service Centre at 1 Hillman Street, E8, a couple of minutes from the Narroway. Requests go through the online form on hackney.gov.uk or the phone line, 020 8356 6262 (9am to 5pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 9am to 4pm on Wednesday). Out of hours, ring 020 8356 2300. The council phones first, then decides whether to visit. If it agrees to help, a support plan follows, and a money check sets what you pay.

The Care Quality Commission's February 2026 report on Hackney found delays in assessments and reviews, so plan for a wait and ask what can happen in the meantime. Self-funded visits can begin, after we have been round, while Hackney's own process runs.

Estate flats and walk-up blocks

In 2021, 48% of Hackney Central ward's households were social tenants, and six in ten homes were purpose-built flats. Over a third of households were one person living alone. The Pembury Estate by Hackney Downs, managed by Peabody, includes older walk-up blocks without lifts, along with 1960s maisonettes and bungalows.

In a walk-up, someone on the third floor with failing legs can become stuck at home. Our carers will climb the stairs, but the person may not be able to come down. If that is happening, press two people: the council's occupational therapists, and Peabody or the council as landlord, about a transfer to a flat at street level. The terraces behind Amhurst Road and Graham Road are a different problem: two flats per house, a staircase inside the upper front door, and a narrow bathroom at the back.

Two stations, very different access

Hackney Central, on the Mildmay line, is listed by TfL as step-free. Hackney Downs, on the Weaver line to Liverpool Street, is not, except that one platform can be reached by the lift link from Hackney Central. For someone with a walking frame or wheelchair, that matters when planning trips.

Buses are plentiful. The 38, 55, 254 and 277 run along Mare Street and Graham Road; the 30, 106, 236, 242 and 276 also pass through. For Homerton University Hospital, the W15 from Hackney Town Hall, the 236, the 242 and the 276 all go there.

Parking until 11pm

Zone D covers Hackney Central and is controlled Monday to Saturday from 8.30am to 11pm. A relative visiting in the evening still needs to pay. Amhurst Road and Downs Road have traffic filters; Hackney residents with a Blue Badge can apply for the HAC01 exemption to drive through them.

Housing with Care nearby

Two of the council's Housing with Care schemes are in the ward: Appleton Court on Marcon Place and Benabo Court on Ferncliff Road. Both are run with Anchor Hanover and offer self-contained flats for Hackney residents aged 55 and over with assessed care needs. Neither has staff on site overnight, so they suit people with lower needs than the 24-hour schemes.

Library, memory clinic and other help

Hackney Central Library at 1 Reading Lane has a lift and accessible toilets, which makes it a good place for a carer and client to visit. If the person cannot get out, the council's Community Library Service will bring books once a month, free (020 8356 5238). For memory worries, the GP refers to the NHS memory clinic on Felstead Street, E9. Family carers can get support from the City & Hackney Carers Centre (020 8533 0951), a short bus ride away on Queensbridge Road.

Everything our carers can help with →