Harrow on the Hill · Harrow
Home Care on Harrow on the Hill
Live-in and visiting care for the hilltop village around St Mary's, its listed cottages and steep lanes, and the flats and town-centre streets around Harrow-on-the-Hill station below. HA1 and HA2.
Yes, we provide home care on Harrow on the Hill and in the town centre at its foot. The usual arrangement is live-in care, agreed after a free assessment at home and set out in a written care plan, because a carer who lives in does not have to travel from our Lewisham office each day. Visiting care is possible only when we have a carer free for the times you need, so ask us first.
Why the hill changes the care plan
The village sits on a hill about 124 metres high, with St Mary's Church, consecrated in 1094, at the top and Harrow School spread along its slopes. The High Street, West Street, Church Hill and Grove Hill are steep, the pavements are narrow in places, and much of the village is a conservation area with many listed houses and cottages.
Three practical things follow. First, getting out: a short walk to the shops can be a hard climb back, so we plan outings around the gradient and around benches, not just the distance. Second, the houses: Georgian and Victorian buildings often have tight winding stairs, small bathrooms and level changes between rooms, which can make a hoist, a stairlift or a level shower difficult to fit. Third, permission: changing a listed building can need listed building consent from the council, which takes time. If you think equipment or adaptations may be needed, raise it early with the council's occupational therapists and with us at the assessment.
How much does live-in care cost on Harrow on the Hill?
We price it after the assessment, in writing, because it depends on how much help is needed by day and at night, and whether one or two people need care. We do not quote figures before then. Harrow Council may contribute if the person is eligible: it starts with a free needs assessment (online through BetterCare, or on 020 8901 2680), then a financial assessment. The council explains how paying for care works, and its Direct Payments team (020 8736 6700) can tell you how a budget can be used with an agency like ours. People with mainly health needs should ask about NHS Continuing Healthcare. Our Harrow home care page covers the wider borough.
Below the hill: station flats and the town centre
The other half of this neighbourhood looks nothing like the village. Around Harrow-on-the-Hill station, which has the Metropolitan line and Chiltern trains, and the town-centre shops, there are older flats and newer high-rise apartment blocks. These usually have lifts and level access, which can make visiting or live-in care simpler than up on the hill, though second bedrooms tend to be small. The town centre has a controlled parking zone. The 258 and H17 buses run over the hill itself, which helps carers and residents without a car.
Dementia support nearby. Harrow Council lists Annie's Place, a hub for people living with dementia and their carers, at Milman's Neighbourhood Resource Centre, 74A Marlborough Hill, HA1 1TY, on Thursday and Friday mornings (020 8736 6400). Memory assessments are through the GP to Harrow Memory Services. The council's dementia page has the details. Our dementia care at home can sit alongside both.
Live-in care in an old house
A live-in carer needs a bedroom of their own and a daily break. Many of the hill's older houses have the room. Where the stairs are the problem, a common answer is to bring the bed downstairs for a while, and a live-in carer makes that workable.
Short breaks for family carers
Our respite care can cover your holiday or a hospital stay of your own. For a short stay away from home, our nearest supported living home is in Uxbridge, at the end of the Metropolitan line's Uxbridge branch from Harrow-on-the-Hill. Harrow Council also offers carer's assessments.
Help available on the Hill
- Live-in care
- Dementia care
- Palliative care
- Personal care
- Companionship
- Medication support
- Home help
- Sit-in service
- Respite care
- Complex care
- Hospital discharge
What we can help with in Harrow on the Hill
- 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
Elsewhere in Harrow
Home care pages for other parts of Harrow:
Our services
How we can help in Harrow
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Visiting care in Harrow
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Harrow
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Respite care in Harrow
Cover so a family carer can rest, recover or go away.
Read more →Supported living in Harrow
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →Harrow on the Hill FAQs
Asked about Harrow on the Hill
Questions families ask us about Harrow on the Hill. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionCan you fit a hoist in a listed cottage on the Hill?
Sometimes. A mobile hoist needs floor space and room to turn, and a ceiling track hoist may need consent in a listed building. The council's occupational therapist decides what equipment is suitable. We will look at the rooms at the assessment and tell you plainly what we think will work.
Which hospital will Mum come home from?
Almost certainly Northwick Park, the borough's A&E, a short way east of the hill. Harrow's reablement service is free for up to six weeks after a hospital stay. Call us during discharge planning; see our hospital discharge support.
Dad still wants to get to St Mary's on a Sunday. Can a carer take him?
Yes. Going to church, the shops or a friend's house can be written into the plan. On the Hill that may mean a car or a wheelchair for the steepest stretch, and a carer who knows which way up is gentlest.
We live in HA2 on the West Harrow side. Is that included?
Yes. We cover the whole of Harrow, in HA1 and HA2. The availability question for visiting care is the same everywhere in the borough: ask us with the address and times.
Do you offer nail care in Harrow?
Not at the moment. Our nail care service covers five areas in south-east and east London.
Get started
Looking for care in Harrow on the Hill?
Tell us what is happening and we will tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.