Ilford · Redbridge
Home Care in Ilford, IG1
Care at home in Ilford town centre, the flats and towers around The Exchange, the terraces off Ilford Lane and Cranbrook Road, and the streets either side of Valentines Park.
Yes, we provide home care in Ilford. Live-in care can start anywhere in IG1 where there is a spare bedroom, and visiting care for washing, dressing, meals and medication depends on having a carer free at the times you need, so call us and we will tell you honestly. Every arrangement starts with a free assessment at home and a written care plan.
Flats, towers and long terraces
Ilford is not one kind of housing, and the kind matters for care. In the town-centre wards, Valentines and Clementswood, a large share of homes are flats: 1960s blocks such as Raphael House and Lynton House, and newer towers such as Pioneer Point by the station. A flat with a working lift is often easier to care in than a house, because everything is on one floor. The questions there are about the lift and whether the bathroom has space for a carer to help.
South of the High Road, around Loxford and Ilford Lane, and north of the centre towards Cranbrook, terraced houses are the norm. Many have a steep staircase and the only bathroom upstairs. If the stairs have become risky, we discuss a stairlift, a commode or a bed downstairs. Redbridge's Occupational Therapy Team takes its own online referrals for advice and equipment.
Getting to Ilford, and parking once you are here
Ilford station is on the Elizabeth line, with trains towards Shenfield and into Liverpool Street and Paddington. The rebuilt main entrance on Cranbrook Road reopened in 2022 with lifts to the platforms, and there is a second entrance on York Road. From our Lewisham office a carer takes the DLR to Stratford and then the Elizabeth line, which is roughly 45 to 55 minutes. That makes visiting care workable here, though it still depends on carer availability. Buses including the 25, 86, 123, 128, 145, 150, 169 and 462 stop near the station.
Controlled parking covers the town centre. Redbridge does not issue a specific permit for home care workers, so a carer who drives usually relies on your visitor permits or pay-and-display. The council's permit zone map shows which rules apply to your street.
Two support offices in IG1. Age UK Redbridge, Barking and Havering has its head office at 103 Cranbrook Road (020 8220 6000) and runs a Dementia Advice Service for Redbridge residents aged 50 and over and their carers. Redbridge Carers Support Service is at Clements Court, Clements Lane (020 8514 6251), with advice for family carers and a group for carers of people with dementia.
How do I get a care needs assessment in Ilford?
Ilford is in the London Borough of Redbridge, so Redbridge Adult Social Services carries out the assessment. The quickest way is the online referral form, linked as "Make an adult social care referral" on the council's Adult Care contact page. If you cannot use the form, phone 020 8708 7333. The assessment is free whatever your relative's finances. If eligible needs are found, a financial assessment decides how much the council pays, and the money can come as a direct payment that you spend on an agency such as us. NHS Continuing Healthcare is a separate route for people whose needs are mainly health needs. We give a written quote after our own assessment. There is more on the council route on our Redbridge home care page.
Coming home from King George Hospital
Most Ilford patients are admitted to and discharged from King George Hospital on Barley Lane, Goodmayes, run by Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals. Ward staff contact Redbridge Adult Social Care to arrange a discharge assessment, and a short period of reablement may follow. Tell the ward early if you want private care in place for the day your relative gets home, and see our hospital discharge page for how we fit around that. For follow-up community services, Loxford Polyclinic is at 417 Ilford Lane (IG1 2SN), with a GP practice and pharmacy in the same building.
Live-in care and short breaks
A live-in carer needs their own bedroom, which rules out some one-bedroom flats in the centre. For a family carer who needs time off, we can provide a live-in carer for a week or two, or sit-in visits where we have a carer available. Redbridge arranges council-funded breaks only after a carer's assessment, which is free to request.
Care we provide in Ilford
What we can help with in Ilford
- 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 Redbridge
Home care pages for other parts of Redbridge:
Our services
How we can help in Redbridge
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Visiting care in Redbridge
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Redbridge
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Respite care in Redbridge
Cover so a family carer can rest, recover or go away.
Read more →Supported living in Redbridge
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →Ilford FAQs
Ilford questions
Questions families ask us about Ilford. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionMy father lives on a high floor of a tower block. Can a carer still visit?
Yes. We plan for the building as well as the flat: how the carer gets in, what happens if the lift is out of service, and whether a hoist or shower chair fits the bathroom. If the lift is unreliable, tell us at the assessment so the plan covers it.
Can a carer take Mum to The Exchange or Valentines Park?
Yes, if it is written into her care plan. A companionship visit can be a walk in Valentines Park, a trip to the shops or a coffee in town, at her pace.
We already have a direct payment from Redbridge. Can we use it with you?
Redbridge allows direct payments to be spent on an agency, so in principle yes. Check with the social worker that our service fits the support plan, then we can talk about hours and a quote.
Our home is in Loxford, south of the station. Is that still Ilford for you?
Yes. We cover IG1 and the parts of IG2 around Valentines Park, and we also cover the rest of Redbridge, including Seven Kings, Goodmayes and Gants Hill.
Nearby
Other areas near Ilford
Get started
Looking for care in Ilford?
Tell us what is happening and we will tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.