Home Care in Kentish Town

We can provide home care in Kentish Town, both visiting care and live-in care. The Northern line runs from London Bridge to Kentish Town, and Thameslink gets there with a change at Blackfriars, which makes NW5 one of the easier parts of Camden for our carers to reach from south-east London. Visits still depend on having a carer free at the times you need, so we confirm that before care starts, after a free home assessment.

Why Kentish Town is workable for visiting care

Most of north and west Camden is better suited to live-in care, because the journey from Lewisham is long. Kentish Town is different. Kentish Town station has both the Northern line (High Barnet branch) and Thameslink, Kentish Town West is on the Overground, and the 134, 214 and 393 buses run through the area. A carer can get here without a car, which matters in a borough where nearly all on-street parking is controlled.

That makes a pattern of regular visits realistic here: help getting up and washed in the morning, a call to prompt medication, and an evening visit to settle someone for the night. We only agree times we can keep.

The housing: terraces, estates and half-landings

Kentish Town has a large stock of mid-Victorian terraces. Most were divided into flats long ago, so an older person may live on the second floor up a steep, narrow staircase with no lift, and the bathroom may be squeezed onto a half-landing. Either side of Kentish Town Road there are also post-war council estates and towers, some with lifts and some walk-up.

• In a converted terrace, the questions are about stairs, grab rails, and whether a bath can be swapped for a shower through the council's occupational therapy service.
• In an estate flat with a lift, getting out is easier, but rooms can be tight for a hoist or a wheelchair.
• For live-in care, the carer needs their own bedroom. Many NW5 flats have only one, so we check this early.

Health services close by

Kentish Town Health Centre, at 2 Bartholomew Road, NW5 2BX, houses the James Wigg Practice along with other community clinics. For hospital care, Kentish Town residents are usually seen at University College Hospital on Euston Road or the Royal Free in Hampstead, and the Whittington at Archway is closest to the northern end around Dartmouth Park. If someone is being discharged and will need help at home, call us while the discharge is being planned; see hospital discharge support.

What we can do in NW5

• Personal care
• Medication support
• Home help
• Companionship
• Sit-in service
• Dementia care
• Hospital discharge support
• Live-in care
• Respite care
• Complex care
• Palliative care

Does Camden Council pay for home care in Kentish Town?

It can. Camden first assesses the person's care needs; you can start this through the online referral form or by calling Contact Camden on 020 7974 4444. If the needs are eligible, a financial assessment works out what the person contributes, and the council's share can be paid as a direct payment, with independent help from PeoplePlus. NHS Continuing Healthcare is a separate route for people whose needs are primarily health needs. We give a written quote after our own assessment; we do not publish prices. More on the borough process is on our Camden home care page and in our guide to paying for care.

Short breaks for family carers

Respite can be a few regular visits so you can get to work or rest, or a live-in carer for a week or two while you are away. Ask Camden for a carers conversation, the council's name for a carer's assessment, because it can lead to a carer budget.

What we can help with in Kentish Town

• 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