Marks Gate · Barking and Dagenham
Home Care in Marks Gate, RM6
Care at home on the post-war estate at the northern tip of Barking and Dagenham, between Eastern Avenue and the fields towards Hainault Forest.
Yes, we cover Marks Gate, from our office in Lewisham. It is one of the furthest corners of east London from us, well over an hour by public transport, so live-in care is what we can offer most dependably here; regular visits depend on whether we have a carer free for the times you need, so please ask. Whichever you choose, it starts with a free assessment at home and a written care plan.
An estate that grew out of a forest gate
The name comes from a gate into Hainault Forest at the top of what is now Whalebone Lane North, named after the old manor of Marks. The council estate was built through the 1950s on farmland, over two other old forest entrances, Roselane Gate and Padnall Corner. Eastern Avenue (the A12) separates the estate from Chadwell Heath to the south, and open country still runs up to its northern edge.
That geography is the thing to understand about caring for someone here. Marks Gate is a short way from Chadwell Heath on the map, but on foot with a walking frame the A12 crossing is a real barrier, and much of daily life depends on the buses that turn at Billet Road.
Council houses, maisonettes and low-rise flats
Most homes on roads such as Rose Lane, Padnall Road and the closes off Whalebone Lane North are 1950s council-built houses, maisonettes and small blocks of flats, many still council-owned and some bought under right to buy. Each type raises a different practical question.
- Houses: a staircase that may take a stairlift, and a bathroom upstairs. If getting in and out of the bath has become hard, ask the council for an occupational therapy assessment.
- Maisonettes: an internal staircase plus, often, an outside flight up to the front door. That second set of steps matters for wheelchairs and for getting someone to appointments.
- Low-rise flats: usually no lift, so a first or second floor flat can become hard to leave. A carer can help with the stairs, but sometimes a rehousing request to the council is the real answer.
We look at all of this at the assessment and plan personal care around the home as it is.
Three bus routes and no station
Marks Gate has no railway station; Chadwell Heath (Elizabeth line) and Newbury Park (Central line) are the nearest. Three routes serve the estate's community centre and Billet Road stops:
- Route 62 south through Chadwell Heath station and Becontree to Barking.
- Route 362, which ends at King George Hospital in Goodmayes, the nearest A&E.
- Route 296, between Romford and Ilford via King George Hospital and Newbury Park.
Two buses go straight to the hospital. The 362 finishes at King George Hospital and the 296 stops at Barley Lane by the hospital, so someone in Marks Gate can reach clinic appointments there without changing buses. If that journey is in the care plan, a carer on a companionship visit can go too.
Health services nearby
The closest NHS community site in the borough is Chadwell Heath Health Centre, Ashton Gardens, RM6 6RT, run by NELFT. Hospital admissions from Marks Gate are usually to King George Hospital (Barley Lane, IG3 8YB) or Queen's Hospital in Romford, both run by Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. If someone is due home from a ward, ring us while discharge is still being planned, not on the day; see our hospital discharge support.
How much does home care cost in Marks Gate?
That depends on how much help is needed and who is paying. We give a quote after the free assessment and publish no standard price. If the council finds the person eligible, a financial assessment decides what they contribute, and the council's share can be paid as a direct payment so you can choose us. Some people with a primary health need qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare. Our guide to paying for care in London explains the means test.
Asking Barking and Dagenham Council for help
Marks Gate uses the same route as the rest of the borough: the Adult Intake Team on 020 8227 2915, or the council's care needs assessment page. If your road is in a controlled parking zone, a resident who receives home visits can apply for a Community and Healthcare parking permit. Our Barking and Dagenham home care page has the borough-wide detail.
Live-in care
With the journey from Lewisham as long as it is, live-in care is often the steadier choice: the carer moves in and the bus routes stop mattering. It needs a bedroom for the carer. A three-bedroom family house usually has one; a one-bedroom flat does not. One carer can support a couple.
Respite for the family carer
Carers of Barking and Dagenham, at 334 Heathway, Dagenham (020 8593 4422), can arrange a carer's assessment and runs support groups. The council's short break and respite page covers its own options. From us, respite care usually means a live-in carer for a week or two while you take a break.
What we can provide
- Personal care
- Medication support
- Home help
- Companionship
- Sit-in service
- Dementia care
- Complex care
- Palliative care
- Live-in care
- Respite care
- Hospital discharge
- Nail care
What we can help with in Marks Gate
- 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 Barking and Dagenham
Home care pages for other parts of Barking and Dagenham:
Our services
How we can help in Barking and Dagenham
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Visiting care in Barking and Dagenham
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Barking and Dagenham
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Respite care in Barking and Dagenham
Cover so a family carer can rest, recover or go away.
Read more →Supported living in Barking and Dagenham
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →Marks Gate FAQs
Questions about care in Marks Gate
Questions families ask us about Marks Gate. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionOur address says Romford RM6. Is that Marks Gate or Chadwell Heath?
Both share the Romford post town and the RM6 postcode. Marks Gate is the estate north of Eastern Avenue; Chadwell Heath is south of it. We cover both, and either way the council is Barking and Dagenham unless you are over the boundary in Redbridge.
Dad lives in a first-floor maisonette with steps up to the door. Can you still help?
Yes. We will look at both the inside stairs and the outside steps at the assessment, and suggest asking the council's occupational therapists about rails or other equipment if they would help.
Can a carer come in for a lunchtime call every day?
Possibly. Marks Gate is a long way from Lewisham, so tell us the times you need and we will say honestly whether we can cover them every day, weekends included. If we cannot, live-in care is the alternative.
Mum has a clinic at King George Hospital. Can a carer take her on the bus?
Yes, if it is planned into her care. The 362 runs from Marks Gate to the hospital, so give us the appointment date and time and we will build the visit around it.
Mum used to walk across Eastern Avenue to the Chadwell Heath shops but can't manage the crossing now. Can a carer help?
Yes. A carer can go with her on the 62, which runs from Marks Gate across the A12 to Chadwell Heath station, or do the shopping for her on a home help visit. Tell us what she used to do on that trip, and we will try to keep as much of it as she can manage.
Get started
Looking for care in Marks Gate?
Tell us what is happening and we will tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.