Home Care in Merton, from Colliers Wood to Morden

Yes, we provide home care in the London Borough of Merton. Visiting care is most realistic along the Northern line, in Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon, Morden and nearby, and in Mitcham, always depending on whether we have a carer free near you. Live-in care we can arrange anywhere in the borough, Raynes Park and Wimbledon Village included.

Which parts of Merton can a visiting carer reach?

Our office is on Lewisham High Street in SE13. We have no office in Merton, so it's worth being straight about the journey. By public transport the usual route is a train to London Bridge and then the Northern line south. That puts Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon and Wimbledon roughly 45 to 55 minutes from us. Mitcham and Morden take about an hour, and Raynes Park and West Barnes a little longer again.

For short visits several times a day, that distance matters, so when you call we check who we have available near your part of the borough before we agree anything. In the north and east of Merton, the answer is often yes. On the western edge, towards Raynes Park, West Barnes and the Kingston border, a live-in carer is usually the arrangement we can actually keep going, because they travel once and then stay.

What a visiting carer can do

• Personal care: help out of bed, a wash or shower, dressing, continence care, and settling for the night
• Medication support, whether that means a prompt or giving the tablets, written up on the medication record each time
• Making breakfast or a hot meal, and checking that food and drink are actually being had
• Home help with laundry, beds, tidying and shopping
• Companionship, a walk round Morden Hall Park or Wandle Park, or company to a GP appointment
• A sit-in so a family carer can go out, and dementia care built around a familiar routine

Before the first visit, Jackie, our registered manager, usually comes out for a free assessment at home, and the written care plan she agrees with you lists what each call is for.

Wimbledon stairs and Morden cottages: how the house shapes the care

Merton's housing splits roughly the way the borough does. In Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park, Merton Park and Raynes Park, most older people live in Victorian and Edwardian terraces and big semis. Split levels are common, staircases are steep, and the only bathroom is often up a flight with a bath and no shower. Washing safely there can mean a bath lift, a stairlift or an occupational therapist's visit first.

Around Morden, much of the housing is the interwar St Helier cottage estate: semis and terraces with front gardens and the ground floor reached without stairs. In Mitcham there's a mix of terraces and post-war estates such as Phipps Bridge and Pollards Hill, and around Colliers Wood station there are newer flats. Merton has few high-rise towers, so lifts are less often the issue. Stairs inside the home, and the size of the bathroom, matter more. We look at all of this at the assessment, including whether there's space for a hoist if one is needed.

Parking for carers in Merton's controlled zones

Merton has a lot of controlled parking. The council lists 72 CPZ codes, covering Wimbledon town centre and Village, Wimbledon Park, South Wimbledon, Colliers Wood, Merton Park, Raynes Park, Morden and central Mitcham. A carer who drives will usually need one of your visitor e-permits or scratchcards. If the person receiving care is housebound or holds a Blue Badge and lives in a CPZ, the council sells an annual carer parking permit for a £10 administration fee, which is worth applying for early.

During the Championships fortnight each summer, extra restrictions apply around Wimbledon Park and Southfields, so we plan those visits ahead.

How do I get a care needs assessment from Merton Council?

Merton has no online form for this. You contact the Adult Social Care First Response Team on 020 8545 4388 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or by email at ASCFirstResponse@merton.gov.uk. Evenings, weekends and public holidays are covered by the out-of-hours line on 020 8770 5000. The council's needs assessment page says you may be asked for a self-assessment first, and that a relative or friend can join you.

How much does home care cost in Merton?

We give you a written figure after the free assessment, once we know how many visits are needed and how long each should be. We don't quote prices before that.

If the council assesses you as eligible, a financial assessment works out what you pay towards it. Merton's paying for home care page sets out the limits: with savings over £23,250 you pay the maximum charge, which for home care is the provider's hourly rate, and savings under £14,250 are left out. The value of the home you live in is not counted, and the council offers a free benefit check as part of the assessment. If council funding is agreed, you can take it as a direct payment and choose your own provider. The council's own Direct Payments Team (020 8545 3415) helps set this up, and there is a chargeable Merton Managed Account if you'd rather not handle the money. Our guide to paying for care in London covers NHS Continuing Healthcare and the rest.

From Wimbledon Village to Pollards Hill

We cover the whole borough: Wimbledon, Wimbledon Village, Wimbledon Park, South Wimbledon, Colliers Wood, Merton Park, Morden, Mitcham and Raynes Park, plus West Barnes, Cannon Hill and the streets around Pollards Hill. Postcodes are SW19, SW20, SM4, CR4 and the Merton parts of SW16 and KT3. Away from the Northern line, ask us first whether visits are possible. If not, we'll talk you through live-in care or respite cover.

What we can help with in Merton

• 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