North Kensington · Kensington and Chelsea
Home Care in North Kensington, W10
Private home care for older and disabled people north of the Westway, from Golborne Road and Kensal Town across to Dalgarno, Lancaster West and Latimer Road.
Can we provide home care in North Kensington? Yes, through visits for personal care, medication and meals, or through a live-in carer where there is a spare bedroom. North Kensington is at the far end of what we can reach from our Lewisham office, so visiting care depends on carer availability; live-in care is the more dependable option here. Every package starts with a free home assessment by Jackie, our registered manager.
Where North Kensington's help already is
Several of the borough's main services for older people are based in this corner of it. Before adding paid care, it's worth knowing what is already here:
- Age UK Kensington & Chelsea is at 1 Thorpe Close, under the Westway (020 8969 9105), with information and advice, befriending, escorting and foot care.
- The St Charles Centre for Health and Wellbeing on Exmoor Street, the old St Charles Hospital, now houses community health services and the borough's Older People Community Mental Health Team. Open Age, which runs activities and befriending for people over 50, has its head office there too.
- Carers Network, the borough's carers' charity, is at the Beethoven Centre on Third Avenue, just over the Harrow Road (listing, 020 8960 3033). It can carry out carers' assessments for the council.
Our care is meant to sit alongside these, not replace them. A carer can get someone ready and walk them to an Age UK session, or make sure a St Charles appointment isn't missed.
Towers, estates and lifts
Much of North Kensington's housing is council and housing association: Trellick Tower above Golborne Road, the Wornington Green, Silchester and Lancaster West estates, and low-rise blocks around Dalgarno and Kensal. Mixed in are streets of Victorian terraces, mostly split into flats.
For care in an estate flat, the practical questions are simple and important. Does the lift work reliably, and what happens to visits when it doesn't? How does a carer get through the entry door at 8am if the person can't reach the intercom? Is the bathroom big enough for a bath board or a shower chair? Small flats also mean live-in care usually isn't possible, because there's no room for the carer, so visits or a short respite arrangement tend to fit better.
Grenfell support. The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 happened on the Lancaster West Estate, and many of the people we might care for here were neighbours, friends or relatives of those affected. The NHS Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service and other support remain available to anyone affected; People First keeps an up-to-date list. Tell us at the assessment if it's relevant, so the care plan takes it into account.
Can I get free home care from Kensington and Chelsea Council?
The council arranges care after a needs assessment and then means-tests what you contribute; for people on low incomes and with few savings that may be nothing. Ask through the People First assessment request or ring 020 7361 3013, weekdays 9am to 5pm. If the council assesses someone as eligible, they can take the money as a direct payment and choose their own agency. Families caring unpaid can request a carer's assessment separately. Our Kensington and Chelsea page explains the borough-wide process. For private care with us, we quote in writing after the free assessment.
Getting here, and St Mary's
Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road stations are on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines, with Westbourne Park to the east. The 23 runs along Golborne Road, the 7 and 316 stop at St Charles Square, and the 18, 23, 28 and 228 pass the Great Western Road end near Trellick Tower. Kensal Green and Kensal Rise are just over the Brent border. From Lewisham the journey is about 50 to 65 minutes.
St Mary's Hospital in Paddington is the nearest A&E and usual discharge hospital. If someone is coming home and their flat or needs have changed, call us while they are still on the ward. See hospital discharge care.
Live-in care where there's room
Larger family flats, maisonettes and the terraced houses towards Kensal and St Charles Square sometimes have a second bedroom. Where they do, a live-in carer is the most reliable way to get support every day this far from our office.
What we can help with in North Kensington
- 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 Kensington and Chelsea
Home care pages for other parts of Kensington and Chelsea:
Our services
How we can help in Kensington and Chelsea
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Visiting care in Kensington and Chelsea
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Kensington and Chelsea
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Respite care in Kensington and Chelsea
Cover so a family carer can rest, recover or go away.
Read more →Supported living in Kensington and Chelsea
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →North Kensington FAQs
North Kensington FAQs
Questions families ask us about North Kensington. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionDad lives on the 15th floor and the lift keeps breaking. What happens to his visits?
Our carers will use the stairs if it's safe for them to do so, but a long climb can make them late. Report lift faults to the landlord each time, and tell us about known outages so we can plan around them. If it's frequent, raise it in his council assessment too.
Mum already gets council carers. Can you add visits on top?
Yes. A private visit can be added for company, shopping or a trip to Golborne Road. Share the council carers' times with us so the visits don't clash.
Can a carer take my aunt to Age UK at Thorpe Close?
Yes. Getting ready, walking or travelling there together, and coming home can be built into a visit. Check Age UK's session times first.
Is the St Charles Centre a hospital?
Not any more. It's a community health and mental health centre with no A&E. Emergencies from North Kensington usually go to St Mary's in Paddington.
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Other areas near North Kensington
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