Home Care around the Oval: SE11, SW8 and SW9

The Oval is one of the spots in Lambeth our carers reach most simply: the 436 and the 185 both run from Lewisham to Oval station. That makes regular calls a realistic offer here, once a carer is free for the hours you need. Live-in care is possible too where a flat has a second bedroom.

Three postcodes, one council (mostly)

The Oval has no clear edges. It is the part of Kennington round the cricket ground and the station, where SE11 runs north and east, SW8 heads towards Vauxhall and South Lambeth, and SW9 follows Clapham Road and Brixton Road towards Stockwell. All three are Lambeth here. The exception is east of Kennington Park: the Brandon Estate side is Southwark, with its own adult social care team.

How far it is: two buses from Lewisham

The 436 comes through New Cross Gate, Peckham and Camberwell Green; the 185 through Catford, Forest Hill, East Dulwich and past King's College Hospital. Both stop at Kennington Park and then Oval station before going on to Vauxhall. Rail via London Bridge and the Northern line is the alternative when the roads are jammed. Controlled parking covers the area, so our carers rarely drive; on big match days at the ground the streets fill up and we allow extra time.

Oval station has no lifts

Oval on the Northern line has escalators and stairs but no lifts. For anyone who cannot manage them, the buses on Kennington Park Road, Clapham Road and Harleyford Road are the better way to appointments, and Vauxhall, about half a mile away, has lifts to every platform. Ask the GP or clinic about NHS patient transport for hospital visits if travel has become hard.

The buildings round the ground

Most people near the Oval live in flats. Victorian terraces on the side streets are split into two or three homes, often with a steep internal staircase and a small bathroom. Post-war council blocks depend on their lifts. Newer blocks have level access. Next to the ground, the Grade II listed Victorian gasholder is being turned into flats inside its iron frame. We check the stairs or lift, whether the bath can be used safely, and whether a raised toilet seat, rails or a shower seat would help; Lambeth's occupational therapists can assess after a referral.

On a visit near the Oval

• Getting up, washing and dressing, and getting ready for bed.
• Medication support, with a record of every dose.
• Meals, shopping and light housework.
• Outings: the Oval Farmers' Market is held on Saturdays in the grounds of St Mark's Church opposite the station, and St Mark's churchyard is a small public garden open all day. Kennington Park is a few minutes' walk.

For people with dementia, Age UK Lambeth's Monday Magnolia Club at 204 Kennington Lane is a short trip, from 2pm to 4pm.

Asking Lambeth Council for help

Use the council's online adult social care referral form or call 020 7926 5555 and choose Adults, then option 1 if your relative has no current service. GOV.UK's needs assessment page for Lambeth leads to the same place. Where the council agrees to fund, a means test sets your relative's share, and the rest can be paid to you as a direct payment. Continuing Healthcare from the NHS is a separate assessment. We give a written quote after our visit; see paying for care.

St Thomas' and the community nurses

Most people near the Oval are treated at St Thomas' on Westminster Bridge Road. Its trust, Guy's and St Thomas', also runs most adult community health services in Lambeth, so district nurses who visit at home usually come from there. Let us know the ward and the date, so we can see the flat before the first night home. See discharge support.

Live-in care and short breaks

If your relative needs someone there at night as well, see live-in care at the Oval. For a family carer, Carers' Hub Lambeth on Brixton Road gives advice and support, and a resident carer can take over for a fortnight while that relative has a break.

Everything our carers can help with →