Plumstead · Greenwich
Home Care in Plumstead
Care at home on the steep streets between Plumstead High Street and Plumstead Common, around Winns Common and Shrewsbury Park, and on the Glyndon Estate.
Yes, we provide home care in Plumstead, SE18. Carers can get here directly from Lewisham on the 380 or 122 bus to Plumstead station, or by Southeastern train to Plumstead station on the North Kent line. Our free home assessment pays particular attention to something Plumstead families know well: the hills. After that we give you a written care plan, and we confirm availability before fixing any visit times.
On these streets, the gradient comes first
Plumstead climbs. From the High Street by the railway, the roads rise sharply towards Plumstead Common, and some of them are very steep indeed. For an older person, that affects everything:
- Front steps. Many terraces sit above or below the pavement. A walking frame or wheelchair that works indoors may be no use at the front door.
- Getting out. A walk to the shops is downhill there and uphill back. People stop going out long before they stop being able to walk on the flat.
- Falls. A sloping pavement in frost or rain is a real risk, and so is a steep Victorian staircase indoors.
So a Plumstead care plan often covers more than washing and dressing. It covers getting someone in and out safely, a companionship visit that includes the walk, and help from the council's occupational therapists with rails and steps.
Two-up two-downs and houses by the common
Plumstead grew fast in the 1880s, when terraces went up for Royal Arsenal workers. The small two-up two-down houses were built nearer the river and the Arsenal, and the larger houses uphill around the common. After local protests, the Plumstead Common Act of 1878 protected the common as public open space for good, and the area also kept Winns Common, Shrewsbury Park and Rockcliffe Gardens. After the war came council estates such as the Glyndon Estate.
In a two-up two-down, the bathroom is usually upstairs and there is no spare room. Visiting care suits these homes better than live-in care. The bigger houses near the common more often have a spare bedroom.
Is there financial help for home care in Plumstead?
There can be. Plumstead is in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Its Contact Assessment Team, at The Woolwich Centre on Wellington Street, carries out needs assessments. Apply through the GOV.UK link for Greenwich or call 020 8921 2304. Eligible people are then means-tested, and anything the council funds can be paid as a direct payment and spent with an agency like ours. Health-led needs may qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare. We do not quote figures over the phone; you get a written quote with your care plan. More on the council side is on our Greenwich home care page.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital is close. It sits on the hill between Woolwich and Shooters Hill, and from Plumstead the 244 and 469 run there from the station and the 291 from the common. If your relative has been admitted, ring us while discharge is being planned and we will tell you whether we can cover the first visits home. See hospital discharge support.
Live-in carers and respite
Where there is a spare bedroom, a live-in carer removes the problem of the hill: someone is there for every trip out, and for the stairs at night. Where there isn't, regular visits can still cover the hardest parts of the day.
Family carers can book respite, from a few hours' sit-in to cover for a holiday. Greenwich Carers Centre on Hornfair Road, Charlton, advises carers on their own assessment and support.
Help we provide in Plumstead
- Personal care
- Companionship
- Medication support
- Home help
- Dementia care
- Sit-in service
- Respite care
- Live-in care
- Hospital discharge
- Complex care
- Palliative care
What we can help with in Plumstead
- 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 Greenwich
Home care pages for other parts of Greenwich:
Our services
How we can help in Greenwich
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Visiting care in Greenwich
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Greenwich
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Respite care in Greenwich
Cover so a family carer can rest, recover or go away.
Read more →Supported living in Greenwich
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →Plumstead FAQs
Plumstead: your questions
Questions families ask us about Plumstead. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionMy mother has stopped going out because of the hill. Can a carer help with that?
Yes. A visit can be built around a walk: down to the High Street or across the common, at her pace and with someone beside her on the slope. If the hill is simply too much now, the carer can do the shopping and spend the time with her at home.
The bathroom is upstairs and the stairs are steep. Do we need to move?
Not necessarily. Ask the council for an occupational therapy assessment for rails, a stair rail on both sides, a stairlift or a commode downstairs. A carer can help with washing at a basin downstairs while that is arranged. We will look at the stairs during our assessment.
Do you cover the Plumstead streets near Abbey Wood and Shooters Hill?
Yes. We cover all of Plumstead, including the streets towards Abbey Wood and up towards Shooters Hill. Some Abbey Wood addresses fall under Bexley council, so check your council tax bill before asking for an assessment.
Can you help someone with dementia who lives alone near the common?
Often, yes, with regular visits from a small number of the same carers. Greenwich Dementia Support (South East London Mind) offers advice and support planning alongside us. If the risks of living alone grow, dementia care can move to live-in support.
Get started
Looking for care in Plumstead?
Tell us what is happening and we will tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.