Home Care in Soho, W1

Yes, we provide home care in Soho. Carers visit to help with washing, dressing, medication, meals and getting out, or a live-in carer stays where there is a spare room. Soho is about 25 to 30 minutes from our Lewisham office by direct train to Charing Cross and a short walk, so it is one of the most practical parts of Westminster for regular visits.

Living above the shop

Soho has a residential community that most visitors never notice: people who have lived on Dean Street, Greek Street, Broadwick Street or Berwick Street for decades, often in council or housing association flats. Some of those homes are in blocks such as Kemp House, the tower on Berwick Street. Many more are one, two or three floors above a restaurant or shop, reached by a street door and a narrow staircase with no lift.

That shapes the care more than anything else. Can the person still get down the stairs to the street, and back up with shopping? Is there room in the bathroom for a carer to help? Can a wheelchair, walking frame or commode get through the door? We ask all of this at the assessment and say so if something needs fixing first, for example through a council occupational therapy assessment.

Is Soho close enough to Lewisham for daily home care visits?

Yes. Southeastern trains run direct from Lewisham to Charing Cross, and from there Soho is a walk up Charing Cross Road or through Leicester Square. The 176 bus also runs from Penge, Sydenham and Forest Hill, through Dulwich, Camberwell and Waterloo to Charing Cross Road, so carers who live in south-east London have more than one way in. Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square stations sit on Soho's edges.

Our carers don't drive in. Soho is inside the Congestion Charge zone and parking is scarce, so you won't be asked to find a space for a carer.

Care that fits Soho's hours

Soho is loud late at night, and deliveries, bins and street cleaning start early. Poor sleep feeds confusion, falls and poor appetite, so we plan visit times around it. An evening call can settle someone before the street gets busy, and a morning call can be timed to suit when they actually wake. For someone who should not be alone overnight, a sit-in service or live-in care may help.

What a visit can include:

• Personal care: washing, dressing, continence care and getting ready for bed
• Medication support, recorded at every visit
• Shopping and meals, from Berwick Street market or the local shops
• Home help to keep a small flat safe and clear
• Complex care and end-of-life care, planned with the NHS team

The council and the nearest hospital

Soho itself is wholly in Westminster, though some addresses just east of Charing Cross Road, around Denmark Street and Seven Dials, are in Camden, so check if you are near that edge. Ask for a needs assessment through Westminster's online referral form or on 020 7641 2500; if the person qualifies, the council's means test decides what they pay, and a direct payment can be used with us. We quote in writing after our own free assessment. More on the council route is on our Westminster home care page.

The nearest A&E is at University College Hospital on Euston Road. If someone is coming home from there, talk to us before the discharge date about discharge support.

Live-in care and respite in a Soho flat

Live-in care needs a separate bedroom for the carer, which many Soho flats don't have. Where there is one, it gives round-the-clock support without moving out of W1. Where there isn't, a visiting package with sit-in cover is the usual answer. Respite care covers the times a partner or family carer needs a break.

What we can help with in Soho

• 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