Home Care and Live-in Care in Streatham

Yes, we provide care in Streatham, and live-in care is the option we can promise most reliably here. A carer moves in and supports the person through the day. Visiting care is possible too, subject to carer availability, because Streatham is the furthest part of Lambeth from our Lewisham office. Every arrangement starts with a free assessment at home.

Why we suggest live-in care first in Streatham

From Lewisham High Street, Streatham is around an hour by public transport, and there is no Tube. A morning visit, a lunchtime visit and an evening visit each need a carer close enough to arrive on time, and we will not promise a schedule we cannot keep. A live-in carer avoids the problem: once they have moved in, the journey no longer matters.

Streatham's housing makes this easier than in most of Lambeth. Off the high road, the side streets are lined with Victorian and interwar family houses, many with a spare bedroom, and a live-in carer needs a room of their own. For a couple, one live-in carer can support both partners at home.

Mansion flats on the high road, houses behind it

Streatham High Road, the A23, is one of the longest high streets in London, and much of the housing along it and up Streatham Hill is Edwardian mansion blocks and 1930s flats. Older blocks can have generous rooms but older lifts, and in some there are steps up to the entrance or the lift. If you live in one, tell us about the entrance, the lift and the bathroom, because they shape the care plan more than anything else.

In the family houses on the side roads the challenge is usually the stairs. The bathroom and bedrooms are upstairs, so washing and getting to bed are often the first things to become hard.

Three stations, no Tube

Streatham has three rail stations: Streatham, Streatham Hill and Streatham Common, served by Southern and Thameslink. Streatham Hill has lifts to its platforms. Buses on the high road connect it with Brixton and Croydon, and Streatham Hill station alone is served by routes 45, 50, 57, 109, 133, 159, 201, 250, 255, 319, 333, 417 and P13. For families visiting from elsewhere in London, that is often easier than driving.

Who pays for home care in Streatham?

Streatham is in Lambeth, so the council's Adult Social Care team decides on council-funded care. Request an assessment through the online referral form or by phoning 020 7926 5555 and choosing "Adults". If the council agrees there are eligible needs, a financial assessment works out how much the person contributes, based on income and savings. Where needs are mainly health needs, ask the GP or hospital about NHS Continuing Healthcare. If you pay privately, we quote in writing after our assessment, and our paying for care guide explains each route.

Which hospital, and what happens after

Streatham sits near the edge of Lambeth, so people are not always taken to a Lambeth hospital. Depending on where they live, an ambulance may go to King's College Hospital at Denmark Hill, St George's in Tooting, or Croydon University Hospital. Whichever hospital it is, a Streatham resident's council support still comes from Lambeth. If a live-in carer is part of the plan for coming home, call us early, because arranging live-in care takes some planning. Our discharge support page has more.

Respite for a family carer in SW16

If you are looking after someone yourself, a live-in carer can stay for a week or two while you go away, or visits can cover a regular break where we have carers available. Lambeth's carer's assessment is open to any carer, whatever their income, and can be done by phone or video call. See respite care for what we offer.

What we can help with in Streatham

• 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