Home Care in Thamesmead

We can arrange home care in Thamesmead, as visits or as live-in care, after a free assessment at home and a written care plan. Thamesmead is the furthest part of Greenwich from our Lewisham office, around 40 to 50 minutes by public transport, so visiting care depends on which times we can staff. Live-in care works here exactly as it would next door to our office.

Which council looks after your Thamesmead address?

Thamesmead was planned as one town but sits in two boroughs. The Greater London Council began building it in the mid-1960s on marshland that had belonged to the Royal Arsenal. Thamesmead South and East, including Southmere Lake and the original concrete blocks, are in Bexley. Thamesmead Central, first developed in the early 1980s, and Thamesmead West (Broadwater Green), built from the 1990s, are in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Thamesmead North is split between the two. The SE28 postcode does not tell you which side you are on; the council tax bill does.

Greenwich residents ask the council's Contact Assessment Team (020 8921 2304) or use its online request form. Bexley residents go to Bexley Council on 020 8303 7777. We work in both.

Homes built in different decades

Because Thamesmead went up in stages over fifty years, two neighbours can live in very different homes.

• The earliest blocks were designed with raised walkways and garages at ground level, partly as protection against flooding. Living rooms can be a floor or two above the street, so a working lift is everything for a wheelchair user, and a carer may spend part of a visit simply helping someone get down to street level and out.
• Later low-rise brick houses usually have the bathroom upstairs, so stairs become the issue. A family-sized house may also have the spare room a live-in carer needs.
• Newer flats from the 1990s onwards and from the current regeneration generally have lifts and level thresholds, which suits a hoist or a level-access shower.

Most of the older housing stock has belonged to Peabody since it took over the estate's former landlords in 2014. If you rent from Peabody and need rails, a ramp or a bathroom change, raise it with them as well as with the council's occupational therapists, ideally before care starts.

GP surgeries in Thamesmead

The NHS lists Thamesmead Health Centre at 4-5 Thames Reach, SE28 0NY, on the Greenwich side. A carer can collect prescriptions or go with someone to an appointment as part of a visit. Admissions and discharges for the Greenwich side are usually through Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich.

How do carers reach Thamesmead?

There is no station in Thamesmead itself. Carers come by Elizabeth line to Abbey Wood, or by train to Plumstead or Belvedere, then finish by bus. Routes into the town include the 177 from Peckham, the 229, the 244 from Woolwich, the 401 and the Superloop SL3 from Bromley. Early and late calls are the hardest to cover on a route this long, so tell us the times you need. If your road is in a controlled parking zone, the person receiving care can apply for the council's carer parking permit for visiting carers.

A break for family carers

If a relative is already doing most of the caring, respite care from us can cover a fortnight away with a live-in carer, or a few hours a week of sitting. The borough's carers' charity, Greenwich Carers Centre in Charlton (0300 300 2233), offers advice and support, and the council can carry out a carer's assessment of your own needs.

What we can arrange in Thamesmead

• Live-in care
• Personal care
• Medication support
• Home help
• Companionship
• Sit-in service
• Respite care
• Dementia care
• Complex care
• Palliative care
• Hospital discharge

Nail care is not available in Thamesmead; it only covers five areas closer to our office. For the council's funding rules, dementia support and more, see our Greenwich home care page.

What we can help with in Thamesmead

• 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