Home Care in Waddon, Croydon

How easily can our carers reach Waddon?

More easily than much of Croydon. The 75 bus runs from Lewisham all the way to central Croydon, and Waddon is one stop on from West Croydon by train, or a short bus ride. Waddon station also has Southern trains to London Bridge and Victoria. It is still a long trip from SE13, so regular calls depend on a carer being free and able to get there reliably. Ring with the address and the times, and we will tell you straight.

A council-built suburb by the old airport

Croydon Airport opened in 1920, on wartime airfields at Beddington and Waddon, and was London's main airport between the wars. The distress call "Mayday" was invented there. The last commercial flight left in 1959, and the terminal, Airport House on the Purley Way, is now cared for by the Historic Croydon Airport Trust, which runs open days. Between the wars, Croydon Corporation built more council homes in Waddon than anywhere else in the borough, over a thousand houses and some flats, with St George's Church of 1932 at the centre of the estate.

Today the picture is mixed. At the 2021 Census, 42% of Waddon ward's households lived in purpose-built flats, a quarter rented from the council or a housing association, and 39% had no car. What that means for care:

• Estate houses are usually two storeys with the bathroom upstairs. After a fall, a bed in the front room or a stairlift is often the first conversation.
• Tower block flats depend on the lift. If it fails, a carer can still climb the stairs to the flat, but getting your relative out may not be possible that day.
• Older streets towards Duppas Hill are close to buses and shops, but parking is controlled.

Council tenants raise adaptations with the council as landlord, and ask adult social care for an occupational therapist. Owners can use the Staying Put agency (020 8760 5505) for key safes and adaptation advice.

A district nursing base on the doorstep

Croydon Health Services runs a district nursing base at Waddon Clinic, 1A Coldharbour Road, CR0 4DY. District nurses visit adults registered with a Croydon GP who are housebound with nursing needs, or who need short-term nursing such as wound care after an operation. Referrals come through the GP, the hospital or another professional. Our carers do personal care and medicines support. Nursing tasks stay with that team.

Waddon Ponds, Wandle Park and the Purley Way

Waddon has more on its doorstep than people expect, which matters for companionship visits and staying active:

• Waddon Ponds, fed by springs that are one source of the River Wandle, with entrances on Waddon Court Road, Lodge Avenue, Mill Lane and The Ridgeway.
• Wandle Park off Cornwall Road, with a café, a pond and its own tram stop.
• The Purley Way superstores, and Waddon Leisure Centre at the Fiveways junction, with a 25-metre pool.

Arranging council-funded care in Waddon

Waddon is in Croydon, so start with Croydon adult social care: the online request, or 020 8726 6500 by phone. If your relative's needs are eligible, a financial assessment sets their contribution, and the council can pay its share as a direct payment. KCIL (020 8546 9603) helps Croydon residents set one up. If you are paying yourself, you can ring us without waiting for the council.

Parking and the Sutton boundary

Croydon's West permit zone covers streets around Waddon Road, Waddon New Road and Duppas Hill on the town-centre side, so a carer who drives there needs a household visitor permit or a paid bay. On the council's map, the estate roads further south and west are outside it. Waddon also borders Sutton. Roundshaw, on part of the old airfield, is in Sutton, so check the council tax bill if you are unsure. See home care in Sutton.

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