West Wickham · Bromley
Home Care in West Wickham
Visiting and live-in care across BR4: the High Street, the roads around West Wickham station, Coney Hall and the streets running towards Hayes and the common.
Yes, we cover West Wickham and Coney Hall with visiting care and live-in care. West Wickham and Hayes are the last two stops on the Hayes line, and the trains that reach them call at Lewisham, close to our office, so visits here can work when a carer is free at the times you need. We begin with a free home assessment and a written care plan.
A 1930s suburb, and what that means for care
West Wickham stayed a small village until the early twentieth century, then filled up quickly in the inter-war housing boom. Coney Hall, on the south-east side, was built in the 1930s by Morrell Brothers on the former Coney Hall Farm: two-storey houses with bay windows and half-timbered gables.
Most of these homes have the same layout. Living room and kitchen downstairs, one staircase, bedrooms and the only bathroom upstairs. That works until someone can no longer manage the stairs safely, and then every visit has to plan around it. At the assessment we look at whether a stairlift, a downstairs bed or a commode for the night is the more workable option, and what an occupational therapist from the council could add.
The upside is the front drive. Many West Wickham houses have one, which makes it easier for a carer to arrive, park and leave on time than in the terraced streets of north-west Bromley.
Can a carer get to West Wickham from Lewisham?
Yes. West Wickham station opened in 1882 on what is now the Southeastern Hayes line, and trains run direct from Lewisham. Hayes station, at the end of the line, serves Coney Hall. Buses include the 119, 138, 194 and 352 through West Wickham, with the 246 and 314 also running through Coney Hall.
Parking restrictions apply around the station and the High Street. Bromley Council does not issue carers' permits, so if your road has permit bays, a visiting carer needs one of your visitor vouchers during restricted hours.
Hospitals and coming home
West Wickham sits between two NHS sites with very different jobs. Beckenham Beacon, a short drive north on Croydon Road, handles minor injuries and x-rays but has no emergency department. A 999 call or a serious fall usually ends in admission to the Princess Royal University Hospital at Farnborough, further east, which King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust runs.
If a parent is on a ward at the PRUH and discharge is being talked about, call us while it is still being planned. Bromley Well's Take Home and Settle service, run by Age UK Bromley & Greenwich, has helped people over 50 who live alone get home and settled after a PRUH stay. Our hospital discharge support page explains how we take over from there.
The neighbour with the spare key. On a quiet road of 1930s semis, the person who looks in most often may live next door. If a neighbour holds a key or checks in, we can write their part into the care plan, so everyone knows who is doing what.
How much does home care cost in West Wickham?
That depends on how many visits are needed and how long they last, so we quote in writing after the assessment and do not give figures over the phone. If you would like the council to help pay, ask Bromley Council for a needs assessment on 020 8461 7777. If the person is eligible, a financial assessment follows to work out how much they contribute. Someone whose needs are mainly health needs may qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare. More detail is on our Bromley home care page.
Care we provide in BR4
- Personal care: getting up, washing, shaving, dressing and getting ready for bed.
- Medication support: prompting or giving medicines as the care plan sets out, recorded at every visit.
- Home help: meals, laundry, light housework and a trip to the High Street shops.
- Companionship and a sit-in service while a family member goes out.
- Dementia care built around familiar routines in a long-familiar house.
- Live-in care, respite care, complex care and palliative care.
- Nail care at home.
A spare room in a three-bed semi
A three-bedroom semi almost always has the spare room a live-in carer needs, which makes live-in care straightforward to set up here, including for a couple. If a husband, wife or daughter is the main carer, a live-in carer can also cover a fortnight away, or visits can free up a regular afternoon. Ask the council for a carer's assessment and contact Bromley Well for advice and local groups.
What we can help with in West Wickham
- 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 Bromley
Home care pages for other parts of Bromley:
Our services
How we can help in Bromley
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Visiting care in Bromley
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Bromley
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Respite care in Bromley
Cover so a family carer can rest, recover or go away.
Read more →Supported living in Bromley
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →West Wickham FAQs
West Wickham questions
Questions families ask us about West Wickham. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionDo you cover Coney Hall and the Hayes side as well?
Yes. Coney Hall, the roads around Hayes station and the edge of Hayes Common are all part of our area. Live-in care is available everywhere in BR4. Whether we can do visits depends on having a carer free at your times, so call and ask.
Dad's only bathroom is upstairs and he is unsteady on the stairs. Can you still help?
Yes. A strip wash downstairs is often safer until the stairs are sorted out. We will talk through stairlifts, rails and a downstairs bed at the assessment and point you to the council's occupational therapy route.
Is Beckenham Beacon the right place to go after a fall?
Only for minor injuries. It has an urgent treatment centre, not an emergency department. For anything serious, call 999 or 111. A carer who finds someone after a fall follows the emergency steps in the care plan and lets the family know.
We live near the station. Will the carer get a parking ticket?
Not if one of your visitor vouchers is displayed during restricted hours. Bromley does not issue carers' permits, so it helps to keep a supply of vouchers in the house.
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Looking for care in West Wickham?
Tell us what is happening and we will tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.