Woolwich · Greenwich
Home Care in Woolwich
Carers who visit, carers who live in, and breaks for family carers across Woolwich: the town centre around Powis Street, the Royal Arsenal flats, Woolwich Common and the hillside streets towards Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Yes, we provide home care in Woolwich, and it is one of the easier parts of Greenwich for us to reach. Buses 54 and 380 run straight from Lewisham to Woolwich town centre, so carers travelling from near our Lewisham High Street office can get there without a car. Visits still depend on a carer being free at the times you need, and we will tell you plainly after a free home assessment whether we can cover them.
A town that has changed around its older residents
Woolwich was a garrison and munitions town for three centuries. Munitions manufacture at the Royal Arsenal ended in 1967 and the Ministry of Defence left in 1994; its riverside buildings and the new blocks around them are now the Royal Arsenal Riverside development. Since May 2022 the Elizabeth line has stopped at Woolwich station beside it.
Postcode SE18 covers it all, but Woolwich homes vary a lot for a carer:
- Riverside flats. At the Royal Arsenal and around the Elizabeth line station, the new blocks have lifts and level floors. Hoists, wheelchairs and walk-in showers all fit, which makes these some of the simplest homes in the borough to care for someone in.
- Council and housing association estates. These are still a large part of Woolwich, though some are being rebuilt. The former Connaught Estate has been rebuilt as Trinity Walk under the council's One Woolwich plan for three estates. If a parent's block is due for regeneration, tell us. A move to a new flat can be a chance to plan for level access and a proper wet room.
- Victorian terraces on the hills. The streets climbing towards the common and Shooters Hill have steps up to the door and steep stairs inside. A morning visit there may start with getting someone safely down to the kitchen.
The council is in town. Royal Greenwich's Contact Assessment Team works from The Woolwich Centre on Wellington Street, a short walk from General Gordon Square. It is the first contact for a needs assessment, occupational therapy and carers' advice. Request support online with the council's Ask for support form or call 020 8921 2304. Our Greenwich home care page covers the whole process.
Coming home from Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Queen Elizabeth Hospital is on Stadium Road, on the hill directly above the town. It is the borough's A&E, run by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, and most Woolwich residents are admitted there and discharged from there. The 178, 244, 291 and 469 all run between Woolwich and the hospital, so visiting during the stay and organising things at home are a short ride apart.
Call us while the ward is still planning the discharge. If there is time before the discharge date, we can visit the home, check what has changed, and start discharge support visits if we have carers free.
How much does home care cost in Woolwich?
We do not give prices over the phone. After the free assessment we put a written quote alongside the care plan, based on the visits actually needed. If the council assesses your relative as eligible, a financial assessment decides what they contribute, and the council's share can be paid as a direct payment and used for an agency like ours. The council's paying for your care page sets out its rules. Where needs are mainly medical, ask the GP or ward about NHS Continuing Healthcare. Our paying for care guide explains both.
If visits are not enough
Riverside flats with a second bedroom suit live-in care well: a carer lives in, and the lift does the rest. In a one-bedroom estate flat, live-in care is not possible, because the carer needs their own room. A pattern of daily visits is usually the answer there.
If a husband, wife or adult child is doing most of the caring, respite care can mean a few hours' sit each week or a live-in carer covering a holiday. Greenwich Carers Centre, a short bus ride away on Hornfair Road in Charlton, can help the carer with their own assessment.
Care we can arrange in Woolwich
- Personal care
- Medication support
- Home help
- Companionship
- Sit-in service
- Live-in care
- Respite care
- Dementia care
- Complex care
- Palliative care
- Hospital discharge
What we can help with in Woolwich
- 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 Greenwich
Home care pages for other parts of Greenwich:
Our services
How we can help in Greenwich
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Visiting care in Greenwich
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Greenwich
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Respite care in Greenwich
Cover so a family carer can rest, recover or go away.
Read more →Supported living in Greenwich
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →Woolwich FAQs
Woolwich questions
Questions families ask us about Woolwich. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionCan a carer park outside a flat near the town centre?
Controlled parking covers the town centre and the streets around the stations, so carers who drive need a permit. The person receiving care can apply for the council's carer parking permit. Many carers arrive by bus, DLR or train anyway.
Mum still likes to do her own shopping on Powis Street. Can a carer go with her?
Yes. A companionship visit can be a walk to the shops with her, at her pace, with help carrying the bags home. That keeps her going out, which matters as much as anything done in the flat.
Dad has a learning disability and is getting older. Who in Woolwich can help?
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust's Greenwich Community Adult Learning Disability Team is also based at The Woolwich Centre, alongside the council's assessment team. They can be involved in his health needs while the council assesses his care. We can then provide personal care at home if that is what the plan needs.
Do you cover North Woolwich across the river?
North Woolwich is in Newham, not Greenwich, even though the ferry and foot tunnel link it to Woolwich. Ask us about it, but the council you would contact there is Newham.
Is there an office in Woolwich we can visit?
No. Our only office is on Lewisham High Street. We come to you for the assessment, and you can speak to Jackie, our registered manager, on 0203 375 4047.
Get started
Looking for care in Woolwich?
Tell us what is happening and we will tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.