Live-in Care in Biggin Hill

Biggin Hill has no railway station and sits on the North Downs at the southern tip of the borough. That makes a pattern of short daily visits hard to staff from south-east London. A live-in carer turns the problem round: once they are in the house, distance stops mattering. For the times when visits might still be possible, see our Biggin Hill home care page.

Where will the carer sleep in a Biggin Hill home?

The housing here is a mix of true bungalows, chalet bungalows with rooms in the roof, and post-war and newer estate houses. Each one sets up a live-in placement differently.

• A two-bedroom bungalow puts the carer's room on the same level as the person they support, so the carer is close by at night without sharing a room. Hoists, shower chairs and wheelchairs move freely with no stairs in the way.
• An estate house usually has the same arrangement as any suburban semi: bedrooms upstairs, a spare room for the carer, and a decision to make about the stairs if mobility is going.
• A one-bedroom bungalow cannot take a live-in carer unless another room can be turned into a proper bedroom with a door. We will tell you at the assessment if it cannot.

Outside, the hilly and sometimes unmade roads matter more than the house. If a wheelchair has to go up a sloping drive or along a lane with no pavement, we plan outings around it.

Changeover day on the 320 or the 246

With no station, carers reach Biggin Hill by bus or car. Two London bus routes link the village to the rail network. The 320 runs from Catford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lewisham, through Bromley and Keston to Biggin Hill Valley. The 246 runs from Bromley North through Hayes, where the nearest station is, and on past the airport towards Westerham. An incoming carer can make the last leg from Bromley or Hayes, and the outgoing carer heads back the same way after the handover.

Biggin Hill is not one of the town-centre areas where Bromley's controlled parking zones are concentrated, and most homes have a drive, so parking is rarely the issue.

A car, or no car?

Many Biggin Hill households have depended on driving. When the driver in the family stops, the shops, the GP and hospital appointments all become harder at once. A live-in carer can go with your relative on the bus to Bromley, book a taxi, or drive your relative's car if the insurance covers them and it is in the care plan. Tell us at the assessment how errands get done now, so the plan replaces the car properly.

The carer's daily break, and somewhere to go together

The carer's protected break each day needs someone else to be with your relative, or an activity that covers the time. In Biggin Hill the obvious places are:

• Biggin Hill Community Care Association, which supports local people over 50 and runs a day centre and lunch club. A day centre session can double as the carer's break.
• Biggin Hill Memorial Library on Church Road, in the same building as the swimming pool, for a quiet hour indoors.
• For a trip out together, the St George's RAF Chapel and the Biggin Hill Memorial Museum by the airfield, which mean a lot to anyone with a family link to the airfield.

Home from the PRUH, a drive north

Admissions from Biggin Hill usually go to the Princess Royal University Hospital at Farnborough Common, run by King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. It is a drive from the village, and a long bus journey, so family visits during a stay are harder than for people in the north of the borough. That is one more reason to set up live-in care before discharge: the carer is there when your relative walks through the door, and there for the follow-up appointments too. Tell the ward and the hospital's social services care manager that you want care at home, then contact us. More on the process is on our hospital discharge page.

Who funds live-in care in Biggin Hill?

Bromley Council, not Kent, assesses social care needs here. Start with the council's care assessment page or call 020 8461 7777. NHS Continuing Healthcare is a separate route where needs are mainly health needs. We quote our fees in writing after the free assessment. The detail on direct payments and council options is on live-in care in Bromley, and our live-in care service explains carer rotations and training.

What we can help with in Biggin Hill

• A carer living in, with their own room
• Care for one person or a couple
• Personal care through the day
• Medication support
• Cooking, housekeeping and laundry
• Dementia support at home
• Company, outings and appointments
• Cover arranged for the carer's breaks