Live-in Care in Bromley-by-Bow

Where would the carer sleep?

Space for the carer is the sticking point in this corner of E3. At the 2021 Census, Bromley South ward had the lowest share of households with a spare bedroom in Tower Hamlets, 24.9%, and one in five homes was overcrowded. Bromley North was a little better, at 27.3%.

When there is a room, it is usually in one of these:

• A refurbished family flat on an estate such as Coventry Cross, which transferred to Poplar HARCA in 2009, where a bedroom has come free as children have left.
• A new flat in the regeneration around Stroudley Walk or on the old St Andrew's Hospital site. These are usually step-free with lifts, but measure the second bedroom: a single bed and a wardrobe have to fit.

If there is only one bedroom, visiting care in Bromley-by-Bow is the realistic choice.

Equipment in a step-free home

A new flat with a level-access shower, wide doors and a lift is much easier to care in. A live-in carer can help someone shower every day, a wheelchair can get from bedroom to front door, and a hospital bed or mobile hoist can come up in the lift. In an older flat with a bath, the council's occupational therapists can assess for a bath lift or a shower. As the flats belong to housing associations or the council, fixed adaptations such as a ceiling hoist need the landlord's agreement.

Moving within the regeneration

Some older residents are moving from old flats into new ones as estates are rebuilt. A move is a good moment to plan for live-in care: ask whether the new flat can have a second bedroom suitable for a carer, and whether the bathroom will be level access. Tell us the moving date, and we will update the care plan, the key arrangements and the carer's route before the first night in the new home.

Changeovers: Bromley-by-Bow or Devons Road

Bromley-by-Bow station, on the District and Hammersmith & City lines, has been step-free since 2018, which helps a carer with a suitcase. Devons Road is on the DLR, and the 108 bus runs there direct from Lewisham. Buses D8, 323 and 488 also serve the area. The handover happens face to face.

The carer's break: Bob's Park and the Bromley by Bow Centre

Carers get a daily rest period. The Bromley by Bow Centre on St Leonard's Street, now part of Family Action, runs social prescribing and older people's activities, and Bob's Park beside it is a quiet garden. Your relative can join a group there while the carer rests. If family nearby can sit with the person, that helps too.

Health services

The Royal London in Whitechapel is the acute hospital, where the council's hospital social work team plans discharges. The 323 heads up to Mile End station, a walk from Bancroft Road's clinics and memory service. The 488 runs to Homerton Hospital in Hackney. The Bromley by Bow Health Centre GP surgery is on St Leonard's Street. Nursing at home is ELFT's job, including its rapid response team for sudden illness.

Newham across the river

Three Mills, across the Lea, is in Newham. Live-in care works the same there, but assessments and funding come from Newham Council, not Tower Hamlets.

Paying

Most E3 live-in arrangements are private, priced in writing after we have looked at the flat. A council-funded package is decided by assessment; read the borough live-in page for how that works.

How live-in care works →