Live-in Care in Clerkenwell

Yes, we provide live-in care in Clerkenwell and Finsbury. A carer moves into your relative's home, with their own bedroom, and helps through the day with personal care, medication, meals and getting about. It begins with a free assessment at home with Jackie, our registered manager, followed by a written care plan. Clerkenwell is also the part of Islington nearest our Lewisham office, which makes assessments and reviews straightforward to arrange.

Mansion blocks, estates and lofts: who has the spare room?

Clerkenwell's homes fall into three groups, and each answers the bedroom question differently.

Victorian philanthropic and mansion blocks, around Spa Fields, Finsbury and the streets off Rosebery Avenue, were built with compact flats. Some have two bedrooms; many have one, and in those a live-in carer will not fit.

Post-war council estates, such as the Finsbury estates, include two-bedroom flats, often on one level, which suit a live-in carer and equipment well.

Warehouse and loft conversions tend to be open plan. A large loft can still have a separate bedroom for the carer; a single open space with a sleeping area cannot, because the carer needs a room with a door.

Where there is no room, visiting care in Clerkenwell is usually realistic, since this is the easiest part of the borough for our carers to reach.

Can you have live-in care in a block with no lift?

Yes, as long as your relative can still manage the stairs with help. Many of the older blocks have stone staircases and no lift. A live-in carer turns going out from something your relative avoids into something planned: down the stairs together, at their pace, with a rest on the landing if needed. The limits are hard ones, though. A carer cannot carry anyone, a stairlift rarely fits a shared stone stair, and a hoist or hospital bed has to come up those stairs and fit the room. If the stairs are becoming unsafe, bring in the council's occupational therapy service and your landlord early.

Living with sight loss, with someone in the flat

Moorfields Eye Hospital is on City Road, on Clerkenwell's doorstep, and for an older person whose sight is failing it often becomes a regular part of life. Sensory impairment is one of our CQC-registered specialisms, and live-in care suits it well. The carer keeps the flat laid out exactly as your relative expects, reads letters and labels aloud, manages eye drops as the care plan sets out, and goes with them to clinic appointments. Being in the home all day means small hazards, such as a bag left in a doorway or a pan handle facing out, get noticed and fixed.

Changeover at Farringdon

Few stations in London have as many lines as Farringdon: the Elizabeth line, Thameslink and three Underground lines meet there, and a Thameslink train from London Bridge takes about ten minutes. That makes Clerkenwell simple for a carer arriving or leaving with their luggage, and Angel, on the Northern line, covers the northern edge. The incoming and outgoing carers hand over in the home.

Cars make less sense here. EC1 lies within the Congestion Charge zone, and all of Islington is in the ULEZ, so family members helping on changeover day are usually better off on the train too.

Breaks, and the places to go together

For the carer's daily break, Spa Fields and Exmouth Market are a minute or two from many of the blocks. Finsbury Library, at 245 St John Street, is fully wheelchair accessible with adapted toilets and also houses the Islington Museum, so it works for a quiet hour alone or a trip out with your relative.

Clerkenwell also has long roots as London's Italian quarter. St Peter's Italian Church on Clerkenwell Road, opened in 1863, still serves the Italian Catholic community, and a live-in carer can take your relative to Mass there if it is part of their week.

Coming home from UCH, Barts or Moorfields

After a 999 call, a Clerkenwell resident may well be taken to UCH near Euston, and planned heart or cancer treatment often happens at St Bartholomew's, just south in West Smithfield. If your relative is an Islington resident, support at home after discharge goes through the council's Integrated Health and Care Front Door, whichever hospital they leave. Live-in care is a good fit when someone should not be alone on their first nights home, for example after heart surgery. Call us while the discharge is being planned.

What we can help with in Clerkenwell

• 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