Collier Row · Havering
Live-in Care in Collier Row
A carer who lives in the spare room of an RM5 house, from Lowshoe Lane and Clockhouse Lane up to Havering Park, so a parent or a couple can stay put on the northern edge of Romford.
Yes, we arrange live-in care anywhere in Collier Row. Jackie or one of our small team visits for a free home assessment, we write a care plan, and then a matched carer moves into the house and helps with washing, dressing, meals, medication and getting out. Carers rotate in planned stints, so the fact that our office is in Lewisham, across the river, has no bearing on day-to-day care in RM5.
Is there space for a live-in carer in a Collier Row house?
Usually. Collier Row is largely a 1930s estate with post-war roads added, so most homes are semis and short terraces with a small third bedroom at the front. That room is normally all a carer needs: a single bed, somewhere for clothes and a door that closes.
The harder cases are the council flats and maisonettes scattered through the area, many of which have one bedroom. A carer cannot live for weeks on a sofa bed, so there the realistic choices are a move to a two-bedroom home, live-in care at a son's or daughter's house, or visits arranged case by case (see home care in Collier Row).
When the stairs become the problem
The upstairs bathroom is what usually decides how a Collier Row house works for care. With someone living in, a bed in the back room becomes workable, because help is on hand at bedtime and first thing. If a stairlift is being considered, ask Havering Adult Social Care for an occupational therapy assessment before the carer starts; a stairlift on a straight run is generally simpler to fit than on a turning stair.
For a hoist, we check the bedroom has floor space and a wide enough door. If every transfer needs two people, one live-in carer cannot do it safely, and we will say so.
Changeover day without a station
At the end of each stint one carer hands over to the next. Collier Row has no station, so the incoming carer travels with their luggage on the Elizabeth line to Romford and then takes a bus north. The 252 starts at Collier Row and runs via Romford station, the 175 and 247 stop at Collier Row roundabout, and the 365 runs through Collier Row from Romford station. The two carers overlap so the outgoing one can hand over medication, routines and anything that changed that week.
Parking is the easy part. Most residential streets in Collier Row have no controls, so a son or daughter who drives over on changeover day can usually park outside. If you are unsure about your road, check the council's permit parking and controlled zones page.
Where the carer spends their daily break
A live-in carer has a protected break each day, and Collier Row has green space close by. Havering Country Park has a pedestrian entrance on Clockhouse Lane (RM5 2RR), with paths through grassland, woodland and an avenue of giant Wellingtonia redwoods. It has no toilets, so for a sit-down there is the Bedfords Park Nature Discovery Centre on Broxhill Road, with its café and red deer herd. Closer to home, Collier Row Library is on Collier Row Road; check its opening days before relying on it.
On duty, the carer can take the person out too: the Bedfords Park centre lists disabled parking and an accessible toilet. For someone who has always gone to church, Corpus Christi Catholic church is on Lowshoe Lane and the Church of the Good Shepherd is on Collier Row Lane.
If the person cannot safely be left during the carer's break, a relative, a neighbour or a sit-in needs to cover it.
Coming home to Collier Row from hospital. Most admissions go to Queen's Hospital in Romford; some on the western side end up at King George in Goodmayes. A carer living in covers the first nights home and the stairs, when a spouse could not manage alone. Call us once a date is mentioned. More on hospital discharge support.
Paying for it
We do not publish prices; you get a written quote after the free assessment. Havering Council may contribute after a needs assessment and a means test, and NHS Continuing Healthcare can fund the full cost where the needs are mainly health needs. The council route, direct payments and CHC are set out on our live-in care in Havering page, and live-in care in London explains how the service works. For dementia or end-of-life care at home, see our dementia care and palliative care pages.
What we can help with in Collier Row
- 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
Live-in care elsewhere in Havering
Live-in care pages for other parts of Havering:
Our services
How we can help in Havering
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Visiting care in Havering
Regular visits for personal care, medication, meals and company.
Read more →Live-in care in Havering
A carer who lives in, for one person or a couple.
Read more →Respite care in Havering
Cover so a family carer can rest, recover or go away.
Read more →Supported living in Havering
Our homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge.
Read more →Collier Row FAQs
Live-in care in Collier Row: questions families ask
Questions families ask us about Collier Row. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionOur box room over the stairs is tiny. Is it big enough for a live-in carer?
Often it is, if a single bed and a chest of drawers fit and the door closes. We look at it during the assessment. If it is too small, we will tell you, and we can talk through swapping rooms around.
Dad lives in a one-bedroom council flat in Collier Row. Can he have live-in care?
Not in that flat, because the carer needs their own bedroom. Ask the council about a two-bedroom transfer, consider live-in care in a family member's home, or ask us whether visits are possible at the times he needs.
How does a new carer get to us with no station nearby?
Usually by Elizabeth line to Romford, then a bus such as the 252 or 175 to Collier Row. We arrange the timing so the outgoing carer is still there when the new one arrives.
Can the carer drive Mum to Bedfords Park in her own car?
Possibly. It depends on the carer holding a licence and the right insurance cover being in place on Mum's car. We check this when matching and write any driving into the care plan. Otherwise the carer can go with her by taxi or with a relative.
Mum's bed has been moved downstairs. Does the carer have to sleep downstairs too?
No. The carer keeps their own room upstairs and is entitled to an unbroken night. If Mum needs help during the night regularly, we plan for that separately, for example with a baby monitor for the odd call or extra night cover if it is frequent.
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