Live-in Care in Haggerston

Haggerston is one of the most straightforward parts of Hackney for us to staff a live-in arrangement. Carers come up the Windrush line from New Cross to a step-free station in well under an hour, so changeovers and replacement cover are simple. Once settled in the spare room, the carer takes charge of the daily round: washing and dressing, meals, medicines, appointments, and company. Our first visit, to see the home and talk it through, is free.

Bedrooms on Haggerston's estates

A third of Haggerston households rented straight from Hackney Council in 2021, more than in any other ward, and 82% of homes were purpose-built flats. About a third of households had a spare bedroom. So whether a resident carer can stay comes down to the individual flat.

Family-sized homes on the low-rise Suffolk Estate, which has houses as well as flats, and three-bedroom flats elsewhere where children have moved out, often work. One-bedroom flats do not. Council tenants should email Hackney's housing service about the arrangement: the carer is there to work, pays nothing, and holds no tenancy.

Upstairs maisonettes and equipment

Many Haggerston maisonettes have the bedrooms upstairs and the kitchen and front door downstairs. As someone becomes frailer, those internal stairs become the main risk. A resident carer can walk with them on the stairs, but cannot carry them. Ask Hackney's occupational therapy team whether a stairlift, a second banister or a downstairs bed would solve it. Plan where equipment goes so the carer's room stays a bedroom.

Close by: Morrel Court and the Marie Lloyd Centre

Morrel Court on Goldsmiths Row is a council Housing with Care scheme in the ward, run with Anchor Hanover. It is not staffed overnight, so it suits people with lower or predictable needs. For someone who needs a person there through the day and night, live-in care at home, or one of Hackney's 24-hour schemes such as Rose Court on Holly Street, are the realistic options.

Just east, the Marie Lloyd Centre on Queensbridge Road houses Age UK East London and the City & Hackney Carers Centre. A family member who has been doing the caring can get counselling, advice and peer support there, and ask for a carer's assessment, even once a resident carer is in place.

Two possible hospitals

From Haggerston, admissions may be to Homerton University Hospital (the 394 from Haggerston Park, or the 242 from Kingsland Road) or to the Royal London in Whitechapel. If a ward suggests a care home, ask about live-in care as an alternative, and call us. A resident carer can continue the exercises Homerton's independence team leaves. District nurses from Homerton Healthcare handle clinical tasks; we provide personal care, not nursing.

For someone in the last months of life, St Joseph's Hospice on Mare Street offers palliative care at home, with a First Contact line on 0300 30 30 400. See palliative care.

Dementia, the canal and the farm

A familiar carer helps someone with dementia keep a steady rhythm. In Haggerston, that rhythm might include a walk along the Regent's Canal, a sit in Haggerston Park, or a visit to Hackney City Farm on Goldsmiths Row, which is free and open Tuesday to Sunday. For diagnosis, the GP refers to Hackney's NHS memory clinic in E9. Read about dementia care.

What it costs, and who pays

Our written price follows the home visit. Because so many Haggerston residents are council tenants, the main question for funding is savings and income: above £23,250 in savings, people normally pay; below it, Hackney may contribute after assessing needs and finances, and families can take that as a direct payment. For heavy clinical needs, raise NHS Continuing Healthcare. How funding works sets out each route.

How live-in care works →