Live-in Care in Hammersmith

Yes, we provide live-in care in Hammersmith. A carer moves into the home with their own bedroom, helps with washing, dressing, meals, medication and getting out, and a relief carer is arranged in advance for their time off. Jackie, our registered manager, starts with a free assessment at the address, and you get a written care plan before anyone moves in.

Which Hammersmith homes have room for a live-in carer?

The carer needs a bedroom they can close the door on. In W6 the answer depends on the building more than the street:

• Mansion blocks around the Broadway and Hammersmith Road. Two-bedroom flats are common and suit live-in care well. Measure the lift car before ordering a wheelchair or a mobile hoist, because older blocks often have small lifts or none.
• Council blocks near Queen Caroline Street. A two-bedroom flat works; a one-bedroom flat does not. Tell the housing officer a carer is living in, so the landlord's records are right.
• Riverside flats at Fulham Reach. Lifts, level floors and wide doors make equipment simple. The concierge will need the names of both the main carer and the relief carer.
• Family houses towards Ravenscourt Park and St Peter's Square. Usually plenty of space, but often three or four floors. A bed brought down to the ground floor can be easier than a stairlift for someone who is weakening quickly.

If the home has one bedroom, live-in care can't work there. Visiting care is set out on our home care in Hammersmith page, with honest notes on how far W6 is from our Lewisham office.

Changeover day at the Broadway

When one live-in carer hands over to the next, they usually arrive with a suitcase, so step-free stations matter. Both Hammersmith stations are listed by TfL as step-free: the District and Piccadilly line station inside the Broadway centre and the Hammersmith & City and Circle line station across the road. The bus station above the Broadway is the other easy arrival point. Where we can, the two carers overlap, so the incoming one hears about the last few days in person.

If a carer drives, nearly every W6 street is in a controlled parking zone. You book them in as a visitor through RingGo with a virtual visitor permit, which is discounted for Blue Badge holders. Hammersmith Bridge is still closed to cars, which matters only for a carer driving up from Barnes.

An hour off on King Street or by the river

A live-in carer is entitled to a daily break away from the work. Hammersmith gives them real choices within a few minutes' walk:

• Ravenscourt Park off Paddenswick Road has a café, toilets, a walled garden and a lake.
• Furnivall Gardens on Lower Mall is a riverside green that the council keeps open at all hours, so it works for an early or late break.
• Hammersmith Library on Shepherds Bush Road, opposite the police station, is open seven days a week and has free wifi, useful for a carer staying away from home.

If the person can't be left alone during the break, someone else needs to be there: a relative, a sit-in visit, or a session the person enjoys, such as the Age UK Activity Centre on Greyhound Road.

From a Charing Cross ward to a W6 flat

Charing Cross Hospital on Fulham Palace Road is a short drive from most of Hammersmith, and it is where most W6 residents are admitted and discharged. Live-in care suits a discharge here because the first nights home are the uncertain ones, and in a mansion flat with a long stair the carer is already inside when help is needed. Let the ward know early that live-in care is the plan, and call us so the assessment can be booked around the discharge date. More on our hospital discharge page.

Who pays for live-in care in Hammersmith?

We give a written figure after the assessment, not before. Hammersmith & Fulham Council doesn't charge for the home care it arranges, so ask Adult Social Care (0800 145 6095) for a Care Act assessment first and ask whether a direct payment could go towards live-in care. Where needs are mainly health needs, ask for an NHS Continuing Healthcare checklist. The council and funding detail is on our live-in care in Hammersmith and Fulham page, and live-in care in London explains the service as a whole.

What we can help with in Hammersmith

• 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