Live-in Care in Havering

Why live-in care suits the far end of the District line

Havering is London's easternmost borough, about an hour or more from our Lewisham office, so visits several times a day are hard for us to guarantee there. Live-in care avoids that problem. The carer makes one journey at the start of their stint, then lives in the house, and the person being cared for is never waiting for someone stuck on the A13.

It also suits the many older people here who have lived in the same Hornchurch semi or Harold Hill house for decades. Live-in care keeps them there, with their own garden and their own neighbours.

Does your house have room for a live-in carer?

A live-in carer needs a bedroom of their own: a bed, somewhere to keep their things and a door that closes. In much of Havering that is easy to find.

• Interwar semis in Elm Park, Collier Row, Hornchurch and Upminster usually have three bedrooms, so there is normally a spare room. The catch is the staircase. If the bathroom is upstairs and stairs are becoming unsafe, it is worth planning a stairlift or a downstairs bedroom before the carer arrives.
• Harold Hill terraces from the post-war estate often have a small third bedroom, which is generally enough. Low-rise flats there may only have one bedroom; tell us and we will look at it honestly.
• Gidea Park's exhibition houses and the larger detached houses in Emerson Park are often spread over several floors. That can mean a lot of stairs between the carer's room and the person they look after, which affects night-time help.
• New flats in Romford town centre and at Beam Park in Rainham are often two-bedroom. They are usually step-free, which helps, provided the second bedroom is free.

Caring for a husband and wife together

One live-in carer can often support a couple, for example where one partner has dementia and the other is frail but managing, or where both need help in the mornings and evenings. It keeps two people together in their own home. What we have to check is whether both people's needs can safely be met by one carer, especially at night. If both need two-person help with moving, one carer is not enough, and we will tell you so.

Who covers the carer's break and the nights?

Live-in carers are not on duty around the clock. They are entitled to a proper daily break and an unbroken night's sleep. During the break, the person might be fine on their own for a while, a relative might sit with them, or the plan might include a sit-in. If someone needs help several times every night, a single live-in carer will not be enough, and the care plan has to say who covers the nights. We set this out in writing before care starts.

Staying at home or moving into a care home: the Havering decision

When Havering Adult Social Care assesses someone with high needs, a residential or nursing home is often one of the options discussed. Live-in care is the alternative to put alongside it. It suits people who want to stay in a familiar house, couples, and people with dementia who find new surroundings unsettling. A care home can be the better choice where someone needs two people for every transfer, round-the-clock nursing, or a level of company and activity a single carer cannot provide. You can ask the social worker to look properly at care at home before a placement is agreed.

How much does live-in care cost in Havering?

We do not publish prices because the cost depends on the care needed, whether it is for one person or two, and whether there is regular help at night. You get a written quote after the free home assessment. Then look at three funding routes:

• Havering Council. Ask Adult Social Care for a Care Act needs assessment on 01708 432000 or through its online form. If the person has eligible needs, a financial assessment decides how much the council contributes. Because Havering has so many homeowners, remember that the value of the house is normally ignored while the person still lives in it.
• A direct payment. Council funding can be taken as a direct payment, which Havering pays onto a pre-paid card, and used to pay for live-in care with us.
• NHS Continuing Healthcare. Where the main need is a health need, CHC can fund the whole package. In Havering it is handled through NHS North East London Integrated Care Board. Ask the hospital ward or the GP for a checklist assessment, and read the NHS's guide to how Continuing Healthcare works.

Our guide to paying for care in London goes through the means test in more detail.

Dementia and end-of-life care at home

If you are worried about memory, the GP can refer to NELFT's Havering Memory Service in Harold Wood, which assesses and diagnoses dementia and has Admiral Nurses. Imago's Havering Carers Support Service can also support the family member doing most of the caring. A live-in carer can then follow the same routine every day, which is often what keeps someone with dementia settled at home. See our dementia care page.

For someone nearing the end of life, Saint Francis Hospice at Havering-atte-Bower serves the borough. A live-in carer from us can work alongside the hospice's community teams and the district nurses, so the person can stay at home if that is their wish. See our palliative care page.

What we can help with in Havering

• 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