Live-in Care in Hoxton

Yes, we provide live-in care in Hoxton, in N1 and the E2 side alike. The carer takes your spare bedroom and helps with washing, cooking, tablets and getting down to the street and back up again, working to a plan we write with you after a free home assessment. Many older Hoxton residents live on council estates, so the building matters as much as the care.

Can you have live-in care in a one-bedroom Hoxton flat?

No. A live-in carer must have a bedroom of their own, and a sofa bed in the living room is not one. On estates such as Arden and Wenlock Barn the answer depends on the flat: one-bedroom flats rule it out, but many people who brought up children here are still in two- or three-bedroom flats, and one of those rooms can become the carer's.

If the flat is one-bedroom, there are still options. Visiting care in Hoxton is realistic, because the Windrush line makes this one of the easiest parts of Hackney for us to reach. If care needs are rising and the flat is too small, talk to Hackney Council about a transfer or about its Housing with Care schemes; our Hackney live-in care page explains how that route works.

When the lift is out

In a tower or a deck-access block, a broken lift can mean days without getting downstairs. This is one of the most practical things a live-in carer changes. Someone is already in the flat, so meals, medication and washing carry on as normal. The carer can do the shopping and collect prescriptions on foot, report the fault to the landlord, and tell the family how long it is expected to last. They also notice when being stuck indoors starts to affect someone's mood or appetite.

Equipment is the other half of the building question. A profiling bed or hoist has to come up in the lift, so we check its size before care starts, and we tell you if the plan needs an occupational therapist to look at the bathroom first.

Royal London or Homerton: planning the move home

A Hoxton patient may come home from either of two hospitals: Barts Health's Royal London, the major trauma centre a short ride south-east, or Homerton University Hospital, Hackney's own. Whichever it is, ask the ward who is planning discharge and give them our number early. A live-in carer can be in the flat for the first evening home, which matters when someone is coming back to a tower block alone. Nearer still, St Leonard's on Nuttall Street is a community health base, not a place to be admitted to. Read more about our hospital discharge support.

Handover day on the Windrush line

When it is time for a fresh carer, they come in on the Overground with their bags. Hoxton station, on the Overground Windrush line, has lifts to both platforms, so a carer with a suitcase can get from the train to the street without stairs. Old Street, on the Northern line, is on the southern edge. If a family member drives in for the handover, check which zone the street is in: most of Hoxton is zone F (weekdays, plus Saturday until 1.30pm) and the Wenlock side is zone A (weekdays only). Estate car parks are separate: residents there buy estate visitor vouchers, and how many each household can have depends on the estate.

Getting out together

Outside the break, those same places make good outings for the person being cared for: the museum's gardens and period rooms, a walk round Shoreditch Park, the library's reading tables, or a slow walk down Hoxton Street Market. Tell us what matters at the assessment, whether a church, a café or a weekly market trip, and we build it into the day.

Who pays?

We give a written quote after the free assessment. Hackney Council may contribute after its needs and financial assessments, and can pay as a direct payment; someone whose needs are mainly health needs should ask about NHS Continuing Healthcare. If the address is just over the line in Islington or Tower Hamlets, that council handles funding. See also live-in care across London.

What we can help with in Hoxton

• 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