Live-in Care in Kensington

Yes, we provide live-in care in Kensington, W8. A carer we've vetted and trained moves into the spare room and helps through the day with personal care, cooking, medication and getting out, with a protected daily break and cover for days off. Our registered manager, Jackie, comes to the home for a free assessment first, and the care plan is agreed with you in writing.

Three Kensington homes, three different plans

The streets behind Kensington High Street hold most kinds of home a live-in carer might move into, and each changes the plan.

The family house. On Campden Hill, around Phillimore Gardens and in the squares, whole houses usually have a spare bedroom and often a spare bathroom. The issue is height: four or five floors, with the main bedroom well above the kitchen. Put the carer's room on the same floor as the person they care for, and think about whether a stairlift or a bedroom on a lower floor is the safer long-term answer.

The mansion flat. In an Edwardian block with a lift, everything the person and the carer need is on one floor. If there are two bedrooms and the lift car takes a wheelchair, the flat itself rarely has to change; what needs agreeing is the building's side, from the porter to the managing agent's rules on delivering a bed or hoist.

The converted flat. A floor of a period house, reached by a common stair with no lift, works if there's a second bedroom and the person can still manage the stairs with help. If they can't, the carer can help them stay active indoors, but trips out become harder, and we'll be frank about that.

With no second bedroom, live-in care can't work. Visiting care in Kensington is the alternative to discuss.

When one of you needs far more help than the other

Couples are a strong reason to choose live-in care in W8, where a family house or a two-bedroom mansion flat often has room for a carer as well as both partners. Often one partner needs help with washing, dressing and moving safely, and the other is managing but tiring. One carer covers both: the first gets full personal care, and the second gets cooked meals, a hand with the shopping and some time to themselves.

The partner who has been doing the caring is entitled to ask the council for a carer's assessment of their own. Where dementia is involved, Age UK Kensington & Chelsea's dementia and memory loss services, including memory cafés, can support both partners alongside the carer. See also dementia care.

Coming home with a carer already in the house

Kensington residents may be admitted to Chelsea and Westminster on the Fulham Road or to St Mary's in Paddington, depending on where the emergency happens. Whichever ward it is, ask who is ordering any equipment, such as a profiling bed or commode, and when it will be delivered, because the carer needs it in place on the first night. We try to assess before the discharge date so the carer's room is ready as well. More on hospital discharge care.

Getting a carer to W8 on changeover day

Carers rotate, so on handover day one arrives and the other leaves. High Street Kensington station is on the District and Circle lines, and Notting Hill Gate, at the top of Kensington Church Street, adds the Central line. On the western edge, Kensington (Olympia) has the Overground. Most of W8 is a walk of a few minutes from one of these. Kensington and Chelsea issues no visitor parking permits, so a carer who drives must pay at a pay-by-phone bay during controlled hours. We plan changeovers around the Tube.

The carer's afternoon off in Holland Park

The daily break is the carer's own time, and W8 has good places to spend it. Holland Park, with its woodland walks and the Kyoto Garden, is at the western end of the High Street. Kensington Central Library is on Phillimore Walk, and the High Street has cafés and shops for errands. When the break is over, the same places become outings: a slow walk to the Kyoto Garden, Sunday service at St Mary Abbots on the corner of the High Street and Church Street, or lunch somewhere familiar. If someone can't be left alone during the break, we'll plan family cover or ask about a short sit-in.

How much does live-in care cost in Kensington?

We can't give a figure until we've met the person, because it depends on whether care is for one or two people and how much help is needed. You'll have our price in writing after the free assessment. Funding works the same as across the Royal Borough. The council's Adult Social Care team, based in the Town Hall on Hornton Street, assesses needs and finances, and an agreed personal budget can be taken as a direct payment. Where needs are mainly medical, NHS Continuing Healthcare may pay. Our Kensington and Chelsea live-in care page sets out each route, and live-in care in London explains the arrangement in general.

What we can help with in Kensington

• 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