Live-in Care in Kidbrooke

Yes, live-in care is available across Kidbrooke. A carer moves into the spare room and helps one person, or a couple, with personal care, meals, medication and getting out, and we arrange their daily break and holiday cover. We begin with a free assessment at home, led by Jackie, who manages the service, and a written care plan you agree.

Kidbrooke Village flat or 1930s semi: which suits a live-in carer?

Both can, for different reasons.

In Kidbrooke Village, the deciding question is the number of bedrooms. A two-bedroom apartment is close to ideal: lifts and level access mean a wheelchair user can move between rooms, and a carer can use a hoist without fighting thresholds or tight landings. The carer's room sits on the same floor, so they are within earshot at night. A one-bedroom apartment rules live-in care out, however well designed it is.

On the older streets, the 1930s houses usually have the spare room but put the bathroom up a flight of stairs. For someone who is steady with support, a live-in carer at their side on the stairs is often enough. For someone who is not, a bed in the front room with a commode, or a stairlift assessed by the council's occupational therapists, keeps the house usable.

Equipment before the carer arrives

Hoists, hospital beds and shower chairs normally come through the council or the NHS, and they take time to deliver. If the person is in a new-build flat, check with the building's management that a profiling bed can come up in the lift and through the front door. In an older semi, measure the stairs and the turn at the top before a stairlift survey. We go through all of this at our assessment so that the carer's first day is not spent waiting for equipment.

Swapping carers at Kidbrooke station

Kidbrooke station is on Southeastern's Bexleyheath line, and its trains run through Lewisham, where the DLR connects. An incoming carer can reach Kidbrooke easily from most of London, and the Village apartments are a short walk from the platform.

A carer arriving by car needs more planning, because several Royal Greenwich controlled parking zones cover the area and their hours differ widely. Kidbrooke North operates Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 12.30pm. Kidbrooke East runs Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6.30pm. There are also Kidbrooke West and Blackheath (Kidbrooke Gardens) zones. The council's zone directory gives each one's hours.

Residents of a zone can buy virtual visitor vouchers (up to 200 a year, valid for four hours or a full day depending on the zone), which cover a changeover. Private car parks under new-build blocks are managed separately, so ask about visitor bays there.

Cator Park, Sutcliffe Park and Pegler Square

The carer's protected break each day should be spent away from the home. Kidbrooke has plenty of room for it:

• Cator Park, the large park running through Kidbrooke Village, and an easy outing for the person too on a good day.
• Sutcliffe Park, where the River Quaggy was brought back to the surface, for a longer walk.
• Pegler Square, by the station, with a supermarket, cafés and, on some days, street food stalls.
• Blackheath Library, run by Royal Greenwich on Old Dover Road, just north of Kidbrooke.

Discharged from Lewisham or Woolwich

Kidbrooke residents can end up at either University Hospital Lewisham or Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, both run by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. Lewisham Hospital is close to our office, which makes it straightforward to talk to the family and the ward before discharge. In both cases Royal Greenwich remains the council responsible. A live-in carer suits a discharge from either hospital when someone cannot yet be left alone overnight; our hospital discharge page explains how it works.

What will live-in care cost in Kidbrooke?

We do not give a price over the phone: it depends on the level of care, whether it is for one person or a couple, and whether nights are disturbed. You get a written figure after the free assessment. The council's needs and financial assessments, and what Royal Greenwich counts, are summarised on our Greenwich live-in care page. Where needs are primarily medical, NHS Continuing Healthcare may pay. More on placements is on our London live-in care page.

What we can help with in Kidbrooke

• 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