Live-in Care in Shoreditch

Yes, we arrange live-in care on the Hackney side of Shoreditch. A carer takes the spare room, sees to washing, meals, tablets and trips out, and sleeps in the flat, working to a care plan we write after a free assessment. It suits someone coming out of hospital who is not ready to be alone, as well as longer-term care.

Leaving hospital: the Royal London or Homerton

From Shoreditch, an admission may be to Barts Health's Royal London, south-east in Whitechapel, or to Homerton University Hospital in E9. Whichever ward it is, discharge with care for a Hackney resident is planned with Hackney Adult Social Care, and the plan often starts with a short spell of reablement.

Live-in care fits the gap when the person needs more than a few visits a day: someone in the flat from morning to night, to sort out the new tablets and to notice if they are getting worse. If they will need help repeatedly through the night, we will say so, because one live-in carer also has to sleep. Ring us when going home is first mentioned, and let the ward know you are looking at live-in care. We need time to see the flat and choose a carer, and we will be honest if we cannot be ready for the date. Where needs are mainly medical, ask whether an NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment has been considered.

Is there room for a carer in a Shoreditch flat?

It depends on the second bedroom, which a live-in carer must have. Shoreditch housing splits three ways.

• Council estates towards Hoxton and Shoreditch Park. Long-standing tenants may have a family-sized flat with a room to spare; others have one bedroom. The lift is the thing to check, and walk-up blocks need a frank look at stairs.
• Mansion blocks. Some flats have a spare room, but lifts can be small or missing and bathrooms are often old. A wheelchair or hoist may be hard to use.
• Converted warehouses and new-builds. Lifts, level floors and wide doors make these the easiest homes for equipment. Some are one-bedroom; a two-bedroom flat works well.

If there is no room for a carer, Shoreditch is close enough to Lewisham that visiting care in Shoreditch is a practical alternative, subject to carer availability.

Sleep in a neighbourhood that stays up late

A live-in carer needs a proper night's rest to work well the next day. Near Old Street, Curtain Road and Great Eastern Street, weekend noise can run past midnight. We ask about it at the assessment: which room is quieter, whether the windows face the street, and whether the person tends to wake. If they are woken by the noise and need help several times a night, one live-in carer may not be enough, and we will discuss night support openly.

Handovers: stations, lifts and zone B

For a carer arriving with luggage, Hoxton and Shoreditch High Street on the Windrush line are the easiest, both step-free from street to train. Old Street, on the Northern line and Great Northern, serves the western streets.

Driving is harder. On Hackney's parking zone list, North Shoreditch (zone B) is controlled Monday to Saturday, 8.30am to midnight, and South Shoreditch weekdays until 6.30pm and Saturday until 1.30pm. A relative driving in for a changeover needs a visitor voucher, which the resident can buy as an e-voucher whether or not they own a car. On estates, separate estate parking rules apply, so check with the housing office.

The carer's break, and getting the person out

Each day the carer gets protected time to themselves, and there is plenty within a few minutes' walk. Shoreditch Park, one of Hackney's largest parks, is on New North Road, with the Britannia Leisure Centre's café and toilets opening onto it. Shoreditch Library at 80 Hoxton Street is quiet, has a lift and opens six days a week.

With the carer, the person can keep their own routine: the market on Hoxton Street, a coffee near the park, or St Leonard's, the old parish church where Shoreditch High Street meets Hackney Road. For a partner or child who has been doing the caring, the City & Hackney Carers Centre at the Marie Lloyd Centre on Queensbridge Road offers advice and support.

How is live-in care in Shoreditch paid for?

Privately, through the council, or by the NHS if someone qualifies for Continuing Healthcare. First check the council: Shoreditch straddles Hackney and Tower Hamlets, and the council tax bill shows which one assesses and funds care. On the Hackney side, the needs assessment, the means test and direct payments are explained on our Hackney live-in care page. We quote in writing after our free assessment. For how live-in care works in general, see live-in care in London.

What we can help with in Shoreditch

• 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