Shortlands · Bromley
Live-in Care in Shortlands
Live-in care for Shortlands' tall Victorian houses, its later family homes towards Hayes Lane, and the flats in between. Changeovers are easy at Shortlands station, and the 358 runs to both Beckenham Beacon and the PRUH. We come out free of charge to look at the room and the stairs first.
Which Shortlands homes can take a carer?
Shortlands is split between flats and family houses. In the 2021 Census, about a third of households in Shortlands & Park Langley ward lived in purpose-built flats, while more than half had three or more bedrooms. Seven in ten households had at least one bedroom to spare. So for many families here the room exists; for others it does not.
The Victorian and Edwardian houses near the station and in the Shortlands Village conservation area, and the twentieth-century houses up towards Hayes Lane and Kingswood Road, are mostly family-sized. In the flats, it comes down to that second bedroom: without one, a day of visits is the alternative, and our home care in Shortlands page explains how that works.
Tall houses and steep stairs
Victorian houses tend to be tall, with steep stairs and the only full bathroom on the first floor. A carer can help someone up and down while that is safe. If it stops being safe, there are two usual answers: a stairlift, or moving the bedroom downstairs with a commode or ground-floor shower nearby. A hoist needs space around the bed, which a narrow Victorian back room may not have, so we measure rooms on our visit. Equipment and adaptations come through Bromley Council's needs assessment.
Not only for older people. Shortlands & Park Langley had the lowest share of residents whose daily lives were limited a lot by disability of any Bromley ward in 2021, but for the younger adults who do live with a physical disability, a carer living in can make it possible to cook, go out and keep a routine in their own home. The care plan sets out what the person wants to do themselves and where they want a hand.
Arriving for a changeover
On swap day the outgoing carer hands over to the incoming one, ideally in person, so medicines, routines and any recent changes are passed on. Shortlands station makes that easy: Thameslink runs to Blackfriars via Catford and Southeastern to Victoria via Herne Hill, with services onward to Orpington and Sevenoaks. The 227 and 358 stop by the station too, linking Shortlands with Beckenham, Penge and Crystal Palace. If the carer drives, check the street: restrictions apply near the station and shops, and the council issues no carers' permits, so keep visitor vouchers ready.
Time off within walking distance
A carer living in has a protected break each day. In Shortlands that might be Queensmead Recreation Ground on Glass Mill Lane, the shops by the station, or the temporary Shortlands Library at St Mary's Church House on Kingswood Road while its own building is closed for safety reasons. Bromley town centre is a short bus ride east. Someone from the family, or a short visit, can be with your relative during the break if they cannot be left.
Two hospitals on the 358
The 358 runs between Shortlands station and Farnborough's hospital, and in the other direction to the Beckenham Hospital stop by Beckenham Beacon, with its urgent care centre and outpatient clinics. That helps when family visit, and when a carer goes along to follow-up appointments. If a discharge is being planned, ask the ward to note that a carer living in is wanted, then give us a ring; we would like to see the stairs before the date is agreed.
If the time comes for end of life care at home, the hospice nurses visit and the resident carer stays.
Funding, in brief
Bromley Council can carry out a needs assessment and, if the person is eligible, a financial assessment that decides what they pay; start on the council's care assessment page. Where needs are mainly clinical, NHS Continuing Healthcare may fund the care. Direct payments and the rest of the council process are explained on our borough live-in page.
Live-in care elsewhere in Bromley
Living in Shortlands
Homes and health services in Shortlands
Homes in Shortlands
Victorian and Edwardian houses from the 1860s onwards (much of Westmoreland Road dates from the 1880s), with later twentieth-century houses towards Hayes Lane and Kingswood Road, and some flats.
NHS hospitals
Princess Royal University Hospital and Orpington Hospital
Memory and dementia
Our only bathroom is upstairs in a Victorian house. Can live-in care still work?
Usually. The carer helps on the stairs while they are safe. If not, a downstairs bedroom with a commode, or a stairlift, are the usual fixes.
Can the carer come with Mum to her clinic at the PRUH?
We plan for it in her routine. The 358 goes from Shortlands station to the hospital, or a taxi can be booked.
Dad uses a wheelchair and wants to stay independent. Is a live-in carer right for him?
It can be. We support adults of all ages with physical disabilities, and the plan is built around what he wants to do for himself. We look at access to the house and bathroom first.
What happens when the regular carer goes on holiday?
A relief carer is booked well ahead, and ideally spends an afternoon in the house beforehand so Mum knows the face.
Nearby
Nearest areas to Shortlands outside Bromley
Closest first, measured in a straight line from the centre of Shortlands.
