Live-in Care in South Kensington

Yes, we can arrange live-in care in South Kensington. A trained carer moves into a spare room in the flat or mews house and supports one person, or a couple, with personal care, meals, medication and getting out. It starts with a free home assessment by Jackie, our registered manager, and a written care plan, and we cover the carer's daily break and holidays.

Before the carer moves in: five things to check in an SW7 flat

Most older people in South Kensington live in a floor of a converted stucco house, a mansion flat or a mews house. Each has its own quirks, so these are the things we look at together during the assessment.

1. A second bedroom with a door. It can be small, but it must be the carer's own. A box room off the hall is fine; a study with a sofa bed that someone else uses during the day is not.
2. The lift, measured. Many lifts squeezed into Victorian houses fit one person and a shopping bag. Measure the car and the door before ordering a wheelchair or hoist, and check whether a profiling bed can come up in parts.
3. The bathroom. A bath with a shower over it, in a narrow room, is common here. Ask the council's occupational therapist about a bath board or a level-access shower; the carer's routine is built around whatever you have.
4. Who lets people in. If the block has a porter, introduce each new carer at the changeover so they aren't stopped at the desk. Without one, the carer needs their own key or fob.
5. The lease. Some leases say who may live in a flat. A carer living in is normally fine, but read the clause and keep the managing agent informed.

In a mews house, the bedrooms are usually upstairs on a steep, narrow stair. With a carer living in, it's often worth bringing a bed down to the ground floor before a fall forces the decision.

Home from the Royal Brompton or the Royal Marsden

South Kensington sits between two specialist hospitals. The Royal Brompton, on Sydney Street, treats heart and lung conditions, and the Royal Marsden on the Fulham Road treats cancer. People often go home from both after long or repeated stays, and the first weeks are when a person in the flat all day makes the most difference. A live-in carer can manage meals, medication prompts, washing and the return trips for check-ups, while the hospital and community nurses keep the clinical side. If the stay began in A&E, the discharge is usually from Chelsea and Westminster on the Fulham Road. Either way, call us as soon as a discharge date is mentioned. See hospital discharge care and, towards the end of life, palliative care.

Arriving and leaving at changeover

The carer's journey matters on the days carers swap over. South Kensington and Gloucester Road are both on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines, so an incoming carer comes straight through from Victoria or across from the Piccadilly line without changing again. Most addresses in SW7 are a short walk from one or the other, which suits someone carrying a week's luggage.

Driving is harder. The council issues no visitor permits, so a carer's car must go in a pay-by-phone bay during controlled hours, where maximum stays vary by street. Changeovers by Tube are simpler for that reason.

Mass at the Oratory, the paper on Bute Street

A live-in carer should help keep the week's habits going. For many people in SW7 that includes church: the Brompton Oratory, the Catholic parish church on Brompton Road, and Holy Trinity Brompton behind it are within reach of most of the neighbourhood with a wheelchair or a steady arm. Tell us at the assessment what the week looks like, whether that's Sunday Mass, a weekday lunch with friends or a walk round Onslow Square, and the carer's hours are arranged to keep it.

If someone has more than one language, tell us that as well. We can't promise a carer who speaks it, but we'll take it into account when matching.

A couple in a two-bedroom mansion flat

A couple in a two-bedroom flat can have live-in care if they share a bedroom and the second room goes to the carer. One carer can support both partners, each with their own section of the care plan. If they sleep apart because one is unwell, the flat probably needs a third room, and we'll look at alternatives with you.

Who pays for live-in care in South Kensington?

It depends on the person's needs and finances. Kensington and Chelsea Adult Social Care does the needs assessment, which you can apply for on GOV.UK or by ringing 020 7361 3013. A means test follows. For care in your own home the flat itself isn't counted, but savings and income are. If the main need is a health need, for example after serious heart or lung illness, ask the hospital team about an NHS Continuing Healthcare checklist. We give our own price in writing after the free assessment. For the full picture, read our Kensington and Chelsea live-in care page and live-in care in London. If visits suit better, see home care in South Kensington.

What we can help with in South 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