Live-in Care in South Wimbledon

Yes, we provide live-in care in South Wimbledon, wherever the home has a bedroom the carer can use. The carer lives in and supports one person or a couple with personal care, medication, meals and the house, and a relief carer covers their time off. Because so many homes here are small flats, Jackie, our registered manager, checks the space at a free assessment before anything is agreed.

Is my South Wimbledon flat big enough for live-in care?

Around the junction, the same street can hold a whole terraced house, a ground-floor conversion and a council flat, so the answer changes from door to door in a way it doesn't in the bigger houses further west:

• A whole terraced house: nearly always has room. The things to plan are the steep, narrow stairs and a bathroom that may be at the back or upstairs.
• A two-bedroom conversion or council flat: usually works, provided the second room is a bedroom in practice and not a store room.
• A one-bedroom flat: can't take a live-in carer. The carer can't sleep in the living room for weeks at a time.
• An upper-floor conversion with no lift: possible if there is a second bedroom, but a hoist or a wheelchair is hard to manage on a shared staircase, so we look at that before agreeing.

If live-in care won't fit, regular visits may. South Wimbledon is one of the easier parts of Merton for our carers to reach, and our home care in South Wimbledon page explains how visits work. For a stay away from home, our supported living homes include one in Kingston upon Thames.

When a couple already uses both bedrooms

Couples in a two-bedroom flat sometimes sleep apart because one partner is unwell, which leaves no room for a carer. If you want live-in care for both of you, the question is whether you can share a room again, perhaps with two single beds or a profiling bed beside an ordinary one. If you can, one carer can look after you both: full care for one partner and lighter help for the other. If you can't, visits through the day are the realistic plan, and we'll say so at the assessment instead of squeezing a carer in.

Coming home from St George's to a small flat

Emergency admissions from South Wimbledon generally go to St George's in Tooting, a short Tube ride away. A discharge home to a first- or second-floor flat is where live-in care helps most: someone to help with the stairs on the way in, to manage new medication and to be there overnight in the first unsettled weeks. When the ward begins planning, ask whether Merton's Hospital to Home Team will be involved, then call us while the date is still being set. Later outpatient appointments are easy for a carer to go along to, either by Tube or by taxi. See hospital discharge care.

Changeovers by Tube, and the S zones

South Wimbledon station is on the Northern line, which runs straight down from London Bridge. A live-in carer starting a placement comes out at the junction and is at most streets within a few minutes' walk, so handovers by Tube are simple.

Carers who drive face controlled parking zones S1, S2, S3, SW and SW1. A relief carer can park on a resident's visitor e-permit, but the resident needs the council's free visitor qualifier first, which can take up to two weeks to approve. If your relative is housebound or has a Blue Badge, the council's carer permit covers a visitor for a year for a £10 admin fee. See Merton's visitor permit page for how to apply.

Green space along Morden Road

The carer needs a protected break every day, and here it is easy to step out to the shops at the junction or walk a short way down Morden Road. Nelson Gardens, just off Morden Road, has formal gardens and two cannons at the entrance. Abbey Recreation Ground, also on Morden Road, has a pavilion and playground. With your relative, the carer can use the same gardens for a short walk or wheelchair outing during the working day.

Funding and the next step

We quote in writing after the free assessment. A council or housing association tenancy doesn't stop the council helping with the cost: the needs assessment comes first, by phone to Merton's First Response Team (020 8545 4388), and the financial assessment after it. If the needs are mainly medical, ask about NHS Continuing Healthcare. The details, including the means test and direct payments, are on our live-in care in Merton page, and live-in care in London explains a placement from start to finish.

What we can help with in South Wimbledon

• 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