Live-in Care in Tooting

Yes, we provide live-in care in Tooting. A carer lives in the home with their own bedroom and supports your relative, or a couple, day to day. With St George's Hospital in Tooting, the need for care can first come up on a ward. We do a free assessment, at home or with you before discharge, and agree a written care plan before the carer arrives.

Can a live-in carer be ready when Mum leaves St George's?

Sometimes, and we will tell you straight away if we can't. The steps that help:

1. Tell the ward early. As soon as a discharge date is mentioned, tell the named nurse or the discharge co-ordinator that you are considering live-in care. If you need council help, they can refer to a social worker, as the council's leaving hospital page explains.
2. Call us with the date. We arrange the assessment, which can include talking to the family about the house while the person is still in hospital, and we say honestly whether a carer can be in place by then.
3. Get the room ready. The carer's bedroom, and the person's own room if a hospital bed or commode is coming. Equipment is often delivered just before discharge, so leave space for it.
4. Ask about Continuing Healthcare. If the main needs are health needs, ask the ward for an NHS Continuing Healthcare checklist before discharge. The NHS explains how it works.

Coming home is where live-in care proves its worth. The first nights back are when someone gets up confused, needs the toilet or forgets they can't manage the stairs. With a carer in the next room, they aren't on their own.

Finding the second bedroom in a Tooting house

Space is tight in much of Tooting. The London County Council built the Totterdown Fields cottages in the early 1900s as small two-storey terraced cottages. Where a cottage has two bedrooms, that can be enough: one bedroom for your relative, one for the carer, and a commode or downstairs washing arrangement if the stairs are a problem.

The tighter cases are terraces split into flats and one-bedroom council flats. If there is no second bedroom, a live-in carer can't move in, and visiting care in Tooting is the alternative to look at. In a two-storey cottage, a stairlift fitted to a narrow staircase or a bed moved downstairs is often what keeps live-in care workable. The council's occupational therapists can assess for these.

Arriving at Tooting Broadway or Tooting station

A carer on changeover can come in on the Northern line to Tooting Broadway or Tooting Bec, or on Thameslink to Tooting station. Both lines run straight through central London, so the incoming carer rarely has a complicated journey. For a carer who drives, the Tooting Broadway and Wandsworth Common/Tooting Bec controlled parking zones cover most streets, and the visitor permit must be for your zone.

The daily break on Tooting Common

A live-in carer has a protected break every day. Tooting Common, with its lido and wide paths, is within easy reach of much of Tooting. Tooting Library, at 75 Mitcham Road near the Broadway, has free Wi-Fi for members and lift access. We agree who sits with your relative while the carer is out, whether that is a relative, a neighbour or a short sit-in.

Couples and paying for care

One carer can support a couple in a two-bedroom cottage or flat: personal care for the partner who needs it, and meals, company and the shopping for both. We quote for the household after assessing each person.

If the council may pay part of the cost, its needs assessment, the Wandsworth means test and direct payments are explained on our live-in care in Wandsworth page, and live-in care in London explains the service as a whole.

What we can help with in Tooting

• 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