Live-in Care in Wandsworth, from Putney to Nine Elms

Yes, we arrange live-in care across the whole of Wandsworth. One of our carers moves into the home, with their own bedroom, and supports the person, or a couple, through the day. It starts with a free home assessment by our registered manager, Jackie, or a member of her team, and a written care plan.

Why the distance from Lewisham doesn't matter for live-in care

We are a small, owner-managed agency based on Lewisham High Street. For visiting care in Wandsworth that distance is a real limit: Putney, Southfields and Earlsfield are close to an hour away by train, and Roehampton, with no station, is further still. A live-in carer travels once, at the start of a placement, and again at changeover. So Roehampton's Alton Estate or a house on West Hill is as straightforward for us as a flat in Battersea.

The assessment is still done in person, at the home, so the care plan is based on how the house and the person's routine actually work.

Does the home have room for a live-in carer?

The carer needs a bedroom of their own, somewhere to keep their things, and use of the kitchen and bathroom. In Wandsworth that question splits the borough in two.

• Family houses. The larger houses towards Putney Heath and the commons, the Southfields grid and many Balham and Tooting terraces that are still whole houses usually have a spare room. Stairs are the thing to plan around: a bedroom moved downstairs, a stairlift, or a bathroom adapted with council or occupational therapy help.
• Converted flats. Many Victorian terraces in Battersea, Earlsfield and Balham are split into one- and two-bedroom flats. A two-bedroom flat can work, and a one-bedroom flat usually can't.
• Mansion blocks. The mansion flats on Prince of Wales Drive by Battersea Park often have more rooms than their front doors suggest. Ask the managing agent early about lift access for equipment.
• Estates and new towers. On the Winstanley, York Road, Doddington and Alton estates, and in the Nine Elms towers, lifts make wheelchairs and hoists easier. The spare room is the usual question.

If there is no spare room, we will say so at the assessment, and talk through visiting care where we can reach you, or other options.

One carer for a couple

When one partner needs a lot of care and the other only a little, the usual outcome without live-in care is a care home place for one and a quiet house for the other. A live-in carer can support both: full personal care for one partner and a lighter hand for the other, meals for two, and someone else in the house. We charge for a couple according to the support both people need, which we set out in writing after the assessment.

Live-in care or a care home: how the Wandsworth route works

If the council is helping to pay for a care home, Wandsworth limits the choice to homes that accept its funding level. If the family picks a home that charges more, someone else, usually a relative, has to pay the difference as a top-up. The person in care generally can't pay it themselves. The council's own page warns self-funders that fees above the council rate need a plan for when savings drop below the threshold.

Live-in care avoids that problem, because care is delivered in the home and nobody has to move. It suits people who want to stay near the common they walk on, their church or temple, or their neighbours on the same street. It is not right for everyone. Someone who needs two people for every transfer, round the clock, may need more than one live-in carer can safely give, and we will tell you if we think that is the case.

How much does live-in care cost in Wandsworth?

We give a written price after the free assessment, because the cost depends on the level of need, whether it is one person or a couple, and what happens at night. Three funding routes are worth checking first:

• Council funding. Request a needs assessment from the Access Team on 020 8871 7707, or use the online referral form. If you are eligible, the council does a financial assessment. Its charging page says that with savings over £23,250 you pay the full cost of your care. Below that, you pay a contribution worked out from your income.
• Direct payments. If the council funds some of your care, you can ask for it as a direct payment and put it towards live-in care with a provider you choose. Payments are usually made onto a prepaid card. Ruils (020 3084 2119) supports people with direct payments in Wandsworth.
• NHS Continuing Healthcare. Where the main need is a health need, the NHS can fund the whole package. In Wandsworth that is decided through NHS South West London Integrated Care Board. Ask for a checklist assessment, often during a stay at St George's or Queen Mary's. The NHS guide to Continuing Healthcare explains the process.

Our guide to paying for care in London covers the rest of the detail.

What the carer does day to day

Washing, dressing and continence care; medication as the care plan sets out; cooking and eating together; laundry and keeping the home safe to move around; shopping and appointments at St George's or the GP; and company, which might be the walk round Wandsworth Common or Tooting Bec Common that someone can no longer manage alone. For conditions that need more skill, such as stroke, PEG feeding or advanced dementia, live-in care can be combined with our complex care and dementia care. At the end of life it can be combined with palliative care alongside the district nurses.

What we can help with in Wandsworth

• 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