Supported Living for Epsom and Ewell Residents

Leaving Surrey for Kingston: what actually changes

For someone who has grown up in Epsom, Ewell or Stoneleigh, Kingston is the familiar big town up the A240, the one with the river, the market and the shops. Moving there is a move across the county line into Greater London, and three things change with it.

• The GP. The person registers with a practice near the new home, and community health services follow from that practice.
• The council for everyday things. Council tax, bins and local services become Kingston's.
• Usually not the council that pays for support. Surrey normally stays responsible for funding and reviewing care it arranged, even after the move (more on that below).

We are registered with the CQC but have not yet been inspected, so there is no rating to show you. Ask us about it, and ask any other provider you are considering for theirs.

What Surrey means by supported independent living

Surrey's own description of supported independent living is living in your own home and getting support from staff. It sets out three forms:

1. A place of your own, bought or rented, sometimes in a cluster of similar homes.
2. Living with others, in a shared house, for people who want company or need more help.
3. Shared Lives, where the person lives long term with approved carers in the carers' home.

Surrey also lists local schemes on Connect to Support Surrey, so it is worth looking at what exists inside the county before deciding a move to London is the right one.

Starting with Surrey from an Epsom address

For council funding, Surrey says the person must have had an assessment and be eligible for support from Adult Social Care. If they already have a social worker, start there and say clearly that a move is what they want. If not, use Surrey's online self-assessment or ring 0300 200 1005 on a weekday.

A social worker exploring a home outside Surrey will want to know why that home suits the person better than local options: being near family who have moved to Kingston, a job or course there, or a place that fits their needs. Write those reasons down before the first meeting. If the family is paying privately, Surrey needn't be involved at all, though its assessment is free and may show the person qualifies for help.

Rent, support and who pays for each

Supported living normally separates the home from the help. Surrey's page describes people having their own tenancy and being able to change who gives their support without moving out. For our houses, ask us plainly how the rooms are let, whose name is on the agreement and what your relative would be signing.

The costs split the same way. Housing costs are often met partly through housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. Surrey pays for eligible support, a means test sets what the person adds, and the money can come to them as a direct payment so they choose the provider. For someone whose needs are mainly medical, NHS Continuing Healthcare is the route to ask about. Our own charges are quoted individually once we have met the person. Our financial assessment guide explains the council's side.

Getting from Epsom to each of our homes

• Kingston upon Thames: about 8 miles. The 406 and 418 both run from Epsom to Kingston and take about 35 to 50 minutes depending on the time of day; by car it is usually 25 to 40 minutes. The 406 goes through Ewell village and Stoneleigh, the 418 through Longmead and West Ewell, so most of the borough is close to one or the other.
• Whitton, near Twickenham: about 14 miles, 40 minutes to an hour by car. Without a car it is a long trip with changes.
• Uxbridge: more than 30 miles, so only realistic where the family has ties to west London.

Make the journey you would make most often, at the time you would make it. A Sunday visit on the 406 is a different trip from a weekday rush hour on the A240.

Who stays responsible after the move, and after April 2027

The Care Act has rules on "ordinary residence" for exactly this. When Surrey sets up supported living outside the county, it normally remains the council that pays for it and reviews it. Ask the social worker to put that in writing before the move.

There is an extra step for Epsom families. Surrey County Council's role in Epsom and Ewell passes to the new East Surrey Council on 1 April 2027. Anyone placed outside Surrey before then should ask how their support plan, reviews and named contact pass to the new council.

Before agreeing to anything

• Whose house is it, and does the person get a tenancy, a licence or something else?
• How many people share it now, and could we spend some time with them first?
• How will staff help with trips home to Epsom, for family, a club or church?
• Which GP practice would the person join, and how are prescriptions and hospital follow-ups transferred?
• Who answers the phone if something goes wrong on a Saturday night?
• What has the CQC said about you? (About us: nothing yet, as we haven't been inspected.)

Supported living in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge →