Live-in care in Lewisham, London

Our care, where you live

Our live-in care in Lewisham

Live-in care means one-to-one support in your own home: personal care, medication support, meals, help around the house, getting out and about, and someone close by at night. Whether it suits the person, and whether one carer can support a couple, is worked out at the free assessment. Read more in live-in care explained and how it works day to day.

How we arrange live-in care in Lewisham

Day and Nightcare provides fully managed live-in care across Lewisham, from £1,550 a week. One main carer lives in the home; a relief carer covers their holidays and time off, and a manager is on call. Care starts with a free assessment, a written quote and a written care plan.

Care can be paid for privately, by Lewisham Council (including direct payments) or by NHS Continuing Healthcare. We have provided Discharge to Assess (D2A) care since 2014. If someone is in hospital, tell us the expected discharge date (see care after hospital). Our care team is on 01865 715780.

Arranging care and funding in Lewisham

Lewisham Council runs adult social care and collects council tax. To ask for a care needs assessment, call 020 8314 7777, email gateway@lewisham.gov.uk, or use the online assessment form. The needs assessment is free, and anyone can ask for one. A family carer can ask for their own carer’s assessment on the same number (option 1). The council’s carers’ service, run by Imago, offers free support (0300 373 5769).

Read more: arranging care and funding in Lewisham

On money:

After a hospital stay, enablement (up to six weeks) and intermediate care are free for people who are eligible.
Other care at home follows a financial assessment. The council’s charging page still shows 2025/26 figures: above £23,250 in savings you pay the full cost plus a brokerage fee for arranging it (no amount given), and direct payments are not an option. The Financial Assessment Team is on 020 8314 6000.
You can also arrange live-in care directly with a provider; see the cost of live-in care.

Council tax help includes a carers’ discount of 25% or 50% for someone living with and caring at least 35 hours a week for a person on a qualifying benefit (not a spouse or a child under 18), a lower band for homes adapted for a disabled resident, and a reduction where someone in the home is severely mentally impaired (no council tax at all if they live alone). The council tax line is 020 8690 9666, weekdays 9am to 3pm; see council tax discounts.

Urgent care and leaving hospital in Lewisham

Urgent treatment centre: University Hospital Lewisham, ground floor, Yellow Zone. Not a walk-in service: go to the emergency department first, and staff may direct you there. Open 8am to midnight every day; new patients 8am to 10pm. Not an A&E.
A&E: University Hospital Lewisham, Lewisham High Street, open 24 hours, seven days a week.
Urgent help at home: the trust’s Urgent Community Response team treats Lewisham residents at home to avoid an admission, 8am to 8pm every day, for adults with a Lewisham GP who cannot leave home; ask the GP, or NHS 111, to refer.

Lewisham Council follows the four Discharge to Assess pathways, from going home with no extra help (pathway 0) to a care home placement for complex needs (pathway 3). Medicines usually come with a two-week supply. If enablement is arranged, a discharge assessor and an enablement officer may visit together within 72 hours. Short-term care in a transitional setting is usually free at the point of discharge when it is part of intermediate care, enablement or a discharge to assess pathway.

On the morning of discharge, patients often wait in the Discharge Lounge, which has a dedicated nurse, for family, carers or transport. Space is limited, so no more than two people should come to collect, and parking on the hospital site is very limited.

For NHS Continuing Healthcare, NHS South East London’s Lewisham team is on 020 8176 5744.

Local help in Lewisham

Carers' services, dementia support, transport, befriending and other local help, with phone numbers.

Useful contacts in Lewisham

The council, NHS teams, hospitals and local services you are most likely to need in Lewisham, with links to their official pages. Open any heading for the details.

Council and care assessments

Adult social care in Lewisham is arranged by London Borough of Lewisham. Anyone who appears to need care can ask for a free care needs assessment, whatever their savings. If the council funds care, you can usually take it as a direct payment and use it for live-in care from us.

London Borough of Lewisham: ask for a care needs assessment (telephone 020 8314 7777); carer's assessment.

NHS Continuing Healthcare

When someone's main need is a health need, the NHS pays for all of their care through NHS Continuing Healthcare, and it is not means-tested. For Lewisham it is arranged by NHS South East London ICB (Continuing Healthcare information). See our NHS Continuing Healthcare guide.

Hospitals near Lewisham

If someone is in hospital, tell us the expected discharge date as early as you can, and we will work with you and the discharge team on when live-in care can start.

University Hospital Lewisham: Lewisham High Street SE13 6LH; emergency department open 24 hours, 7 days a week; Discharge Lounge with a dedicated nurse; parking on the site is very limited. (leaving hospital information)
Urgent Treatment Centre, University Hospital Lewisham: Ground floor, Yellow Zone; not a walk-in service (go to the emergency department first, where staff assess you and may direct you here); open 8am to midnight every day, new patients 8am to 10pm. Not an A&E.

Local support and charities

Imago: Lewisham carers' service (Maximising Wellbeing of Unpaid Carers): Carers' support (0300 373 5769)
Lewisham Memory Service (South London and Maudsley): Dementia support (020 3228 0939)
Community Connections Lewisham (Age UK Lewisham and Southwark): Age UK (0330 0583 464)
Lewisham Community Falls Service: Community support (020 3049 4493)
Lewisham Council day opportunities (Calabash Centre and Ladywell Dementia Day Service): Day opportunities
St Christopher's Hospice: Hospice (020 8768 4500)
Healthwatch Lewisham: Healthwatch: your independent voice on health and care (020 3886 0196)

Council tax

Council tax in Lewisham, including discounts for people with a severe mental impairment, for disabled people and for some carers, is handled by London Borough of Lewisham. See council tax discounts for care.

Areas around Lewisham

Catford
Deptford
New Cross
Brockley
Forest Hill
Sydenham
Lee Green
Hither Green
Ladywell
Bellingham
Downham
Blackheath

Your questions

Questions about live-in care in Lewisham

Who do I call in Lewisham to ask for a care assessment?

Lewisham Council's Adult Social Care advice line is 020 8314 7777, or email gateway@lewisham.gov.uk. You can also fill in the council's online 'Adult with Support Needs Assessment' form, and the council says it will be in touch within five working days. Laurence House, 1 Catford Road, is open for in-person enquiries Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. For an emergency out of hours, call 020 8314 6000.

What is enablement in Lewisham, and is it free?

Enablement is Lewisham's name for reablement: short-term help at home to rebuild everyday skills after illness, injury, surgery or reduced mobility. The council says it is free and time-limited, usually up to six weeks, for people who meet the eligibility criteria. In hospital, the discharge team assesses whether it fits; at home, contact adult social care. After discharge there may be a joint home visit within 72 hours from a discharge to assess worker and an enablement officer. Ongoing care afterwards follows a financial assessment.

Where can we get help with memory problems in Lewisham?

Ask the GP about the Lewisham Memory Service, run by South London and Maudsley at 91 Granville Park, SE13 (020 3228 0939, weekdays 9am to 5pm). It offers home visits to people who cannot get to a clinic. The Dementia Clinical Nurse Specialists at the same address support adults with a confirmed diagnosis who live at home and have a Lewisham GP, and accept self-referrals. The council's Ladywell Dementia Day Service usually follows a Care Act assessment. The Alzheimer's Society's support line is 0333 150 3456.

Is there help in Lewisham for someone who keeps falling?

Yes. The Lewisham Community Falls Service, run by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, sees people aged 65 and over who have fallen or are at risk of falls and live in Lewisham or have a Lewisham GP. Anyone can refer, including the person themselves (ask their permission first if you refer someone else). Its Falls Helpline is 020 3049 4493, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm; it is not an urgent service. After a fall with an injury or a head knock, contact the GP or NHS 111. See our guide to falls prevention for practical steps at home.

How much does live-in care cost in Lewisham?

Live-in care with Day and Nightcare costs from £1,550 a week in Lewisham, the same as everywhere in England, for one person with a carer who rests at night. That includes our care team's management (the assessment, care plan, reviews, supervision and the on-call manager) and the carer's food; break cover and the carer's travel are extra. For a couple it is from £1,800 a week, where one carer can safely meet both partners' needs. You receive a written quote after a free assessment.

Can the council help pay for live-in care in Lewisham?

Yes, if the person's care needs meet the national eligibility criteria and their savings are below £23,250 (2026/27). Adult social care in Lewisham is arranged by London Borough of Lewisham. Ask for a care needs assessment; if you are eligible, council funding can usually be taken as a direct payment and used for live-in care from us.

Can live-in care start when someone leaves University Hospital Lewisham?

It can. Tell us the expected discharge date as early as you can, and we will work with you and the ward's discharge team on when live-in care can start. We can often start within 24 to 48 hours of the assessment, depending on carer availability, and we confirm the start date once a carer is arranged. We have provided Discharge to Assess (D2A) care since 2014.

Sources and further information

Show the 28 official sources for this page

Local information checked 31 October 2026. Links go to the official council, NHS and charity pages.

Live-in care in Lewisham