Live-in care in Southwark, London

Our care, where you live

Our live-in care in Southwark

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 Southwark

Day and Nightcare provides fully managed live-in care across Southwark, 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 Southwark 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 Southwark

In Southwark the team you contact depends on your needs; teams work Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. For people aged 65 and over, and adults with dementia or a physical disability, it is the Older People and Physical Disabilities (OPPD) team: call 020 7525 3324 or use the online referral form. The needs assessment is free, and anyone can ask for one. Mental health support starts with the Southwark Wellbeing Hub (0800 368 8433), and learning disability support with the Disability Hub (020 3457 7580).

Read more: arranging care and funding in Southwark

What to expect on money:

If you are assessed as needing them, care at home for up to six weeks after a hospital stay and home adaptations up to £1,000 are free.
Other care is means-tested through a financial assessment. Charges start from the first day of care, and if you choose not to share your financial details within 28 days of the care assessment, the full cost is charged.
If you pay in full and ask the council to arrange care at home, the arrangement fee is £200 a year (marked as under review). You can also arrange live-in care directly with a provider; see the cost of live-in care.

A family carer aged over 18 can refer themselves for a carer’s assessment or ask the OPPD team (OPPDContactteam@southwark.gov.uk). You do not need to live with the person or care for them full time. Mobilise provides free online support for Southwark carers with the council.

Southwark Council also collects council tax. Its disregard discount takes 25% or 50% off the bill where adults living there are not counted, including people who are severely mentally impaired and carers for someone they live with. The Disabled Band Reduction moves the bill down a band where a home has an extra bathroom, kitchen or room, or wheelchair space, needed by a disabled person. See council tax discounts for care.

Urgent care and leaving hospital in Southwark

Urgent care centre: Guy’s Hospital, ground floor, Tabard Annexe, Great Maze Pond: walk in, 8am to 8pm every day; arrive before 7pm, when registration closes (earlier if full). For minor injuries and illnesses, ages 12 months and over. Not an A&E.
A&E: King’s College Hospital, Denmark Hill, open 24 hours for all ages. A streaming nurse may direct you to its urgent treatment centre, run with SELDOC (hours not published).
A&E: St Thomas’ Hospital, East Wing, Westminster Bridge Road (Lambeth): walk in, open 24 hours.

The ward completes a discharge plan with you: how the person gets home, the care they need and who to contact. If needed, the hospital refers for reablement, usually free, lasting three or four weeks on average and up to six. At King’s, patients wait in the discharge lounge for medicines, transport and paperwork. At Guy’s and St Thomas’, new medicines come with a 14-day supply, and the free Simon Patient Lodge at St Thomas’ is for NHS patients who are well enough to leave the ward but cannot yet go home. See Discharge to Assess explained.

For NHS Continuing Healthcare, NHS South East London’s Southwark team is on 020 8176 5777.

Local help in Southwark

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

Useful contacts in Southwark

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

Council and care assessments

Adult social care in Southwark is arranged by Southwark Council. 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.

Southwark Council: ask for a care needs assessment (telephone 020 7525 3324); 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 Southwark it is arranged by NHS South East London ICB (Continuing Healthcare information). See our NHS Continuing Healthcare guide.

Hospitals near Southwark

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.

King's College Hospital: Denmark Hill, SE5 9RS; A&E open 24 hours, all ages; patients wait in a discharge lounge for medicines, transport and paperwork. (leaving hospital information)
King's College Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre: Run with SELDOC in Suite 1, Golden Jubilee Wing, King's College Hospital; not a separate front door: go to the emergency department, where a streaming nurse directs patients to the UTC or the ED; hours not published on the trust page. Not an A&E.
St Thomas' Hospital: East Wing, Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth SE1 7EH; walk-in A&E open 24 hours, 7 days a week; minor injuries and illnesses are directed to the urgent care centre at Guy's. (leaving hospital information)
Urgent care centre at Guy's Hospital: Ground floor, Tabard Annexe, Great Maze Pond, SE1 9RT; walk-in unit for minor injuries and minor illnesses, 8am to 8pm every day; arrive before 7pm, when registration closes (earlier if the centre is full); ages 12 months and over. Not an A&E.

Local support and charities

Mobilise (support for Southwark carers): Carers' support
Dementia Support Southwark (Alzheimer's Society): Dementia support (020 7725 5850)
Southwark and Lambeth Memory Service: Dementia support (020 3228 0570)
Age UK Lewisham and Southwark: Age UK (020 7701 9700)
Ageing Well Southwark: Community support (020 7358 4069)
Link Age Southwark: Befriending (020 8299 2623)
St Christopher's Hospice: Hospice (020 8768 4500)
TfL Dial-a-Ride: Community transport (0343 222 7777)

Council tax

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

Areas around Southwark

Bermondsey
Rotherhithe
Borough
Elephant and Castle
Walworth
Camberwell
Peckham
Nunhead
East Dulwich
Dulwich

Your questions

Questions about live-in care in Southwark

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

For anyone aged 65 or over, or an adult with dementia or a physical disability, contact Southwark Council's Older People and Physical Disabilities (OPPD) team on 020 7525 3324; the council's teams work Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. You can also refer yourself, a friend or a family member with the online referral form. The council asks you to phone instead if support is needed within 48 hours, if you would like advice, or if you cannot complete the form online.

Does Southwark Council charge for care at home?

Most adult social care is means-tested after a financial assessment, and the council has an online contribution calculator. If you are assessed as needing them, care and support at home for up to six weeks after a hospital stay, and small home adaptations costing up to £1,000, are free. Charges start from the first day of care. If you pay in full and ask the council to arrange care at home, its current charges page lists an annual arrangement fee of £200, marked as under review.

Where are memory problems assessed in Southwark?

Start with the GP. The Southwark and Lambeth Memory Service, run by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust from 151 Blackfriars Road, offers assessment, treatment and support to adults over 18 with mild to moderate memory problems (020 3228 0570), and works with the memory clinics at St Thomas', King's College and Guy's hospitals. Dementia Support Southwark, run by the Alzheimer's Society, supports carers of someone recently diagnosed, in person and by phone (020 7725 5850).

Who arranges NHS Continuing Healthcare for Southwark residents?

NHS South East London, the integrated care board for Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth and Lewisham. It has a dedicated Continuing Healthcare team for Southwark on 020 8176 5777. Eligibility depends on the person's assessed needs, not on a particular diagnosis. If they are not eligible, they can be referred to the council, whose care is means-tested.

How much does live-in care cost in Southwark?

Live-in care with Day and Nightcare costs from £1,550 a week in Southwark, 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 Southwark?

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 Southwark is arranged by Southwark Council. 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 King's College Hospital?

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 30 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 Southwark