London Borough of Wandsworth

Adult social care contact details, funding information, and care home listings for Wandsworth.

Arranging care in the London Borough of Wandsworth

The London Borough of Wandsworth covers a large slice of south west London, including Wandsworth itself, Battersea, Balham, Tooting and Putney. Families across these neighbourhoods often begin looking for care after a hospital stay at St George's in Tooting, or when an older relative living alone near Clapham Junction or Putney High Street starts to struggle with daily tasks.

Adult social care in Wandsworth is arranged through the council's Adult Social Care team, who are the first point of contact for anyone worried about a parent, partner or neighbour. A family member, GP or the person themselves can request a free needs assessment, which looks at how someone manages washing, dressing, medication, meals and getting around. If needs are identified, a financial assessment then follows to work out how much, if anything, the person contributes towards their care. Wandsworth applies the national capital thresholds, so savings and property are taken into account in the usual way, and anyone with assets above the upper limit is generally treated as a self funder.

The local care market

Wandsworth has a fairly wide choice for a single London borough, with 67 CQC registered care homes across the area, ranging from smaller residential care homes in quieter streets around Balham and Putney to larger nursing homes closer to Battersea and Tooting. Home care agencies also cover the borough extensively, which suits many families who want a relative to stay in their own flat or house for as long as possible.

Paying for care in Wandsworth

Funding usually comes from one or a mix of sources: council funded care after the financial assessment, NHS Continuing Healthcare for those with significant health needs, NHS funded nursing care contributions in nursing homes, and self funding. As a rough guide for Wandsworth and inner London more broadly, home care tends to sit around £25 to £32 per hour, residential care homes around £1,100 to £1,600 per week, and nursing homes around £1,400 to £1,900 per week, with central London locations and specialist dementia care at the higher end.

Starting the conversation early with the London Borough of Wandsworth, and viewing two or three homes in person, usually gives families the clearest picture before making any decisions.