Moving into a care home

Choosing the right home

Moving into a care home

If you are thinking of moving into a care home and think that you need help with paying for your place there, you must first ask Social Services to assess your needs. If your assessment shows that your needs can be met by help at home, we will explain the sorts of help we can arrange to help you stay living at home. If your assessment shows that you are likely to need residential or nursing care, we will carry out a financial assessment to see if you are entitled to help towards the care home fees. If you qualify, we will tell you how much funding you are likely to get and how much you will have to pay yourself towards your care.

Choosing a suitable home

If you and Social Services agree that the best outcome for you is to move into a care home, you should get information from as many different homes as possible.

Types of care homes

All care homes have to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. To be registered they must meet the requirements laid out in the National Minimum Standards. If a home wishes to offer specialist services (such as nursing care) they must be registered for this.

Homes registered as care homes only

Homes which are registered as care homes only, are for people who cannot manage to live without the help of other people. They provide accommodation, meals and help with personal care. Healthcare needs are met by community health services.

Care homes that are also registered to provide nursing care

Some care homes are also registered to provide nursing care. This type of home can cater for people who have ongoing health needs that require the skills of qualified nurses. A qualified nurse must be on duty at all times.

Specialist care homes

Other homes are set up and registered to provide specialist care for other types of needs such as physical disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health problems or dementia. They do this by providing appropriate services and facilities to meet these special needs.

Many homes are also registered to meet the needs of particular cultures or religions – they do this by employing staff who speak appropriate languages or by delivering services in a sensitive way.