Care Homes

Thinking about care

It is often a sudden crisis that sparks off thinking about whether a move into a care home might be necessary. Decisions may have to be made in a hurry and there can often be strong, and sometimes conflicting, advice offered by family and friends, or by professional advisors such as doctors or care managers. It can be difficult for the older person involved and for those who care about them, to arrive at the best decisions in these circumstances.

Is a care home right for you?

Before deciding to go into a care home, have you considered whether it is possible for you to stay in your own home?

Have you contacted your local social services department and asked them to assess your needs for services such as home care, meals, day care or respite care?
Have you been in touch with your GP to make sure a medical assessment of your needs has been carried out?
Have you been in touch with organisations such as your local Age Concern to see if there is any way they can support you or perhaps tell you about social activities in your area?
If you are finding your current home difficult to manage, have you considered a move to sheltered/retirement or Extra Care Housing?
If you are finding the stairs, bath or toilet hard to manage, have you asked your social services department if they can provide useful equipment?
If your house needs repairs or alterations, have you asked your local Home Improvement Agency or council housing department whether there are any grants available?
If you are finding it difficult to manage financially, have you contacted the Pensions Service, the Housing Benefits section of your local authority or organisations such as the Age Concern to see whether you are receiving all the benefits to which you are entitled?

Care homes generally

Care homes may be owned and operated by private individuals, companies, not for profit organisations and local authority social services departments. All care homes in England are registered and inspected by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). In Scotland this is the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and in Wales, the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales. Local authorities still retain responsibility for homes in Northern Ireland. Inspection reports are available from the home or the relevant authority.

Care homes providing personal care

These vary in size and facilities. All are expected to provide living accommodation, meals, help with personal care such as dressing, supervision of medication, companionship and someone on call at night. Care homes providing personal care give care during normal short illnesses but do not provide constant nursing care.

Care homes providing nursing care

These also vary in size and facilities, but all provide personal and nursing care 24 hours a day for people who are bedridden, very frail or have a medical condition or illness that means they need regular attention from a nurse. There is always a qualified nurse on duty. Older people diagnosed with dementia may need a care home with an additional category of registration (DE). These were previously known as EMI homes.

Respite Care

Short term care, usually in a care home, but possibly at home with the assistance of professional carers. People may consider respite care for a number of reasons:

after a stay in hospital, while they are waiting to move somewhere permanent;
to have a break, or to give their carers a break, or;
to see whether they would like to live in the care home permanently.

Most care home are ready to offer short term stay or respite care (provided they have a bed free); a few extra care schemes may alsobe able to provide this service.

Choosing a care home

If you can afford to pay your own fees you can choose a home and make your own arrangements. Before making any arrangements, it is a good idea to ask for a local authority assessment of need, particularly if you may need help with the fees at some point in the future. If you are paying your own fees, the care home must provide a written contract at the time you move into the home. If possible, try and arrange a trial stay in a home before making a final decision.

Paying for a care home

Fully funded NHS care: People with very high nursing or medical needs may qualify to have their care fully funded by the NHS under the Continuing Care criteria. Contact your local Primary Care Trust for more information.

Care homes vary in cost. Depending on the location and services provided, the fees can vary from about £300 a week to £1,000 or morefor a home providing nursing care.

If you need help towards the cost of a care home you must first contact your local social services department and ask for an assessment of your needs. This will tell you whether you meet the authority’s criteria for a care home and how much the authority will ‘normally’ pay for someone with your assessed care needs. You are also advised to contact the social services department if there is any chance you may need financial help towards the cost of fees in the future.

For as long as you have more than £21,000 (April 2006) in capital or savings you will have to pay the full care home fees. Savings of less than £12,750 will be ignored, while amounts between £12,750 and £21,000 will be counted as though they produce income. If you own your own home its value will be ignored for up to 12 weeks after you become a permanent resident in a care home, but after that it will be included in your capital unless:

Your husband or wife still lives in the house
A relative over 60, or under 60 but incapacitated, lives in the house.

The local authority can use its discretion to disregard the property in other circumstances.

Once your local authority has agreed you need a care home, you should have some choice as to the area and the home to which you move. If you are paying your own fees in a care home providing nursing care, the health authority may make a financial contribution.

If you are paying your own care home fees you should apply for the Attendance Allowance. You may also want advice on the best ways of investing your capital to pay for future care. You could either discuss this with your own financial adviser, or call EAC's Advice Line for details of Independent Financial Advisers experienced in this work.

For further advice and written information on funding care, including the regulations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales contact EAC's Advice Line on 020 7820 1343 or at enquiries@eac.org.uk.

Finding a care home

This website will help you find a care home anywhere in the UK. Search for a Care Home and follow the easy step by step sequence which allows you to search by postcode, place, county/council area, by owner and/or by language, culture, including trades and religions. You will be able to refine your search by types of homes, conditions cared, care period and type of accommodation.

A new type of classification, Care Options, can also help you find a care home suitable to your preferences and expectations.