General information about care homes
A care home may be best option if you or a loved one needs the kind of care and support that cannot be provided at home.
Selecting a care home
Everyone is entitled to choose their own care home. The selection process can take time and can be difficult, so it is normally a good idea to get a professional person to help you.
It is important to ensure the home you eventually choose has the right facilities, equipment and trained staff to meet your needs.
More information about choosing a care home
The role of your local council
Every local authority in the country sets upper limits on what they will pay for care home fees, based on the assessed needs. So if you want to stay in a care home which is more expensive than the amount they will pay, you may need to find the difference yourself.
The different types of care home
What care homes offer varies, for example:
- some provide full-time nursing care
- others look after people with specific disabilities or medical needs
If you are currently looked after on a regular basis by a qualified nurse, you may need a nursing care home.
More information about types of care home
Paying for the care home
Care homes can be expensive if they offer care services applicable to particular disabilities. You will need help working out which care homes have the facilities to meet those needs.
A financial assessment also needs to be carried out by your local council. This assessment will work out how much you can afford to contribute yourself towards the costs. At the moment, if you have more than £23,000 in capital, you will be considered as able to meet the full costs of your care yourself.
Temporary stays in a care home
Some people stay in a care home on a short-term basis to help recover from an illness. Other people do so in order to give their home carer a break (this is called respite care).
Social security benefits
If you stay in a care home on either a long or short-term basis it can affect your benefits. Because they will normally be part of your contribution to the care home fees, make sure you are claiming all the benefits you're entitled to.
The quality of care homes
In England there is an organisation called the Care Quality Commission whose job it is to regulate the industry. The regulator registers all care homes and inspects them on a regular basis.