Care Homes in the UK

Finding a good care home in the UK

Care homes come in three kinds, and the first job is knowing which is needed. A residential care home provides accommodation, meals and personal care — help with washing, dressing, medication and getting about — for people who can no longer manage at home. A nursing home has registered nurses on duty around the clock for people with medical needs. Many homes offer both, and a growing number specialise in dementia care with staff, layout and activities designed for it. Most also offer respite stays of a week or a few weeks, which are the best way to try a home before committing.

Every care home in England is inspected and rated by the Care Quality Commission — Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate — and the report is public; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own inspectorates. The rating is the starting point, not the decision. The decision is made on a visit: whether residents look occupied and well, whether staff know their names and stop to talk, whether the home smells clean, what the food is like, how activities and outings work, and how the manager answers a hard question. Visit unannounced if you can, and go twice.

Fees vary widely by region, room and level of care, and who pays depends on a financial assessment by the local council, with NHS Continuing Healthcare covering some with primary health needs. The listings here show each home's reviews, the care it offers, contact details and opening hours for visits, so you can see which homes are nearby, what kind of care they provide, and what families say about them.

What care homes offer

Residential care: a room, meals, laundry, and help with personal care, medication and mobility, with activities and company.

Nursing care: the same with registered nurses on duty 24 hours for people who need medical care — after a stroke, with complex conditions, or at the end of life.

Dementia care: specialist units or whole homes with trained staff, secure and familiar layouts, and activities suited to memory loss.

Respite and short stays: a week or more to give a family carer a break, to recover after hospital, or to try the home before a permanent move.

End-of-life care: palliative care in the home so a resident does not have to move, working with the GP and hospice teams.

Before you choose a care home

• Get a care needs assessment from the local council first; it decides what kind of care is needed and whether the council contributes.
• Read the CQC (or national inspectorate) report, not just the rating, and note when it was last inspected.
• Visit at least twice, once unannounced, at a mealtime or mid-afternoon, and talk to residents and their families.
• Ask about staffing levels day and night, staff turnover, and how the home handles a fall, a hospital stay or a change in needs.
• Get the fees in writing: what is included, what is extra, how much they rise each year, and what happens if funding changes.
• Ask for a trial or respite stay before a permanent move, and check the notice period in the contract.

What care homes cost in the UK

As a rough guide, residential care costs £900 to £1,500 a week and nursing care £1,100 to £2,000 a week, with the South East and London at the top and specialist dementia care higher; that is roughly £47,000 to £100,000 a year. In England, someone with more than £23,250 in assets pays the full fee; below that the council contributes on a sliding scale, and the value of a home is disregarded while a spouse lives in it. NHS-funded nursing care adds a fixed weekly contribution in a nursing home, and Continuing Healthcare covers everything for those who qualify.

Fees can rise sharply each year and when needs increase, so ask how increases are set. Independent financial advice on paying for care — including care-fee annuities — is worth taking before a home is chosen, not after.