Care homes
What are care homes?
Residential and nursing homes are now called care homes.
Care homes provide personal care, meals and accommodation to people who are no longer able to look after themselves. For example, you may need help with washing and dressing, or getting out of an armchair.
Some care homes also have registered nurses. They are for people with an illness or health problem that requires regular medical care. A qualified nurse will be on duty 24 hours a day.
Do I need a care home?
If you are having difficulty living in your own home, there are many services that we can offer to help you. If you are still unable to continue living at home and are thinking about living in a care home you will need to contact our Customer Service Centre. A trained worker will talk to you about the support you may need. This is called an assessment.
How do I choose a care home?
Your social worker will provide you with information to help you choose a type of home, these include:
- homes we own
- private homes that we contract to provide places to us at a fixed cost
- private homes.
Care homes are now inspected by the Commission for Social Care Inspection. To search for care homes in your area see the Commission for Social Care Inspection website or read through the Care services directory 2008/9 Nottinghamshire [PDF 5.7MB]  (Please note this is a large file and may take a while to download).
Each home should provide information about what they offer, including information about:
- qualifications and experience of the staff
- number of places
- the most recent inspection report.
For information for older people about living in a care home the following PDF documents are available to download:
If you require other information, such as information about looking after your pets, make sure you ask the home.
Return to top
How long can I stay in a care home?
Care homes can be your long term home. They can also offer short term care. This could be for a few days or a few weeks. It could also be on a regular basis or on a one-off basis.
Contact the Customer Service Centre to request a referral for short term care.
Return to top
How much will I have to pay?
If you go into a care home, you must must pay something toward the cost of your care.
How much you pay depends on your financial situation. We have published the following guides to paying for a care home, which you can download in different formats below:
We will tell you how much you will have to pay before you move into the home.
What if I can't get any financial help from Nottinghamshire County Council?
Some people self-fund their stay in a care home. We have published the following information for people going into a care home without financial help from the County Council.
The NHFA is an independent organisation which helps older people and their families with the financial and legal issues of choosing and paying for long-term care. The service is available to those people who have assets above the threshold for local authority assistance (£22,250) and so are deemed self-funding (as well as if you are funded by the County Council). NHFA Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
The NHFA advises older people on how to meet the cost of their care whilst also preserving as much of their capital as possible. It also offers advice on rights to care services and benefits, as well as on financial and legal matters. NHFA advice and information is available to all regardless of means and is easily accessible. Copies of the NHFA Long-Term Care Guide and detailed LTC information sheets can be obtained from the NHFA Care Advice Line on tel: 0800 99 88 33, or at website: www.nhfa.co.uk
Return to top
Where can I find out more?
For any general enquiries, contact our Customer Service Centre.
You can get a list of care homes in Nottinghamshire from the Commission for Social Care Inspection website.
Bettercaring, www.bettercaring.com is an independent organisation that provides information on care homes throughout the United Kingdom.
Information about the regulation and inspection of care homes is available from the Commission for Social Care Inspection at website: www.csci.org.uk
The Help the Aged Care Fees Advisory Service, at website: www.helptheaged.org.uk can also offer advice on all aspects of paying for care.
Return to top
Aiming for Excellence
'Aiming for Excellence' is the name for our plans to improve care services for older people in Nottinghamshire.
Return to top
| 
