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.

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.

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.

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.

All care homes are inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

To find information on individual care homes in your area you can:

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.

Information about what to expect when living in a care home is in the two leaflets below:

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 guide to paying for a care home, which you can download below:

We will tell you how much you will have to pay before you move into the home.

Return to top

What if I can't get any financial help from Nottinghamshire County Council?

Some people self-fund their stay in a care home. This is a complicated area and we recommend that you get specialist advice. Find out more about this on our self-funding page.

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 Care Quality Commission 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 on the Care Quality Commission website: www.cqc.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

How to get this service

If you are an older person or you have a physical disability
Contact our Customer Service Centre. You will need an assessment to see if you qualify for the service.

Person with a Learning Disability
Contact your local Community Learning Disability Team

If you are Deaf/deafened, have a visual impairment or dual sensory loss
Contact the Deaf and Visual Impairment service. You will need an assessment to see if you qualify for the service.

Paying for Residential Care by phone

Do you receive invoices for residential care charges?

You can now use your credit or debit card to pay your residential care invoices.

 contact the Nottinghamshire County Council Customer Service Centre on

tel: 0844 9 80 80 80
(Calls cost 3p/min from landlines. Mobile costs may vary.)

Opening hours 8:00am to 8:00pm Monday to Friday and 8:00am to 12:00 midday Saturday.

Don’t forget to have your invoice and card details to hand.

How do you rate this information / service?