Before you choose a care home you need to consider all the options. We’ve created some information to help you make the right choices.
Where do you start?
- contact us for help with your care choices. This is a free and confidential service available to all residents
- find out about options you might not have considered which can help you stay at home longer
- get a social care needs assessment
- get a financial assessment
- go to a Planning for your Future event
- use our Care Cost Indicator to find out how much care might cost
- find out about reablement after an illness, injury or hospital stay
What type of care home do you need?
Think about what type of care you need:
Do you need:
- a temporary or short-term care home stay
- residential care or nursing care
- dementia care
- end of life care
If you are looking for dementia care, see Considering a care home for a person with dementia.
If you have a nursing need, ask the care home provider to clarify the relationship between the indicative fees quoted and the NHS funded nursing care contribution you may be eligible for. NHS funded nursing care (FNC) pays for the nursing care part of the nursing home fees. If you become no longer eligible for FNC we cannot make up that cost. See Paying for health-related care.
How do you find a care home?
You can find local providers in Surrey at:
- Care Choices to explore care options and compare costs
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) to check service ratings
- Connect to Support Surrey for local community support
Do your research
If you are paying for your own care, you are called a self-funder and you can choose where you live.
If we are paying some or all your costs then you have the right to choose, with some conditions. See Paying for residential services.
Check the following:
- ask what the care home is registered for or who they can help, for example dementia, end of life care
- find out what happens to your home
- check what happens if you move local authority areas
- check what paperwork you need to fill in
- ask to see a copy of the home’s contract and its terms and conditions and when you need to sign it
- think about asking for a trial period before signing
- what are the conditions if you need to terminate the contract later
- do they have specific terms and conditions for example if you have to go into hospital
- check if you can you stay in the care home and be clear on how long you can afford to stay there
- what would happen if in the future you needed nursing or dementia care?
- ask what happens if you need more care later or get an illness like dementia
- if you want to help care for a loved one in a care home, ask the home if you can do this
Make sure you are clear on what the home can offer you
Ask yourself what you would want. For example:
- are the rooms:
- ensuite
- single
- shared
- furnished
- unfurnished
- do they have different prices for different size rooms?
- do the rooms have different facilities? For example:
- telephone
- television
- internet access
- check what equipment and technology they have
- what activities, facilities and services do they have
- can you take any pets with you or have pets later?
- what is the outside area like
- check what you can take with you from your current home
Make sure you understand all the costs
Care can be expensive so it is important you have a plan to make sure that you can afford it. You should:
- find out how much will your care cost - see Care Cost Indicator
- work out how you will pay for your care
- bear in mind that the costs will vary depending on the type of home you choose and the location
- ask about annual fee increases
- ask to see a breakdown of all charges
- know what savings, income, benefits, pension do you have
- ask for an up-to-date indication of the total weekly fee rates charged. This should be inclusive of all applicable taxes (for example the standard gross weekly fee)
- check if there are any extra costs you hadn’t planned for
- ask if you need to make a deposit and how will that be returned when you leave the home
What happens if you run out of money?
If you pay for your own care, the home can check if you can afford it for at least 2 years or ask you to agree to a financial assessment before moving in. We do not act as a guarantor and will not pay for any care home debts.
Plan ahead and:
- check that you are sure your money will last long enough in the care home you choose
- check what happens if you run out of money after agreeing to pay. If you can get help from us, will the care home accept the amount the council pays a provider?
- if someone else would be able to pay the extra if the council’s rate isn’t enough. Think about what happens if they can’t keep paying it for you
- if someone else is paying the top-up for you, can they continue to pay it for the whole time you are in the care home?
- think about what you will do if you can’t get a top-up. This might include moving to a cheaper room or a new care home
Be transparent with your money
If we think you have given away some of your money, or property so you don’t have to pay the care costs, for example you have given it to your relatives or a charity then we may still assess you as if you had the money or property. This is called deprivation of assets.
Where can you find independent advice?
We also advise you to take independent financial advice. See Independent financial advice for adult care and support.