Residential care and care homes

Residential care means the general care and support provided in a typical elderly care home. It's also called personal care or assisted living and usually includes help with basic needs like washing, dressing, and moving around.

We often just call these places care homes, while nursing homes are known as care homes with nursing by the Care Quality Commission.

In a care home, several older people live together, usually in their own rooms, and have access to care services 24 hours a day. A care home provides personal care and support, such as help with washing, dressing, and taking medication. Care homes can also help with eating meals and staying mobile. Some care homes are specially registered to meet specific needs like dementia or end-of-life care.

Care homes might be an option for you if you can no longer live independently in your own supported, extra care, or retirement housing. For those with disabilities or mental health needs, care homes are one of the service options available. You can use the The Care Quality Commission website to search for the type of care home you need, by name or location.

It's important to find a care home that's right for you or right for the person who's going to live there. If you or the person you're caring for are over 50, consider talking to a community navigator about your housing options before making a final decision. They can help guide you through the process.

Read more about choosing a long term residential placement for an older person.

We recommend visiting the care homes you're considering before making a final choice. 

In conjunction with Kent Integrated Care Alliance (KICA), we have created a list of important things to consider when choosing a care home. A good care home in Kent has several important features:

• keep dignity in all aspects of care
• have a caring, compassionate and competent workforce
• hold the resident central to decisions
• have a warm, clean and odour free environment
• meet the food and drink needs of the person
• keep people safe from harm
• offer a wide variety of activities that are tailored to the person
• are sensitively designed to cater for people's needs, this could be for dementia or accessibility for larger wheelchairs
• are well run with a dedicated and visible manager
• have excellent record keeping detailing people's health and wellbeing
• personalised care based on knowing and understanding the people 

Residential care partly funded by the NHS

If your assessment shows you need nursing home care, the NHS will pay for the care provided by a registered nurse. Your nursing home will receive a payment from the NHS for this nursing care.

Residential care fully funded by the NHS

If your main need is health-related, the NHS will cover all your needs, including accommodation if necessary. This is called NHS Continuing Healthcare, and it means you can get free care outside of the hospital, arranged and funded by the NHS. Sometimes, this care can be provided in places other than a care home. Ask your social care contact for more details.

Age UK Checklist

You can take along Age UK's checklist of important things to ask the staff. You can often ask for a trial stay to see what you think.

NHS advice 

The NHS also offer good advice about choosing the right care home. You will also need to think about how you will fund your stay in residential care.

Paying for residential care

 Find out more about paying for residential care.

Quality of care

If you want to know about the care and quality of life at a specific care home, you can ask to see its inspection report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). All care homes must be registered with the CQC, and they regularly inspect homes to ensure they meet national standards.

Healthwatch Kent 

Healthwatch Kent is an independent organisation which champions the views of patients and social care users across Kent. They make sure your voice is heard by the NHS and other decision-makers to improve care.