Question 1

Which providers in Chester are listed on this page?

Accepted Answer

Three hundred and twelve residential care homes registered with the Care Quality Commission match this search, and each has a profile you can open from this page. Vacancies change from week to week, so a home appearing here will not always have a room free when you telephone. The sensible order is to shortlist on rating and location first, then ring round about availability. Every profile links through to the inspection history so the comparing can be done before the phone calls begin.

Question 2

What should I be asking when I visit a care home?

Accepted Answer

Ask about staffing levels by day and overnight, how much agency cover the home relies on, and what staff turnover has looked like over the past year. Ask how medicines are managed, how care plans are reviewed and who a family should contact when something goes wrong. Request the most recent inspection report and ask the manager directly what has changed since it was written. Arrange to arrive around a mealtime, because half an hour at a dining table shows you more than a guided tour will.

Question 3

How does a care home differ from a nursing home?

Accepted Answer

Every provider on this page is registered as a residential care home, which means it offers personal care such as help with washing, dressing, medication and meals. A nursing home holds an extra registration and keeps registered nurses on duty, which is necessary where someone needs wound care, injections, a feeding tube or clinical observation overnight. A residential home will usually have to decline a placement where a nursing need exists. The care needs assessment should make clear which type of registration is required before you start visiting.

Question 4

Can Cheshire West and Chester Council pay towards a care home place?

Accepted Answer

It can, where the needs assessment concludes that a residential placement is the appropriate way to meet the need. A financial assessment of income and capital then decides how much the person contributes towards the weekly fee and whether public funds cover any part of it. Some people are fully funded, others contribute partially, and others pay the full cost themselves. It is worth asking Cheshire West and Chester Council about deferred payment arrangements where a property is involved but not readily sold.

Question 5

How do I get a care needs assessment arranged?

Accepted Answer

Contact Cheshire West and Chester Council and ask for an adult social care needs assessment, which the person concerned, a relative or a professional such as a district nurse can all request. There is no charge and no financial threshold to cross before one is carried out. A practitioner will discuss washing, dressing, mobility, medication, eating and the support a family already provides. If a hospital discharge is imminent, make that clear when you make contact, as it affects how quickly the assessment is arranged.

Question 6

How far ahead should a family start looking?

Accepted Answer

Start earlier than feels comfortable, because the assessment, the financial assessment and any funding decision each take time before a placement can be confirmed. Well regarded homes in any area tend to have waiting lists, and the ones with rooms free immediately are not always the ones you would choose. Where a hospital discharge is driving events, families are often given very little notice, which is exactly when a prepared shortlist proves its worth. Even a rough list of three or four homes visited in advance makes a sudden decision far less daunting.

Care Homes in Chester

320 care homes in Chester (showing 301–320)