Can Durham County Council fund a care home placement in Durham?

It can, where a care needs assessment identifies eligible needs and a financial assessment shows the person qualifies for help with the fee. Income and capital are both taken into account, and in most permanent placements the value of a property forms part of that calculation. The council pays up to its own rate, so a home charging above it may require a third party top up. Ask for the decision and the agreed contribution in writing before accepting a place.

How do we arrange a care needs assessment in Durham?

Contact the adult social care team at Durham County Council and explain what has become difficult or unsafe at home. The assessment is free and is not means tested, although the financial assessment that follows does consider income and capital. A GP, district nurse or hospital discharge team can make the referral on your behalf if that is easier. If you provide unpaid care, ask for a carer assessment at the same time, as it is a separate entitlement.

How far in advance should we start looking for a care home in Durham?

Start as soon as a move looks likely rather than waiting for a crisis to settle it. Assessments and funding decisions take time, and with a list this short and this well rated, vacancies at the home you prefer may not appear immediately. Allowing a few weeks lets you visit more than once and at different times of day. If a hospital discharge is approaching, the discharge team can arrange interim support while a permanent place is found.

Which providers in Durham offer residential care?

Ten residential care homes serving Durham are listed on this page. Hawthorn House holds an Outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission, and the remaining nine are all rated Good, including Bowburn Care Centre, Nevilles Court, St Aidan Lodge Residential Care Home and Valdigarth. No home on this list sits below Good. Vacancies change from week to week, so open the profiles that interest you and contact each home directly.

What should we ask when visiting a care home in Durham?

Ask how many staff are on duty overnight and at weekends, and how long the current team has worked there. Ask who writes and reviews the care plan, and how families are contacted when something changes. Ask to see the room that is genuinely available rather than a show room, and watch how residents are spending the afternoon. Then ask for the most recent inspection report and what has changed since.

What is the difference between a care home and a nursing home?

A residential care home provides accommodation and personal care, meaning help with washing, dressing, meals, mobility and medication. A nursing home provides that same support with a registered nurse on duty at all hours, which is what clinical needs require. All ten providers listed on this page are registered as residential care homes rather than nursing homes. If the care needs assessment identifies a nursing need, look at nursing registered homes instead.

Care Homes in Durham

Durham has 11 CQC registered care homes. 10 are rated Good, 1 Outstanding. 10 of the 11 were last inspected more than three years ago.

Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.

Durham at a glance

What the local numbers say about care for older people in Durham, to help you judge the options below.

Durham County Council pays, residential care: £857 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,331 to £1,392, median £1,369
Care home beds filled across County Durham: 89%. The 12 month average is 88%.
Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 85
People aged 75 and over: 58,300. Rising to 68,700 by 2035, up 18%
Care homes, last 12 months: 0 opened, 1 closed. 20 changed owner, covering 844 beds.
Who pays, across County Durham (estimate): 51% council, 26% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 7,500. Rising to 9,300 by 2035, up 24%
People aged 85 and over: 14,200. Rising to 20,600 by 2035, up 44%

Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.

Planning and paying for a care home place in Durham

Two assessments sit behind a funded placement, one of need and one of means, and they are carried out separately. Both take time, which is the main argument for starting before any decision feels final.

The care needs assessment

Any adult who appears to need care and support has a right to an assessment, free of charge and whatever their income or capital. Durham County Council is responsible for carrying it out and for the financial assessment that follows where funded support may apply. Anyone providing unpaid care has a separate right to a carer assessment in their own name. The support plan produced at the end describes the level of care considered necessary, and it is the first document a home will ask to see.

What the council may contribute

The financial assessment looks at income and capital, and in most permanent placements the value of a property counts once the relevant disregards have been applied. Where the council pays, it does so up to its own agreed rate, which means a home charging more will normally require a top up from a relative or another third party. If the need is mainly clinical rather than practical, ask whether continuing healthcare funding has been assessed, since that is decided through the health service.

Making sense of the fee

Homes quote by the week, and the figure moves with the room, its size and outlook, and how much personal support is involved. Ask for the rate in writing and establish exactly what sits outside it, because hairdressing, chiropody, escorted appointments and some activities are commonly billed as extras. Ask what notice is given of an increase and what happens if assessed needs rise after a move.

Comparing homes in Durham and what to check

Ten homes is a list you can genuinely work through, and with results this consistent the choosing has to happen on the ground.

Reading past a common rating

Hawthorn House holds an Outstanding rating. The nine rated Good include Hollyacre Bungalow, Beddell House, Bowburn Care Centre, Nevilles Court and Langley Park Care Home. Two homes can share a rating while one was praised for how it supports people living with dementia and another for its activities or the stability of its staff team. The report tells you which, and its date tells you how current that picture is.

What a visit reveals

Go when the home is under pressure rather than at its quietest, and take in the ordinary detail. Whether staff crouch to speak to someone seated, whether residents are occupied, how long a call bell rings, and how the place feels in the late afternoon. Ask whether you may return unannounced, and note how readily that is agreed.

Questions that get past the tour

Ask how long the manager has been in post and how much agency cover the home uses, because stability at the top shows up everywhere else. Ask how a fall is handled and who telephones the family. Ask how a new resident is supported through the first fortnight after moving in.

11 care homes in Durham

Hollyacre Bungalow · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
The Dispensary · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Langley Park Care Home · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Beddell House · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Bowburn Care Centre · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Nevilles Court · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
St Aidan Lodge Residential Care Home · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
NEAS, Short Term Residential Breaks · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Valdigarth · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
St Aiden's Cottage · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Hawthorn House · Durham, County Durham · CQC Outstanding

What care costs in County Durham, per week

Type of care	What the council pays	What self-funders are typically asked
Residential care North East figure, because too few County Durham homes publish this price. 13 homes. Median £1,369.	£857	£1,331 to £1,392
Nursing care England figure, because too few County Durham homes publish this price. 140 homes. Median £1,916.	£890	£1,600 to £2,071
Residential dementia care North East figure, because too few County Durham homes publish this price. 14 homes. Median £1,458.	Not published separately	£1,268 to £1,548
Nursing dementia care England figure, because too few County Durham homes publish this price. 75 homes. Median £2,050.	Not published separately	£1,890 to £2,221

Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price. Powered by Orrery Intelligence.

Inspected most recently

The Dispensary, 15 August 2025, Good
NEAS, Short Term Residential Breaks, 6 May 2023, Good
Beddell House, 16 December 2022, Good

Longest since a report

St Aidan Lodge Residential Care Home, 19 December 2018, Good
Hawthorn House, 3 April 2020, Outstanding
St Aiden's Cottage, 22 April 2021, Good

Frequently asked questions about care homes in Durham

How many care homes are there in Durham?

Durham has 11 CQC registered care homes: 1 Outstanding, 10 Good. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.

How much does a care home cost in Durham?

Durham County Council pays an average of £857 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,331 to £1,392 a week. North East figure, because too few County Durham homes publish this price. 13 homes. Median £1,369. Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price.

Which care homes in Durham were inspected most recently?

The Dispensary (15 August 2025), NEAS, Short Term Residential Breaks (6 May 2023) and Beddell House (16 December 2022) have the most recent CQC reports.

Local care news in County Durham

New 48 bed care home registered with CQC in County Durham: Willowdene Care Home (5 November 2026)

More local care news for County Durham