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

A residential care home provides accommodation together with personal care, meals and supervision, drawing on district nurses and general practitioners when clinical input is needed. A nursing home keeps registered nurses on duty throughout the day and night, which suits someone with continuing medical needs such as complex wounds or feeding support. All five providers on this page are registered as residential care homes rather than nursing homes. A care needs assessment is what establishes which of the two levels is appropriate.

What should I ask when visiting a care home in Godalming?

Ask how many staff are on duty overnight as well as during the day, and how long the senior team has been in post. Ask what happens if a resident's needs increase beyond the level the home first agreed to meet. Ask how medicines, medical appointments and hospital admissions are managed, and how relatives are told when something changes. It is also worth asking to see the most recent inspection report and what the home has altered since it was published.

How do I arrange a care needs assessment in Godalming?

Contact Surrey County Council adult social care and request an assessment, either for yourself or for a relative who has consented to it. The assessment is free and is not means tested, and it looks at daily tasks, risks at home and whether residential care has become the right option. A financial assessment usually follows in order to establish who pays. Ask for the outcome in writing, because the homes on this page will want to know what was concluded.

Can Surrey County Council pay towards a care home place in Godalming?

It can, where a care needs assessment confirms that residential care is appropriate and a financial assessment shows capital and income below the national threshold. The council then contributes towards the fees at the rate it sets for that kind of placement. If a family prefers a home charging above that rate, a third party top up payment may be required, and the arrangement should be documented before the move. Anyone funding a place privately can still ask for an assessment, which is often worth having for the guidance alone.

How far in advance should we start looking at care homes?

Sooner than most families manage, because the care needs assessment, the financial assessment and any waiting list can each add weeks to the timetable. With only five homes covering Godalming, and one of them holding an Outstanding rating, vacancies at the most sought after homes go quickly. Starting early leaves room to visit more than once and to involve the person moving. If a hospital discharge is setting the pace, say so when you contact the council.

Care Homes in Godalming

Q: Which care homes serve Godalming?

Five residential care homes cover Godalming and all of them are listed on this page. Broadwater Lodge holds an Outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission. Stonepit Close and The Meath Epilepsy Charity are each rated Good, while Eastlake and Surrey Heights have been rated as requiring improvement. Every profile links through to the full inspection report, which is the most reliable basis for comparing them.

Godalming has 6 CQC registered care homes. 2 are rated Good, 1 Outstanding, 2 Requires improvement, and 1 has not yet been rated. 3 of the 6 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Godalming at a glance

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

Surrey County Council pays, residential care: £952 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,654 to £1,931, median £1,772
Care home beds filled across Surrey: 88%. The 12 month average is 87%.
Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 100. Surrey average is 90.
People aged 75 and over: 17,100. Rising to 20,000 by 2035, up 17%
Care homes, last 12 months: 0 opened, 0 closed. 2 changed owner, covering 106 beds.
Who pays, across Surrey (estimate): 32% council, 52% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 2,300. Rising to 2,900 by 2035, up 27%
People aged 85 and over: 5,200. Rising to 7,900 by 2035, up 51%

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

Choosing a care home in Godalming and what to look for

An Outstanding rating is rare enough that it tends to dominate a shortlist the moment a family spots one, and that instinct is worth resisting for a moment. The home with the best grade may have no vacancy, may sit awkwardly for visiting, or may simply not suit the person moving in. Five residential care homes cover Godalming, and the right one is the one that fits a particular life rather than the one with the highest badge.

Reading the inspection record

Broadwater Lodge is rated Outstanding. Stonepit Close and The Meath Epilepsy Charity are each rated Good, while Eastlake and Surrey Heights have been told they require improvement. Every home here has been inspected, so published evidence exists for all five. A requires improvement judgement is not grounds for striking a home off before reading the report, since some rest on record keeping or a staffing shortfall since addressed and others describe something closer to the quality of daily care. Check when each inspection took place.

What to look for on a visit

Go unannounced and go at a mealtime, because that is when a home can least easily present a version of itself. Watch whether residents are helped at their own pace, whether staff use people's names in passing, and whether anything is happening beyond a television. Ask how many staff are on duty overnight as well as by day, how long the senior carers have been in post, and what happens when someone's needs grow beyond what was first agreed. Ask the manager directly what has changed since the last inspection.

Arranging and funding a place

The care needs assessment

A move into residential care normally follows a care needs assessment, which anyone may request for themselves or, with agreement, on a relative's behalf. It is free, it involves no means test, and it sets out what the person can still manage, where the risks lie and whether support at home could realistically continue. The Surrey County Council social care team is responsible for that assessment and for the financial assessment that follows it. Ask for both outcomes in writing before you start discussing places.

Fees and contributions

What a family pays follows the financial assessment rather than the level of need. Below the national threshold for capital and income the council contributes at the rate it sets for a residential placement, and above it the home is funded privately. Charges differ between these five according to the room and the support involved, so ask each for a written schedule separating the weekly fee from extras such as hairdressing and outings. Establish the position on third party top up payments, on fee reviews and on what happens to the room during a hospital admission.

6 care homes in Godalming

Stonepit Close · Godalming, Surrey · CQC Good
Bridge House Care Home · Godalming, Surrey
Heights · Godalming, Surrey · CQC Requires improvement
The Meath Epilepsy Charity · Godalming, Surrey · CQC Good
Eastlake · Godalming, Surrey · CQC Requires improvement
Broadwater Lodge · Godalming, Surrey · CQC Outstanding

What care costs in Surrey, per week

Type of care	What the council pays	What self-funders are typically asked
Residential care Middle half of prices from 18 Surrey homes. Median £1,772.	£952	£1,654 to £1,931
Nursing care Middle half of prices from 13 Surrey homes. Median £2,025.	£988	£1,920 to £2,155
Residential dementia care Middle half of prices from 14 Surrey homes. Median £1,842.	Not published separately	£1,725 to £2,020
Nursing dementia care South East figure, because too few Surrey homes publish this price. 37 homes. Median £2,050.	Not published separately	£1,975 to £2,226

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 Meath Epilepsy Charity, 3 February 2026, Good
Surrey Heights, 14 July 2025, Requires improvement
Stonepit Close, 19 February 2021, Good

Longest since a report

Broadwater Lodge, 9 November 2019, Outstanding
Eastlake, 5 February 2020, Requires improvement
Stonepit Close, 19 February 2021, Good

Frequently asked questions about care homes in Godalming

How many care homes are there in Godalming?

Godalming has 6 CQC registered care homes: 1 Outstanding, 2 Good, 2 Requires improvement, 1 not yet rated. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.

How much does a care home cost in Godalming?

Surrey County Council pays an average of £952 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,654 to £1,931 a week. Middle half of prices from 18 Surrey homes. Median £1,772. 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 Godalming were inspected most recently?

The Meath Epilepsy Charity (3 February 2026), Surrey Heights (14 July 2025) and Stonepit Close (19 February 2021) have the most recent CQC reports.

Local care news in Surrey

New 30 bed care home registered with CQC in Waverley: Bridge House Care Home (5 November 2026)
CQC register adds a new care home in Waverley: Cedar Court Care Home (5 November 2026)

More local care news for Surrey