Care Homes in Gravesend
Gravesend has 12 CQC registered care homes. 6 are rated Good, 5 Requires improvement, and 1 has not yet been rated. 9 of the 12 were last inspected more than three years ago.
Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.
Gravesend at a glance
What the local numbers say about care for older people in Gravesend, to help you judge the options below.
- Kent County Council pays, residential care: £1,187 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,409 to £1,600, median £1,500
- Care home beds filled across Kent: 88%. The 12 month average is 88%.
- Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 53. Kent average is 77.
- People aged 75 and over: 9,500. Rising to 10,100 by 2035, up 7%
- Care homes, last 12 months: 1 opened, 1 closed. 1 changed owner, covering 62 beds.
- Who pays, across Kent (estimate): 35% council, 43% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
- Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 1,200. Rising to 1,400 by 2035, up 14%
- People aged 85 and over: 2,500. Rising to 3,200 by 2035, up 30%
Planned and recent building work within 5 miles
- Land Adjacent Dell Road And Orsett Road Grays Essex. Application for a 82 bed care home. Submitted 10 October 2025. Approved 27 February 2026. (4.1 miles away)
Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.
Arranging and Funding a Care Home Place in Gravesend
Two routes lead into a residential placement, and they run at different speeds. A household can approach homes directly and pay the weekly fee itself, or it can go through an assessment and receive help towards the cost. The assessed route has more stages to it, which is the clearest argument for starting it before a move becomes urgent.
Requesting a care needs assessment
Any adult who appears to need care and support can ask for a care needs assessment, and a relative providing that care can request a separate carer's assessment of their own. Both are arranged through Kent County Council adult social care, the authority responsible for assessing need and for arranging funded support where someone qualifies. The assessment records how a person manages washing, dressing, meals, medication and moving about, and it ends in a written statement of need rather than a recommendation of any particular home.
Who contributes, and how much
Where eligible needs are identified, a financial assessment considers income and capital. Savings above the upper threshold mean the placement is funded privately; below it, the authority contributes and the resident pays an assessed share out of income. How a property is treated depends on who else lives in it and on the wider circumstances of the household, so ask the team to explain those rules before any decision is taken.
What the weekly fee covers
Residential fees are charged weekly and generally take in the room, all meals, laundry and personal care. Rates differ noticeably between homes in Gravesend, and extras such as hairdressing, chiropody, newspapers and escorted appointments are usually billed on top. Ask every shortlisted home for a written breakdown, and ask what would happen to the fee if needs increased after someone moved in.
Choosing the Right Care Home in Gravesend and What to Look For
Because the judgements here vary so much, the published record does more work in Gravesend than it does in areas where almost every home carries the same rating. Six homes are rated Good, five have been told they require improvement, and one is yet to be rated, so the first task is simply to read what inspectors found.
Reading a report rather than a rating
Open the full inspection report in every case. Each one answers five questions, asking whether a home is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led, so a home rated Good overall may still carry a weaker judgement in an area that matters to your relative. Where a home requires improvement, the report states exactly what the concerns were and what the provider was asked to put right. Check the date as well, because a change of manager or owner since the inspection can shift a home considerably in either direction.
What residential registration covers
All twelve providers here are registered for residential care, which means accommodation with personal care rather than nursing on site. Tasks that need a qualified nurse on the premises, such as complex wound management or a feeding tube, fall outside that registration. If those needs already exist, or look likely to develop, a nursing registered home is the better place to start.
What a visit reveals
Visit at a busy time rather than a quiet one, and watch the ordinary things: whether residents are up and occupied, whether staff know people by name, whether the layout suits someone unsteady on their feet. Ask about staffing overnight, how often the same carers work with the same residents, and what happens when needs increase. Homes such as Larchwood Grove, Benham Lodge and The Chestnuts Care Home appear here alongside others, and the atmosphere of a place is something no report can fully convey.
12 care homes in Gravesend
- Springwood Corner Care Home · Gravesend, Kent
- Edwin Therapeutic Unit · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Requires improvement
- Echo Square House · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Good
- Welcome House - Ruby Lodge · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Good
- Sheringham House · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Requires improvement
- Pelham Manor · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Requires improvement
- Benham Lodge · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Good
- The Chestnuts Care Home · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Good
- Larchwood Grove · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Good
- Overcliffe House · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Requires improvement
- Gravesham Place Integrated Care Centre · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Good
- The Hollies Residential Home · Gravesend, Kent · CQC Requires improvement
What care costs in Kent, per week
| Type of care | What the council pays | What self-funders are typically asked |
|---|---|---|
| Residential care Middle half of prices from 22 Kent homes. Median £1,500. | £1,187 | £1,409 to £1,600 |
| Nursing care Middle half of prices from 11 Kent homes. Median £1,605. | £1,378 | £1,550 to £1,865 |
| Residential dementia care Middle half of prices from 18 Kent homes. Median £1,500. | Not published separately | £1,500 to £1,619 |
| Nursing dementia care South East figure, because too few Kent 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
- Pelham Manor, 24 February 2026, Requires improvement
- Benham Lodge, 8 December 2023, Good
- Sheringham House, 7 June 2023, Requires improvement
Longest since a report
- Overcliffe House, 11 January 2018, Requires improvement
- Larchwood Grove, 26 January 2018, Good
- Echo Square House, 11 April 2018, Good
Frequently asked questions about care homes in Gravesend
How many care homes are there in Gravesend?
Gravesend has 12 CQC registered care homes: 6 Good, 5 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 Gravesend?
Kent County Council pays an average of £1,187 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,409 to £1,600 a week. Middle half of prices from 22 Kent homes. Median £1,500. 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 Gravesend were inspected most recently?
Pelham Manor (24 February 2026), Benham Lodge (8 December 2023) and Sheringham House (7 June 2023) have the most recent CQC reports.