Care Homes in Hebburn

Hebburn has 3 CQC registered care homes. 3 are rated Good. 1 of the 3 was last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Choosing a care home in Hebburn and what to look for

This decision is rarely only practical. It is usually tangled up with guilt, with promises made years ago about never putting anyone in a home, and with relatives who see the situation differently. Acknowledging that openly tends to produce a better choice than pretending the whole thing is a matter of logistics.

Involving the person who would be moving

Wherever it is possible, take them to see the homes rather than deciding on their behalf and presenting the result. Ask the home whether a daytime visit for lunch can be arranged, or whether a short trial stay is possible before anything permanent is agreed. Where capacity to make the decision is in doubt, ask the assessor how a mental capacity assessment would be carried out and who would be consulted, since the law requires their wishes and feelings to be taken into account even then. A home used to handling this well will offer suggestions rather than wait to be asked.

Reading the ratings and the terms together

All three homes here are rated Good, so start with the date of each inspection, because a judgement some years old under a different manager tells you less than a recent one. The findings underneath, on whether the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led, are where the differences between the three will show. Then read the contract, which no rating covers: look at the notice period, how fees are reviewed, whether a trial period applies and whether the room is held and charged for during a hospital stay. Those clauses matter a great deal once someone has moved in.

Arranging and funding a placement

The administration takes longer than people expect, and beginning it before a vacancy appears is what keeps the timing in your hands.

The care needs assessment

A care needs assessment is free and open to anyone who appears to need care and support, whatever their savings or income. South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council adult social care is responsible for carrying out that assessment and for arranging funded support where the national eligibility criteria are met. An assessor will consider daily living, mobility, medication, continence, memory and the risks involved in staying at home, then confirm which needs are eligible. Ask for the written outcome and keep it, as it gives all three homes the same account of what is needed and makes it harder for anyone to accept needs they cannot meet.

Fees and the means test

Residential care is charged on a means tested basis, so a financial assessment establishes what the resident contributes from capital and income, and anyone above the capital threshold funds the placement themselves. Ask for the fee schedule in writing, with the core weekly charge separated from extras such as chiropody, hairdressing and escorted appointments. Ask what notice you would be given of an increase and what happens if needs grow beyond the home's registration. Where a placement is partly funded, establish in writing whether a top up contribution is being sought and precisely who would be liable for it.

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