Care Homes in Hythe

Hythe has 10 CQC registered care homes. 7 are rated Good, 2 Requires improvement, and 1 has not yet been rated. 5 of the 10 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Looking at the care homes in Hythe and what matters

What sits behind each rating

Eight of the ten homes listed are rated Good, one is at Requires Improvement and one has no rating yet. Because the collection is small, reading every report through is realistic rather than ambitious. Look at which of the five key questions fell short in any home you are considering, since a finding about record keeping is a different matter from one touching safety or dignity. Check the inspection date as well, because a home judged some years ago may since have changed manager, owner or both.

What a visit adds that a report cannot

A tour arranged for a weekday morning shows a home at its most organised, so try to return at a different hour. Watch the ordinary moments. Notice whether residents are spoken to in passing rather than only when a task is being carried out, whether anyone sits without a drink within reach, and how quickly call bells are answered. Ask how long the manager has been in post and what proportion of staff have worked there more than a year, because a settled team knows the small things about a person.

Fitting the home to the person

Once quality is established, practical fit decides whether a placement holds. Think about how far relatives will travel and how often they realistically will come, whether a busier or quieter household suits, and whether diet, faith or first language need accommodating. Ask what the home does when needs increase, and what happens if nursing care becomes necessary, since all the homes listed here are registered for personal care rather than nursing.

Organising an assessment and settling the cost

Starting with the assessment of need

Anyone who appears to need care and support has a right to a free assessment, whatever their income or savings. A practitioner will work through washing, dressing, eating, managing medicines, mobility and safety at home, and will consider how much a family carer is already absorbing. The written outcome becomes the yardstick for comparing homes and the basis for any funding decision. Requests are made through Kent County Council adult social care, which also arranges funded placements and reviews them over time.

How the funding decision works

A financial assessment follows the assessment of need. Capital above the national threshold means funding a placement privately, while people below it receive a contribution towards the weekly fee, and a property is disregarded in certain circumstances, for instance where a partner continues to live in it. Anyone with a significant ongoing health need should also ask about NHS continuing healthcare, which is assessed on clinical grounds rather than on means.

Getting the fee in writing

Weekly fees vary between homes and between rooms within the same home, shaped by size, whether there is an ensuite and the level of support required. Ask for a written schedule showing what is included and what is charged separately, since hairdressing, chiropody, outings and newspapers normally sit outside the fee. Ask how often fees are reviewed, what notice is given of an increase, and what happens if savings fall towards the threshold during a stay.

Related searches

• Nursing Homes in Hythe
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