Care Homes in Loughborough

Loughborough has 21 CQC registered care homes. 15 are rated Good, 1 Outstanding, 4 Requires improvement, and 1 has not yet been rated. 9 of the 21 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Arranging a care home place in Loughborough and paying for it

The paperwork feels like an obstacle at the time and turns out to be the thing that protects everyone later. It begins with an assessment of what care is actually needed.

The care needs assessment

An assessment is free, is not means tested and is open to anyone who appears to need care. A social worker or occupational therapist will consider washing and dressing, meals, medication, mobility, continence and whether someone is safe alone overnight, listening to relatives as well as to the person concerned. Leicestershire County Council social care team carries out that assessment and the financial assessment that follows it. Where residential care is recommended, the reasons are written into a support plan that travels with the person into whichever home is chosen, and a separate carer's assessment belongs to the relative who has been providing support.

Fees, contributions and top ups

The financial assessment weighs income, savings and capital. Above the national threshold a placement is privately funded and the contract is made directly with the home; below it, the council contributes up to a level it judges sufficient for assessed needs. A third party top up may be requested where a family prefers a home charging more than that, and it needs to be affordable for years rather than months. Ask each home for its current weekly rate in writing, for a list of what is charged separately, and for confirmation of how much notice is given before a fee increase.

Choosing between the care homes in Loughborough

Most homes here share the same grade, so the shortlist has to be built from what sits underneath it.

Getting more from the inspection reports

Fifteen homes are rated Good, one holds Outstanding, three carry Requires Improvement and two are unrated. A Good rating is made up of separate judgements about safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness and leadership, and homes are rarely equally strong in all of them. Read what inspectors said about staffing levels, medicines and how residents are supported to make their own choices, and check when the visit took place. Where a home carries Requires Improvement, the report names exactly what fell short and what the provider was told to do, which is a fairer basis for a decision than the grade alone.

What to look for on a visit

Call in at a busy hour rather than a convenient one, and see the home twice if you can. Watch how staff speak to residents who cannot easily reply, whether people appear occupied and how long anyone waits after asking for help. Ask how long the manager has been in post, what turnover has been like and how the home supports someone whose needs increase. Ask about meals, visiting, night staffing and what happens during the first fortnight after a move, which is usually the hardest part. Ask whether a room can be personalised with familiar furniture, how often a doctor calls, and what the home does when a resident becomes unsettled in the evening.

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