Care Homes in Marlborough

Marlborough has 7 CQC registered care homes. 6 are rated Good, 1 Requires improvement. 4 of the 7 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

What residential care in Marlborough involves and what to look for

Narrowing seven homes down to two or three

Of the seven homes listed, five are rated Good and two have been told they require improvement. On a list this short it would be a mistake to discard the lower graded homes without reading their reports, partly because availability may rest with them and partly because a grade can lag well behind a change of manager. Open each report and establish which of the five key questions was marked down, how recently inspectors called and whether the concern was about records or about the care residents received. Reports on the homes rated Good deserve the same attention, since inspectors usually describe what they actually saw rather than what the home claims.

What to look at on the visit itself

Ask to come late in the afternoon rather than mid morning, because that is when a home is least arranged for visitors. Watch whether staff address residents by name, whether call bells are answered without visible irritation and whether people have anything at all to occupy them. Ask how long the manager has been in post, how much agency cover is used in a typical month and whether residents have named key workers, since continuity shapes daily life more than furnishings ever will. Ask to see the room that is genuinely available rather than a show room. Then ask what happens if needs increase, and whether that would mean another move for nursing care.

Getting an assessment and arranging the funding

Why the assessment comes first

Nearly every later conversation goes better once there is a written account of what the person needs, and a care needs assessment is how that gets produced. It is free, carries no means test and can be requested by the person or by a relative acting on their behalf. Assessment and funded support in this area are handled by Wiltshire Council, whose assessor will work through mobility, washing and dressing, meals, medication, continence, memory and the help a family is already giving. Describe the hardest days rather than the typical ones, because an assessment written from a good week will understate what is actually needed.

What the fees involve

Fees are quoted by the week and differ between homes in Marlborough, so plan only around a figure a home has set out in writing for you. Ask what the weekly rate covers and what is invoiced separately, since hairdressing, chiropody, outings and some continence products commonly fall outside it. Where the council contributes after a financial assessment, the rate it pays may be lower than a home's private fee, and that gap has to be met by a third party top up rather than by the resident. Anyone paying privately should still register the placement with the council, because capital reduces over time and eligibility can be looked at again.

Care Homes near Marlborough

• Newport
• Pewsey
• Hungerford