Care Homes in Millom

Millom has 3 CQC registered care homes. 3 are rated Good. 2 of the 3 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

What residential care in Millom involves and what to look for

A residential care home provides somewhere to live alongside personal care, with staff on hand through the day and night but no registered nurse on duty. Knowing that boundary matters, because it determines whether these three homes can meet the need in question at all.

What the staff can and cannot do

Care staff in a residential home support washing, dressing, mobility, meals and medicines, and will involve a district nurse or general practitioner where clinical input is required. Ask how the home manages a resident whose health is declining, at what point it would say the need had moved beyond residential care, and how such a conversation is handled with a family. Asking this at the outset can prevent an unwanted second move later.

Staffing and the shape of the day

Ask how many permanent staff are on duty in the morning, the evening and overnight, and how often agency cover is used. Ask how long the manager has been in post and what turnover among care staff has been over the past year, since stability tends to be visible in everything else. Ask when residents get up, when meals are served, and how much of that is theirs to decide.

Reading three identical ratings

Lapstone House, St George's Residential Care Home and Kirksanton Care Centre all hold a Good rating, so the useful material lies in the reports rather than the grades. Read the passages on staffing, medicines, activities and complaints across all three and compare them directly. Note the date of each inspection as well, because a report describes what inspectors found on that occasion rather than the position today.

Getting an assessment and sorting out the funding

Once the homes have been seen, the practical questions decide what follows.

Asking for the assessment

Anyone who appears to need care and support is entitled to an assessment of needs, free of charge and whatever their income. It considers the help needed day to day, the risks when it is absent, and the load family members are already carrying, and a carer may request a separate assessment of their own. Start with Cumberland Council Adult Social Care, the body responsible for assessing need and for arranging funded support where someone qualifies.

Fees and contributions

A financial assessment of income and capital is carried out separately and sets what the council contributes. Families may fund a placement privately, receive a contribution, or take a personal budget and commission the care themselves. Ask each home what the weekly fee includes, whether chiropody, hairdressing, transport and outings are charged on top, and how much notice is given of annual increases. Ask for the fee schedule in writing before agreeing to anything.

Care Homes near Millom

• Barrow In Furness
• Ulverston