Care Homes in Portsmouth

Portsmouth has 23 CQC registered care homes. 16 are rated Good, 7 Requires improvement. 18 of the 23 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Arranging and Funding a Care Home Place in Portsmouth

The funding position usually shapes the shortlist more than families expect, which is why it is worth resolving before any visits are arranged. An assessment establishes what care is needed and a financial assessment establishes who pays for it.

Requesting a care needs assessment

Anyone who appears to need care and support has a right to an assessment, and a relative, a GP or a hospital discharge team can ask for one on their behalf. It is free and does not depend on income or savings. Portsmouth City Council Adult Social Care carries out that assessment and the financial assessment that follows, the second of which decides how much of the weekly fee the council meets and how much the resident contributes.

What council support covers

Where a placement is funded, the council pays up to a set weekly rate. A family choosing a home that charges more may be asked to meet the difference, so establish early who would pay it and what happens if that becomes unaffordable. Where savings sit above the level at which support begins, the assessment is still worth having, since it records eligible needs for later.

Understanding the fee

Fees are set by each provider and differ across this list, so ask for a written schedule rather than a figure quoted on the telephone. Check what is charged separately, such as hairdressing, chiropody, newspapers or escorted appointments. Ask how much notice precedes an increase, whether the room is held during a hospital admission and what the home does when private funds reduce to the point where council support starts.

Choosing the Right Care Home in Portsmouth and What to Look For

Reading the ratings closely

Seventeen homes here are rated Good and six are rated Requires Improvement. Where a home has been marked down, open the report and look at which of the five key questions fell short, how recent the inspection was and what the provider says has changed since. Concerns about medicines, staffing or safeguarding deserve a fuller answer than concerns about record keeping, and a vague reply from a manager is itself informative.

Matching the home to the person

Ask which specialisms each home holds registration for, particularly dementia care, and whether it can continue to support someone whose needs increase. Ask about the daily routine, how activities are arranged and whether residents can keep their own hours for getting up and going to bed. Those details often decide whether someone settles or simply endures.

What a visit reveals

Go when the home is busy rather than at a quiet hour. Watch how staff speak to residents who are not expecting a visitor, whether people are occupied and how quickly call bells are answered. Ask how many carers are on duty overnight, how much agency cover is used and how long the manager has been in post. Seeing a meal served, and the help given with it, tells you more than a tour of empty rooms.

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