Care Homes in Romford

Romford has 30 CQC registered care homes. 25 are rated Good, 1 Outstanding, and 4 have not yet been rated. 18 of the 30 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Planning and paying for a care home in Romford

The order in which things are done makes a considerable difference to how a move unfolds. Establishing what level of care is genuinely needed, and then working out who will be paying and on what basis, turns a list of twenty nine homes into a much shorter set of real options. Doing it the other way round, by falling for a home first, risks disappointment when the assessment or the fees point elsewhere.

The care needs assessment

Anyone who appears to need care and support can ask for an assessment, free of charge and regardless of savings or income. London Borough of Havering Adult Social Care is responsible for carrying out that assessment for people living in Romford, along with the financial assessment that follows on from it. A practitioner will look at personal care, mobility, memory, safety in the current home and the support relatives are already giving. Keep the written outcome, because homes will want to understand the level of support required before they can offer a place.

How the fees work

A financial assessment considers income, savings and certain assets to establish who contributes what towards the weekly fee. Families whose savings sit above the national threshold usually fund the placement themselves, while those below it receive a contribution from the council. Fees differ between homes according to room type, level of support and what is included, so ask each home for a written breakdown rather than relying on a figure quoted over the telephone. Ask as well how often fees are reviewed and what notice period applies before anything is signed.

Choosing a home and what to check

Reading the reports rather than the ratings

Where twenty five homes share a Good rating, that word will not separate them, so the reports themselves become the useful evidence. Two homes rated Good can differ considerably in what inspectors praised and in what they thought needed attention. Look at the comments on staffing levels, medicines and leadership, and note when each inspection took place, since a report written some years ago describes a home as it was then. Ebury Court Residential Home Limited holds the single Outstanding rating in this listing, which is worth reading in its own right to see what inspectors considered exceptional.

What a visit tells you

Go when ordinary life is happening, ideally around a meal, and watch how staff and residents are with one another. Ask how many permanent staff work each shift, how absence is covered and what the arrangements are overnight. Homes including The Lodge Care Home, Abbeleigh House, Rowallan House and Churchill House appear in this listing, and each is registered for particular kinds of need, so confirm that what you have in mind falls within what that home is set up to provide. Visiting twice, at different times of day, usually reveals more than any brochure will.

Bringing the decision together

When you have seen two or three homes, weigh each one against the written assessment rather than against the others in the abstract, because the real question is which home meets these particular needs. Involve the person moving wherever that is possible, since somewhere chosen with them is almost always easier to settle into than somewhere chosen for them. Ask whether a trial stay is possible, and read the contract carefully before committing to anything.

Related searches

• Nursing Homes in Romford
• Home Care in Romford

Care Homes near Romford

• Hornchurch
• Rainham
• Ilford
• Upminster
• Barking
• Brentwood
• Woodford Green
• Loughton
• South Ockendon
• Erith