Question 1

Which providers are listed for Kent?

Accepted Answer

Three hundred and sixty residential care homes registered to provide accommodation with personal care are listed on this page for Kent. They include homes belonging to national groups and small independent homes with only a few rooms. Ratings across the group cover Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate, and some homes have not yet been rated. Each entry links to a profile carrying the Care Quality Commission findings for that home.

Question 2

What should I ask when visiting a care home in Kent?

Accepted Answer

Ask how many staff are on duty in the daytime and overnight, and how holidays and sickness are covered. Ask what staff turnover has been over the past year, because a settled team usually shows in the quality of everyday care. Ask how care plans are written and reviewed, and how families are kept involved in that. Ask to see the most recent inspection report and invite the manager to explain what has changed since it was published.

Question 3

What is the difference between a care home and a nursing home?

Accepted Answer

Both offer accommodation, meals and help with daily tasks such as washing, dressing and moving about. A nursing home also employs registered nurses on site at all hours, which allows it to manage wounds, catheters, complex medication and conditions needing regular clinical observation. A residential care home draws instead on visiting district nurses and community health services. The care needs assessment will indicate which of the two is appropriate, and answering that first avoids viewing homes that could not meet the need.

Question 4

Can Kent County Council fund a care home placement?

Accepted Answer

It may, depending on the outcome of the needs assessment and the financial assessment together. Kent County Council applies the national means test, so capital above the upper threshold means funding a placement privately, while capital below it brings a contribution into play. A property can sometimes be disregarded, for example where a spouse continues to live there, and a deferred payment agreement may bridge the period while a house is sold. Where needs are primarily clinical rather than social, NHS continuing healthcare may meet the whole cost.

Question 5

How do I arrange a care needs assessment in Kent?

Accepted Answer

Contact the adult social care team at Kent County Council and ask for a care needs assessment. Anyone who appears to need care and support is entitled to one regardless of income or savings, and you can request it on a relative's behalf. A practitioner will look at daily living, mobility, medication and safety before setting out whether a residential placement is appropriate. A financial assessment then follows separately to work out who meets the cost.

Question 6

How far ahead should a family start looking in Kent?

Accepted Answer

Where there is a choice, allow a few months, since well regarded homes fill up and hurried decisions are difficult to undo. That time makes it possible to visit more than once, at different hours of the day, and to talk to relatives of people already living there. When a move follows a hospital admission the timescale often shortens to days, and a short term placement can create room to look properly. Even then, try to see two or three homes before agreeing to anything permanent.

Care Homes in Kent

369 care homes in Kent (showing 351–369)