Can Surrey County Council fund a placement in Thames Ditton?

Surrey County Council can fund or part fund a placement where the needs assessment confirms residential care is appropriate and the financial assessment shows capital below the upper threshold. Anyone above that threshold meets the fees privately, although the needs assessment is still worth having on record. A deferred payment agreement may be available where most of the capital is held in a property. Where the council rate sits below a home's fee, ask in writing who would cover the difference.

How is a care needs assessment arranged in Thames Ditton?

Ask Surrey County Council for an adult social care needs assessment, which anyone can request, including a relative acting with the person's consent. There is no charge and the outcome does not depend on income or savings. An assessor will consider daily living, mobility, medication, continence and overnight needs before recommending a level of care. If the person is in hospital, the discharge team usually begins the process, though you can follow it up yourself.

How far in advance should the search begin?

Start while a move still feels some way off rather than waiting until the decision cannot be put off, and allow extra time here because half the list needs its reports read closely. Six to eight weeks gives room for repeat visits and a settled funding position. Hospital discharge rarely leaves that long, so a shortlist held in reserve earns its keep. With only four providers matching, asking about options nearby is also sensible.

Which providers match this search for Thames Ditton?

Four residential care homes match this search for Thames Ditton: Linwood, Beech Lodge - Thames Ditton, Rowland House Care Home and Oakley House Ltd. Linwood and Beech Lodge - Thames Ditton are each rated Good by the Care Quality Commission. Rowland House Care Home and Oakley House Ltd currently hold ratings of Requires Improvement. Each profile links through to the inspection report behind its grade.

What should be asked when visiting a care home in Thames Ditton?

Ask about staffing on each shift, overnight included, and how heavily the home relies on agency staff. Where a home holds Requires Improvement, ask what has changed since the inspection and ask to see any action plan. Find out what would happen if a resident's needs moved beyond personal care into nursing. Request the fee schedule in writing along with the notice period on both sides.

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

A residential care home provides personal care from care staff, covering help with washing, dressing, meals and prompting medication. A nursing home holds a further registration for clinical nursing, with registered nurses on duty at all hours. That allows wound care, tube feeding, catheter management or palliative nursing to be handled in house rather than by visiting community nurses. All four providers matching this search are residential rather than nursing.

Care Homes in Thames Ditton

Thames Ditton has 4 CQC registered care homes. 2 are rated Good, 2 Requires improvement. 2 of the 4 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Thames Ditton at a glance

What the local numbers say about care for older people in Thames Ditton, to help you judge the options below.

Surrey County Council pays, residential care: £952 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,654 to £1,931, median £1,772
Care home beds filled across Surrey: 88%. The 12 month average is 87%.
Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 101. Surrey average is 90.
People aged 75 and over: 14,400. Rising to 16,800 by 2035, up 16%
Care homes, last 12 months: 1 opened, 0 closed. 7 changed owner, covering 342 beds.
Who pays, across Surrey (estimate): 32% council, 52% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 2,000. Rising to 2,500 by 2035, up 25%
People aged 85 and over: 4,500. Rising to 6,500 by 2035, up 44%

Planned and recent building work within 5 miles

Hobkirk House 109 Blagdon Road New Malden. Application for a 80 bed care home. Submitted 15 April 2026. Approved 9 September 2026. (3.5 miles away)
8 Hollymoor Lane Epsom Surrey. Application for a 5 bed care home through a change of use. Submitted 15 August 2025. Approved 20 October 2025. (3.7 miles away)

Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.

Planning and paying for residential care in Thames Ditton

Funding shapes everything else here, given what residential care costs locally, so it is better faced at the start than discovered later. A care needs assessment is free, can be requested by anyone and establishes whether residential care is the right level of support. Surrey County Council is responsible for that assessment and for the financial assessment that follows it, and where a hospital stay is involved the discharge team usually begins the process.

How the means test is applied

Savings, income and, in a permanent placement, usually the value of a property are measured against the national capital thresholds. Capital above the upper threshold means fees are met privately. Below the lower threshold only income is counted, with a weekly personal allowance protected, and a deferred payment arrangement can postpone the sale of a house.

Fees and the allowances people overlook

Residential fees across this part of the South East sit well above the national average, so ask early what a weekly figure includes and what is billed separately. Attendance allowance and the daily living part of personal independence payment are not means tested and are frequently missed. Where a council contribution falls short of a home's private rate, establish in writing whether a third party payment is expected and who would be liable.

Choosing a provider and what to check before committing

Linwood and Beech Lodge - Thames Ditton are each rated Good. Rowland House Care Home and Oakley House Ltd currently hold ratings of Requires Improvement. None of these homes is registered for nursing, so ask each one how it manages a resident whose health declines and what would prompt a move elsewhere.

Reading the grades properly

Each rating summarises one inspection across whether a home is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. A shortfall in record keeping is a different matter from a shortfall in how residents are treated, and the report says plainly which it was. Check the date on each one before weighing it against another.

What a viewing should settle

Ask how many care staff are on duty by day and overnight, and how much agency cover the home relies on. Where a home sits below Good, ask what has changed since the inspection, ask to see any action plan and ask when reinspection is expected. Request the fee schedule and the notice period in writing, and call in near a mealtime.

4 care homes in Thames Ditton

Beech Lodge · Thames Ditton, Surrey · CQC Good
Rowland House Care Home · Thames Ditton, Surrey · CQC Requires improvement
Oakley House · Thames Ditton, Surrey · CQC Requires improvement
Linwood · Thames Ditton, Surrey · CQC Good

What care costs in Surrey, per week

Type of care	What the council pays	What self-funders are typically asked
Residential care Middle half of prices from 18 Surrey homes. Median £1,772.	£952	£1,654 to £1,931
Nursing care Middle half of prices from 13 Surrey homes. Median £2,025.	£988	£1,920 to £2,155
Residential dementia care Middle half of prices from 14 Surrey homes. Median £1,842.	Not published separately	£1,725 to £2,020
Nursing dementia care South East figure, because too few Surrey homes publish this price. 37 homes. Median £2,050.	Not published separately	£1,975 to £2,226

Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price. Powered by Orrery Intelligence.

Inspected most recently

Linwood, 16 February 2026, Good
Rowland House Care Home, 11 November 2025, Requires improvement
Oakley House Ltd, 23 March 2022, Requires improvement

Longest since a report

Beech Lodge - Thames Ditton, 24 August 2019, Good
Oakley House Ltd, 23 March 2022, Requires improvement
Rowland House Care Home, 11 November 2025, Requires improvement

Frequently asked questions about care homes in Thames Ditton

How many care homes are there in Thames Ditton?

Thames Ditton has 4 CQC registered care homes: 2 Good, 2 Requires improvement. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.

How much does a care home cost in Thames Ditton?

Surrey County Council pays an average of £952 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,654 to £1,931 a week. Middle half of prices from 18 Surrey homes. Median £1,772. Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price.

Which care homes in Thames Ditton were inspected most recently?

Linwood (16 February 2026), Rowland House Care Home (11 November 2025) and Oakley House Ltd (23 March 2022) have the most recent CQC reports.

Local care news in Surrey

New 30 bed care home registered with CQC in Waverley: Bridge House Care Home (5 November 2026)
CQC register adds a new care home in Waverley: Cedar Court Care Home (5 November 2026)

More local care news for Surrey