Care Homes in Wokingham

Wokingham has 34 CQC registered care homes. 30 are rated Good, 2 Outstanding, 1 Requires improvement, and 1 has not yet been rated. 29 of the 34 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Sorting out an assessment and the cost of care in Wokingham

The needs assessment and why it comes first

Nothing else in this process works properly until someone has established what level of support is actually needed. A needs assessment does exactly that, free of charge, for anyone who appears to require care, with no means test attached to the assessment itself. It looks at washing and dressing, mobility, memory, medication, eating and the risks in a person's current situation, and it ends in a written care and support plan. To set one up, approach the Wokingham Borough Council social care team, which is responsible for assessments and for agreeing whatever funded support follows from them.

Working out who pays what

A financial assessment considers income, savings and capital, and for a permanent residential placement it normally counts the value of a property unless a partner or certain other relatives are still living in it. Depending on the result, the council may meet some or all of the fees, or a person may fund themselves while contributing from pension income. Where the council funds a placement it sets a budget that reflects assessed need, and families who prefer a more expensive home are often asked for a third party contribution to bridge the difference.

The fee questions that catch people out

Ask precisely what the weekly charge covers, and what is invoiced separately: hairdressing, chiropody, outings, newspapers and escorted appointments are common extras. Ask when fees last went up and by how much. Most importantly, ask what happens if a self funding resident's savings eventually fall to the point where council help is needed, because that answer decides whether a distressing second move could be forced years from now.

Choosing between the care homes in Wokingham

Getting more out of the ratings

The Tager Centre and Shinfield View both hold Outstanding judgements here, and twenty nine homes are rated Good. Two sit at Requires Improvement and one is yet to receive a published rating, which commonly reflects a recent registration rather than a concern. With so many homes sharing the same word, the reports are what separate them. Look at what inspectors said about staffing levels, medicines, and how residents actually spend their days, and note where a home was told to improve.

Seeing a home for yourself

Aim to visit around a mealtime, when any home is at its busiest. Watch whether people who need help to eat are supported unhurriedly, whether residents look as they would have looked at home, and whether anyone has been left with nothing to do and nobody to talk to. Ask how many staff are on through the night, how long the manager has held the post and how much turnover there has been in the past year.

Building a shortlist that holds up

Distance is worth more weight than it usually gets, because the home relatives can reach easily is the home that gets visited, and regular visitors spot changes early. Then think forward: ask whether the home can carry on supporting someone whose mobility declines or whose memory deteriorates, or whether that would mean moving again. Three homes examined carefully will serve you far better than a dozen glanced at.

Related searches

• Nursing Homes in Wokingham
• Home Care in Wokingham

Care Homes near Wokingham

• Crowthorne
• Bracknell
• Reading
• Camberley
• Fleet
• Maidenhead
• Farnborough