Nursing Homes in Dorchester
Dorchester has 5 CQC registered nursing homes. 5 are rated Good. 4 of the 5 were last inspected more than three years ago.
Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.
Dorchester at a glance
What the local numbers say about care for older people in Dorchester, to help you judge the options below.
- Dorset Council pays, residential care: £1,156 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,400 to £1,650, median £1,549
- Care home beds filled across Dorset: 83%. The 12 month average is 83%.
- Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 59
- People aged 75 and over: 66,500. Rising to 78,700 by 2035, up 18%
- Care homes, last 12 months: 1 opened, 1 closed. 9 changed owner, covering 422 beds.
- Who pays, across Dorset (estimate): 33% council, 57% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
- Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 8,600. Rising to 11,000 by 2035, up 28%
- People aged 85 and over: 17,900. Rising to 27,800 by 2035, up 55%
Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.
Choosing a nursing home in Dorchester and what to look for
Every home here carries the same rating, so the usual first filter does no work at all. What separates them is the ordinary texture of life inside: how meals are served, how staff speak to someone who cannot easily reply, and whether a relative can call in without setting aside half a day to do it.
Making sure nursing registration is what is needed
Every provider on this page is registered for nursing, so wound care, catheter management and complex or frequently changing medication can be handled without a further move later. Where the genuine requirement is company, meals and help with washing and dressing, a residential home usually suits better and costs less. Since moving twice is hard on everyone, it is worth considering what the coming year is likely to bring rather than only what this month demands.
Reading past a uniform set of ratings
Casterbridge Lodge, Casterbridge Manor, Signature House, Castle View and Somerleigh Court are all rated Good, which means the useful detail sits in the reports rather than the labels. Check when each inspection took place and what was said about staffing levels, activities and the way concerns are handled. Then visit at a busy hour and ask how many registered nurses are rostered by day and overnight, how often shifts are covered by agency workers, and what staff turnover has been across the past year. Ask too how the home responds when someone deteriorates and what support it offers at the end of life.
Arranging a placement in Dorchester and paying for it
The care needs assessment
Anyone who appears to need care and support has a legal right to an assessment, whatever their savings, and requesting one costs nothing. It is carried out by Dorset Council Adult Social Care, and a practitioner will consider mobility, medication, continence, memory, night time needs and how much a relative is currently absorbing before recording whether nursing care is the proportionate answer. A financial assessment follows and settles contributions. Families intending to pay their own fees still gain from the written outcome, since it turns a general worry into a specification each home can be tested against.
Weekly fees and the routes to help
Nursing fees are quoted by the week and sit above residential rates because clinical cover forms part of the price. Where capital and income fall below the national thresholds, the local authority contributes and the resident pays an assessed amount from income, with a third party sometimes meeting the difference when a family chooses a home charging more than the authority normally pays. A person whose needs are primarily health related may have the whole placement funded through National Health Service continuing healthcare, and the nursing element of a fee is often met by a separate funded nursing care contribution. Ask each home for its charges in writing.
5 nursing homes in Dorchester
- Castle View · Bridport Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 2NH
Nursing home · CQC Good · Nursing on site · Run by Colten Care (1993) Limited
Castle View is a nursing home in Dorchester in Dorset, providing nursing care for older people and for younger adults whose health needs mean qualified nurses should be on hand at any time of day or night. We also welcome people for...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Younger Adults, Respite Care - Casterbridge Lodge · Winterbourne Steepleton, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 9LG
Nursing home · CQC Good · Nursing on site · Run by Pebblestones Limited
Casterbridge Lodge is a nursing home in Dorchester. We care for older people who need qualified nursing alongside help with everyday living, and we also care for some younger adults whose health needs require nursing support. Having nurses...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Younger Adults, Respite Care - Casterbridge Manor · Acreman Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7AL
Nursing home · CQC Good · Nursing on site · Run by Pebblestones Limited
Casterbridge Manor is a nursing home in Dorchester, caring for older people whose health needs have gone beyond what can be managed comfortably at home. Having qualified nurses here at every hour means changes in somebody's condition are...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Respite Care - Signature House · 2 Maumbury Gardens, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1GR
Nursing home · CQC Good · Nursing on site · Run by Amica Care Trust
At Signature House, we provide nursing home care for people in Dorchester, Dorset, and we take genuine pride in the environment we have built here. Our team works hard every day to make sure that everyone who lives with us feels safe,...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care - Somerleigh Court · Somerleigh Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1AQ
Nursing home · CQC Good · Nursing on site · Run by Somerleigh Court Ltd
Somerleigh Court is a nursing home in Dorchester. We provide nursing care for older people, we support people living with dementia, and we offer respite stays alongside permanent places. With nurses on duty at every hour, medication, skin...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Respite Care
What care costs in Dorset, per week
| Type of care | What the council pays | What self-funders are typically asked |
|---|---|---|
| Residential care South West figure, because too few Dorset homes publish this price. 52 homes. Median £1,549. | £1,156 | £1,400 to £1,650 |
| Nursing care South West figure, because too few Dorset homes publish this price. 16 homes. Median £1,810. | £1,183 | £1,599 to £1,983 |
| Residential dementia care South West figure, because too few Dorset homes publish this price. 19 homes. Median £1,665. | Not published separately | £1,450 to £1,813 |
| Nursing dementia care England figure, because too few Dorset homes publish this price. 75 homes. Median £2,050. | Not published separately | £1,890 to £2,221 |
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
- Casterbridge Lodge, 21 July 2025, Good
- Signature House, 24 June 2023, Good
- Somerleigh Court, 2 April 2020, Good
Longest since a report
- Casterbridge Manor, 15 January 2019, Good
- Castle View, 4 June 2019, Good
- Somerleigh Court, 2 April 2020, Good
Frequently asked questions about nursing homes in Dorchester
How many nursing homes are there in Dorchester?
Dorchester has 5 CQC registered nursing homes: 5 Good. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.
How much does a nursing home cost in Dorchester?
Dorset Council pays an average of £1,156 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,400 to £1,650 a week. South West figure, because too few Dorset homes publish this price. 52 homes. Median £1,549. 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 nursing homes in Dorchester were inspected most recently?
Casterbridge Lodge (21 July 2025), Signature House (24 June 2023) and Somerleigh Court (2 April 2020) have the most recent CQC reports.