Which providers in Durham are listed on this page?

Nine registered nursing homes match this search, each with its own profile. Their published Care Quality Commission judgements are six Good and two Requires Improvement, with one service not yet rated. Registration tells you nothing about current vacancies, so availability still has to be checked with each home directly. Reading the profiles first makes those calls considerably shorter.

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

A care home provides personal care, meaning help with washing, dressing, meals, medicines and moving about, delivered by trained care staff. A nursing home provides all of that alongside a registered nurse on duty, which is necessary where there are wounds to dress, a feeding tube, unstable diabetes or complex medication to oversee. Every provider on this page is registered as a nursing home. If nursing input is not required, residential care homes are usually the more suitable and less costly option.

What should be asked when visiting a nursing home in Durham?

Ask how many registered nurses are on duty across each shift and how often agency nurses are relied upon. Check how medicines are stored, administered and recorded, and what happens when a resident becomes unwell out of hours. Ask who writes the care plan, how often it is reviewed, and how families are told about a fall or a change in health. Where a home has been marked Requires Improvement, ask directly what has changed since the inspection.

How is a care needs assessment arranged in Durham?

Contact the adult social care team at Durham County Council and request an assessment of care and support needs. There is no charge and no means test attached, so it is worth doing even where care will be funded privately. The assessment should state clearly whether nursing care is required, since that shapes both the type of home and the funding route. If the person is in hospital, the ward team can begin the process before discharge.

Can Durham County Council fund a nursing home placement?

It may, once both a care needs assessment and a financial assessment have been completed. The needs assessment must establish that nursing care in a residential setting is the appropriate form of support. The financial assessment then considers income, savings and capital to set the contribution expected. Where nursing care is needed, ask separately about the funded nursing care contribution towards the nursing element, as that is assessed differently from the rest of the fee.

How early should the search for a nursing home begin?

Starting before a crisis is always preferable, because choice narrows sharply when a decision must be made within days. Six to eight weeks allows room for assessments, several visits and a careful read of the inspection reports. Nursing placements often follow a hospital admission, where the timescale is much shorter and the council team is the fastest route. Even a provisional shortlist prepared early means an urgent decision is still an informed one.

Nursing Homes in Durham

Durham has 9 CQC registered nursing homes. 6 are rated Good, 2 Requires improvement, and 1 has not yet been rated. 6 of the 9 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Durham at a glance

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

Durham County Council pays, residential care: £857 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,331 to £1,392, median £1,369
Care home beds filled across County Durham: 89%. The 12 month average is 88%.
Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 85
People aged 75 and over: 58,300. Rising to 68,700 by 2035, up 18%
Care homes, last 12 months: 0 opened, 1 closed. 20 changed owner, covering 844 beds.
Who pays, across County Durham (estimate): 51% council, 26% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 7,500. Rising to 9,300 by 2035, up 24%
People aged 85 and over: 14,200. Rising to 20,600 by 2035, up 44%

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

Comparing the Nursing Homes Listed in Durham

What nursing registration actually provides

Every provider on this page is registered as a nursing home, meaning a registered nurse is on duty alongside care staff. That matters where there are wounds requiring dressing, a feeding tube in place, unstable diabetes, or a medication regime that needs clinical oversight. It is worth confirming with each home which clinical needs it routinely manages, since registration sets the outer limit rather than describing day to day practice. Ask how nursing cover is arranged overnight and at weekends.

Working through the inspection evidence

Of the nine homes here, six hold a Good judgement, two are marked Requires Improvement, and one carries no published rating yet. A Requires Improvement outcome does not rule a home out, but it does require reading further: check which of the five key questions fell short, whether the concern involved safety, staffing, medicines or record keeping, and how recently the report was published. Then ask the home what changed afterwards and what evidence it can show. Where no rating appears, that usually reflects an inspection not yet completed rather than anything adverse.

What to look at on a visit

Spend time in the communal areas rather than touring only the best room, and go in the late afternoon when staffing is thinnest. Ask how many registered nurses are on each shift and how often agency nurses are used. Ask who writes the care plan, how often it is reviewed, and how families are told about a change in health or a fall. Continuity of nursing staff shapes outcomes more than any feature of the building.

Arranging Care and Working Out the Cost

The assessment of needs

A care needs assessment records the support required with washing, dressing, eating, mobility and medicines, and sets out what clinical care has to continue. It is free and open to anyone who appears to need care, whatever their savings. A relative providing most of that support can request a carer assessment at the same time. Where nursing care is required, the assessment should say so explicitly, since it shapes both the type of home and the funding route.

How funding is decided

A financial assessment weighs income, savings and capital to establish what the person contributes and whether public money covers the balance. Property is treated differently depending on circumstances, including whether a spouse still lives there. The adult social care team at Durham County Council carries out both assessments and can explain what support may be available while an application is pending.

Reading the fee schedule

Ask each home for a written breakdown separating accommodation, personal care, nursing input, laundry, activities and escorted appointments, with extras marked plainly, and ask how often fees are reviewed.

9 nursing homes in Durham

Rushyfields Residential and Nursing Home · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Kingsway Nursing Home · Durham, County Durham · CQC Requires improvement
St Margaret's Care Home · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Brandon Lodge Care Home · Durham, County Durham · CQC Requires improvement
Melbury Court · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Belmont Grange Nursing and Residential Home · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
Lindisfarne Shotton · Durham, County Durham
Abbotts Court Care Home · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good
St Aiden's Cottage · Durham, County Durham · CQC Good

What care costs in County Durham, per week

Type of care	What the council pays	What self-funders are typically asked
Residential care North East figure, because too few County Durham homes publish this price. 13 homes. Median £1,369.	£857	£1,331 to £1,392
Nursing care England figure, because too few County Durham homes publish this price. 140 homes. Median £1,916.	£890	£1,600 to £2,071
Residential dementia care North East figure, because too few County Durham homes publish this price. 14 homes. Median £1,458.	Not published separately	£1,268 to £1,548
Nursing dementia care England figure, because too few County Durham 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

Kingsway Nursing Home, 3 March 2026, Requires improvement
Brandon Lodge Care Home, 6 February 2025, Requires improvement
Belmont Grange Nursing and Residential Home, 21 February 2023, Good

Longest since a report

St Margaret's Care Home, 11 February 2020, Good
Melbury Court, 9 April 2020, Good
St Aiden's Cottage, 22 April 2021, Good

Frequently asked questions about nursing homes in Durham

How many nursing homes are there in Durham?

Durham has 9 CQC registered nursing homes: 6 Good, 2 Requires improvement, 1 not yet rated. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.

How much does a nursing home cost in Durham?

Durham County Council pays an average of £857 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,331 to £1,392 a week. North East figure, because too few County Durham homes publish this price. 13 homes. Median £1,369. 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 Durham were inspected most recently?

Kingsway Nursing Home (3 March 2026), Brandon Lodge Care Home (6 February 2025) and Belmont Grange Nursing and Residential Home (21 February 2023) have the most recent CQC reports.

Local care news in County Durham

New 48 bed care home registered with CQC in County Durham: Willowdene Care Home (5 November 2026)

More local care news for County Durham