Nursing Homes in Gillingham
Gillingham has 11 CQC registered nursing homes. 7 are rated Good, 3 Requires improvement, and 1 has not yet been rated. 7 of the 11 were last inspected more than three years ago.
Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.
Gillingham at a glance
What the local numbers say about care for older people in Gillingham, to help you judge the options below.
- Medway Council pays, residential care: £875 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,500 to £1,809, median £1,600
- Care home beds filled across Medway: 90%. The 12 month average is 87%.
- Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 64
- People aged 75 and over: 23,900. Rising to 26,900 by 2035, up 13%
- Care homes, last 12 months: 1 opened, 2 closed
- Who pays, across Medway (estimate): 51% council, 28% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
- Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 3,100. Rising to 3,700 by 2035, up 21%
- People aged 85 and over: 5,800. Rising to 8,500 by 2035, up 47%
Planned and recent building work within 5 miles
- 6 Capstone Road Lordswood Chatham Medway. Application for a 6 bed care home through a change of use. Submitted 15 October 2025. Decision not yet recorded. (1.7 miles away)
- Land Adjacent To 419 Walderslade Road Walderslade Chatham Medway. Application for a 35 bed nursing home. Submitted 16 June 2026. Decision not yet recorded. (2 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.
Arranging and Funding Nursing Care in Gillingham
A move into nursing care is usually reached rather than chosen, arriving when a condition has gone beyond what a residential home can safely manage. Because it often follows a hospital admission, the paperwork gets compressed into a handful of days. Knowing the order in advance takes a good deal of the pressure out of that week: a care needs assessment establishes what support is required, and a financial assessment establishes who pays for it.
Assessments and Continuing Healthcare
Medway Council is the authority responsible for carrying out the care needs assessment and for arranging funded support where a person is eligible. Where needs are primarily clinical rather than social, a separate assessment for continuing healthcare funding may apply, and that decision rests with the health service rather than the council. Raise it explicitly, since it is not always mentioned unprompted and it changes the financial position entirely. A relative already providing care can ask for an assessment of their own needs at the same time, which is worth doing before exhaustion sets in.
What the Weekly Fee Covers
Nursing fees sit above residential rates because a registered nurse is on duty around the clock. A financial assessment takes account of savings, income and usually the value of a property, with those above the threshold paying the fee the home quotes and those below receiving a contribution at a rate the council sets. A separate nursing care contribution is paid by the health service towards the nursing element in most cases. Ask what falls outside the weekly figure, how the fee would be reviewed if health needs increased, and what would happen if savings dropped below the threshold in a year or two.
Choosing Between the Nursing Homes in Gillingham
Making Use of the Ratings
Heatherdale Healthcare Limited, Grace Manor Care Centre, Pembroke House, Stuart House, Fern Brook Lodge, Darland House and The Mellowes Care Home are among those rated Good, a judgement reached on findings about safety, effectiveness, care, responsiveness and leadership. Charing House and Osbern Manor Care Home currently carry Requires Improvement ratings, and in each case the report names exactly what inspectors found. That is not by itself a reason to rule a home out, but it does make the questions specific: what was found, what has changed since, and who is managing the home today. A home can be strong on clinical care while being asked to improve elsewhere.
What to Look For in Person
Visit around a mealtime, when a home is busiest and least able to present a tidied version of itself. Ask how many registered nurses are on duty on a day shift and on a night shift, and how much agency cover is relied on across a typical week. Ask how pressure care, pain relief and swallowing difficulties are managed, how quickly a doctor attends, and how families are told when something changes. Ask as well what the home does when a resident is distressed, because that answer says more about how the place is led than any tour of the building.
11 nursing homes in Gillingham
- Heatherdale Healthcare · Gillingham, Medway · CQC Good
- Charing House · Gillingham, Medway · CQC Requires improvement
- Grace Manor Care Centre · Gillingham, Medway · CQC Good
- Pembroke House · Gillingham, Medway · CQC Requires improvement
- Byron Lodge Care Home · Gillingham, Medway · CQC Good
- Osbern Manor Care Home · Gillingham, Medway
- Stuart House · Gillingham, Medway · CQC Good
- Fern Brook Lodge · Gillingham, Dorset · CQC Good
- Darland House · Gillingham, Medway · CQC Good
- Osbern Manor Care Home · Gillingham, Medway · CQC Requires improvement
- The Mellowes Care Home · Gillingham, Dorset · CQC Good
What care costs in Medway, per week
| Type of care | What the council pays | What self-funders are typically asked |
|---|---|---|
| Residential care South East figure, because too few Medway homes publish this price. 107 homes. Median £1,600. | £875 | £1,500 to £1,809 |
| Nursing care South East figure, because too few Medway homes publish this price. 63 homes. Median £1,933. | £1,126 | £1,617 to £2,080 |
| Residential dementia care South East figure, because too few Medway homes publish this price. 82 homes. Median £1,709. | Not published separately | £1,571 to £1,942 |
| Nursing dementia care South East figure, because too few Medway 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
- Pembroke House, 25 August 2026, Requires improvement
- Osbern Manor Care Home, 22 April 2026, Requires improvement
- Byron Lodge Care Home Ltd, 27 September 2024, Good
Longest since a report
- Darland House, 20 June 2018, Good
- Stuart House, 13 February 2019, Good
- Fern Brook Lodge, 4 March 2020, Good
Frequently asked questions about nursing homes in Gillingham
How many nursing homes are there in Gillingham?
Gillingham has 11 CQC registered nursing homes: 7 Good, 3 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 Gillingham?
Medway Council pays an average of £875 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,500 to £1,809 a week. South East figure, because too few Medway homes publish this price. 107 homes. Median £1,600. 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 Gillingham were inspected most recently?
Pembroke House (25 August 2026), Osbern Manor Care Home (22 April 2026) and Byron Lodge Care Home Ltd (27 September 2024) have the most recent CQC reports.