Nursing Homes in Gloucester

Gloucester has 18 CQC registered nursing homes. 12 are rated Good, 2 Outstanding, 4 Requires improvement. 11 of the 18 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Choosing between the nursing homes in Gloucester

What registered nursing actually buys you

A qualified nurse on duty at any hour is what families are really securing when they choose from this list, and it is worth being clear about what that does and does not cover. It means clinical tasks can be carried out on site: wound dressings, catheter and stoma care, monitoring of a condition that shifts week to week, and medication that needs professional judgement rather than a prompt. It does not mean hospital level treatment, and it does not always mean specialist expertise in a particular condition, so ask directly about experience with dementia, stroke recovery or neurological illness. Where those needs are complex, a home such as The Dean Neurological Centre exists precisely because some conditions call for focused knowledge.

Reading the inspection outcomes across Gloucester

Eighteen nursing homes appear here, and every one of them has been inspected and rated, which is more than can be said for some areas. Two hold an Outstanding rating, Foundation House and Saintbridge House Nursing and Residential Home, twelve are rated Good, and four have been told they require improvement. An Outstanding rating is genuinely rare and worth understanding rather than simply trusting, so read what inspectors singled out. Equally, a home rated as needing improvement may already have acted on the findings, and the report will show whether the concerns were about paperwork or about care itself.

What to look for once you visit

Ask how many registered nurses are rostered by day and by night, and how often those posts are filled by agency staff, because continuity of nursing is what keeps a care plan consistent. Watch how staff greet residents they were not expecting to see, whether people are up and occupied, and how unhurried the mealtimes are. Ask what happens when someone deteriorates at night and how the home works with the local GP practice. Visiting twice, once in the morning and once late in the day, tells you more than any single tour.

Arranging care and working out the cost

The care needs assessment comes first

Everyone who appears to need care and support has the right to a care needs assessment, whatever their savings, and it is this assessment that records whether nursing care is required rather than residential care. You can request one from the Gloucestershire County Council adult social care team, and if the person is in hospital the ward can arrange it before discharge is agreed. A financial assessment follows separately, measuring income and capital against the national thresholds to establish what the person contributes. Completing both before you commit to a home avoids agreeing fees that later turn out to be unsustainable.

Fees, funding and the help available

Nursing home fees sit above residential fees because qualified nursing cover is built into the weekly rate, and they vary between homes in Gloucester according to the room, the location and the level of need. Where someone is assessed as needing care from a registered nurse, the NHS pays a contribution known as funded nursing care straight to the home, reducing the amount charged for the nursing element. A smaller group of people whose needs are primarily health related may qualify for NHS continuing healthcare, which meets the whole cost. Where capital falls below the national threshold, Gloucestershire County Council contributes towards the fees, with the resident paying an assessed amount from their income. Always ask for the fee schedule in writing and check what sits outside it, such as hairdressing, chiropody and outings.

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Nursing Homes near Gloucester

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