Nursing Homes in Hove

Hove has 15 CQC registered nursing homes. 12 are rated Good, 1 Outstanding, 1 Requires improvement, and 1 has not yet been rated. 8 of the 15 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Planning and paying for nursing care in Hove

Nursing placements have more moving parts than residential ones, because the health service as well as the council may be involved in paying. Getting both assessments started early saves a great deal of difficulty later.

The care needs assessment

Any adult who appears to need care and support has a right to an assessment, free of charge and whatever their income or capital. Brighton and Hove City Council is responsible for carrying it out and for the financial assessment that follows where funded support may apply. Anyone providing unpaid care has a separate right to a carer assessment. Ask that the plan records the clinical element clearly, since that is what determines whether a nursing registration is needed at all.

Where the health service comes in

Where someone is placed in a nursing home, the health service may pay a contribution towards the nursing element of the fee, which is assessed separately from anything the council decides. If the primary need is a health need rather than a social one, continuing healthcare funding may cover the whole placement, and that is also a health service decision. Ask which assessments have been carried out and request the outcome in writing, because families are often told about one and not the other.

What the fee covers

Nursing homes quote by the week, and the figure reflects the room, the level of clinical need and the staffing that need requires. Ask for the rate in writing and establish what sits outside it, since hairdressing, chiropody, escorted appointments and some activities are commonly billed separately. Ask what notice is given of an increase and what happens if clinical needs rise after admission.

Comparing nursing homes in Hove and what to check

Fifteen homes is enough choice to be selective, and with nursing care the things worth checking are not the same as for residential care.

Reading the inspection reports

Glentworth House holds an Outstanding rating. Eleven homes are rated Good, among them Wavertree House, Seaway Nursing Home, Oaklands, Regent House Nursing Home and Downlands. One is marked Requires Improvement and two carry no rating yet. Look particularly at what inspectors said about medicines, wound care, pressure area management and nurse staffing levels, because those are the areas where a nursing home either delivers or does not.

Questions about clinical cover

Ask how many registered nurses are on duty on each shift, including at night and at weekends, and how often agency nurses are used. Ask how the home works with the GP practice and the district nursing team, and what it does when someone deteriorates suddenly. Ask how end of life care is handled and whether staff have training in it.

What a visit should tell you

Go when the home is busy rather than at its quietest. Watch whether residents who cannot move themselves are repositioned and spoken to, how long call bells ring, and whether the atmosphere in the late afternoon is calm or stretched. Ask whether you may return unannounced.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Hove
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Nursing Homes near Hove

• Brighton
• Lancing
• Burgess Hill
• Worthing