Nursing Homes in Maidstone

Maidstone has 15 CQC registered nursing homes. 9 are rated Good, 3 Requires improvement, and 3 have not yet been rated. 4 of the 15 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Arranging and funding a nursing home place in Maidstone

More parties than a residential placement

Nursing placements involve an extra layer, because health funding may cover part or all of the nursing element while the local authority looks at the accommodation and personal care. Establishing who is assessing what, and when, is the single most useful thing to do early, since the answer determines who pays for which part and how quickly a decision arrives.

The care needs assessment

Anyone who appears to need care and support has a right to an assessment, whatever their savings. It is carried out by Kent County Council, which considers what the person can manage safely alone and what support would close the gap. Ask for it in writing where you can and keep a note of names and dates. A relative providing regular unpaid support can request a separate carer's assessment, and a hospital discharge team can begin the process for someone currently an inpatient.

What a nursing placement costs

A financial assessment establishes what, if anything, the local authority contributes towards accommodation and personal care. Savings and most income are counted, and the value of a property may also be taken into account for a permanent placement, depending on who else still lives there. Weekly fees are typically higher than for residential care and vary between the fourteen homes listed here. Ask for the figure in writing together with a clear statement of what falls outside it, and ask how any contribution towards nursing costs appears on the invoice.

Choosing the right nursing home in Maidstone and what to look for

Ask about nurses, not simply staff

When visiting, ask specifically how many registered nurses are on duty during the day and overnight, and how many residents each covers. Ask how cover is arranged when a nurse calls in sick, because heavy reliance on agency staff tends to show up in continuity. Ask which GP practice covers the home, how quickly a doctor attends, and what happens when a resident becomes acutely unwell at night.

Reading the ratings and the reports

Three homes here are rated Requires Improvement and two have yet to be rated. A rating below Good is a reason to read rather than a reason to stop, since the report sets out what inspectors found and what the provider was asked to put right, and medicines management is worth particular attention in a nursing setting. Homes such as Loose Valley Nursing Home, Barty House Nursing Home and Poplars Care Centre will each differ in ways no summary conveys.

Communication when things change

Ask how the home contacts families when a resident's condition changes overnight. In nursing care that single habit separates the homes families come to trust from the ones they end up chasing for answers. Ask as well what the home does when a resident needs to go into hospital and how the place is held open, because that arrangement varies more than families expect and is easier to settle in advance than in an emergency. It is also worth asking how often the registered manager works on the floor rather than in the office.

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