Nursing Homes in Northwood

Northwood has 5 CQC registered nursing homes. 5 are rated Good. 2 of the 5 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Arranging and Funding Nursing Care in Northwood

Where to begin

The starting point is a care needs assessment, not a shortlist. It is free, it is not means tested, and it sets down in writing what level of support is required, including whether a registered nurse is genuinely needed. Homes work from it when they decide whether they can meet the need and what to charge, and no funding decision is made without it, so requesting it first saves repeating the same account to everybody in turn.

What the council does

Assessments and funded social care are the responsibility of the London Borough of Hillingdon Adult Social Care, which will also assess a family carer's own needs where asked. A financial assessment of income and capital is carried out separately, measured against thresholds set nationally rather than locally, so ask for the figures in force this year instead of relying on remembered ones.

The nursing element of the fee

Nursing home fees generally sit above residential ones because of the staffing they require. Where somebody is assessed as needing care from a registered nurse, a contribution towards that element may be met by the health service rather than by the council or the family, and it is assessed on a separate basis from social care funding. Ask how that contribution is shown on the invoice, and ask what is charged above the weekly rate.

Choosing Between the Nursing Homes in Northwood

Establishing that nursing is what is needed

The choice between nursing and residential care is clinical rather than a matter of preference. A nursing registration means a registered nurse is on duty on the premises, which is what allows a home to manage wound care, catheters, feeding tubes, unstable conditions and medication given by injection. Where none of that applies, a residential home may suit better and usually costs less, so the first question is which specific task needs a nurse.

Reading reports when every grade matches

Where all five homes are rated Good, the grade cannot separate them and the report has to do that work instead. Look at what inspectors wrote under each of the five key questions, note how recently each home was visited, and compare the substance rather than the headline. A home inspected four years ago and one inspected last spring are not equally well evidenced, even at the same grade.

What to establish on a visit

Ask how many registered nurses are on duty on a weekday, at a weekend and overnight, and ask it as a question about numbers. Ask how much of the nursing rota is covered by agency staff, and how long the permanent team has been in post. Ask what happens when a resident deteriorates at night and who decides whether to call for medical help.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Northwood
• Home Care in Northwood

Nursing Homes near Northwood

• Pinner
• Watford
• Rickmansworth
• Harrow
• Uxbridge
• Stanmore
• Gerrards Cross
• Edgware
• Wembley
• Hayes