Nursing Homes in Southport

Southport has 23 CQC registered nursing homes. 14 are rated Good, 1 Outstanding, 6 Requires improvement, and 2 have not yet been rated. 16 of the 23 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Arranging nursing care in Southport and meeting the cost

Nursing care brings an extra layer of assessment, because someone with clinical training has to be satisfied that a nursing placement is the right answer rather than residential care with visiting support. That judgement shapes everything that follows, including the funding.

The assessment and who carries it out

An assessment of care needs is free, is not means tested and is open to anyone who appears to need care. For nursing homes it usually involves a nurse assessor as well as a social worker, looking at wounds, continence, swallowing, medication and how often clinical attention is required overnight. Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council Adult Social Care carries out that assessment and the financial assessment that follows it. Where nursing needs are substantial, the assessment should also consider whether continuing healthcare funding through the health service applies, which is decided separately from the council's means test.

Fees, contributions and the nursing element

The financial assessment weighs income, savings and capital, and where these sit above the national threshold the placement is privately funded. Below it, the council contributes up to a level it judges sufficient for assessed needs, and a third party top up may be sought where a more expensive home is preferred. Nursing homes attract a separate contribution towards the cost of registered nursing care, paid by the health service directly to the home rather than to the family. Ask each home for its weekly rate in writing, how the nursing contribution is shown on an invoice, and what is charged on top.

Choosing a nursing home in Southport

With grades spread across this list, the reports matter more than usual.

What the inspection findings tell you

Fourteen homes here are rated Good, one holds Outstanding, six carry Requires Improvement and two are unrated. In nursing homes, inspectors pay close attention to medicines management, pressure area care, nurse staffing levels and how well clinical records are kept, which is precisely where the difference between homes shows. Where a home is rated Requires Improvement, read what was found and ask what has changed since, checking the date of the visit. A recent report naming staffing shortfalls deserves more weight than an older one describing paperwork problems that have since been fixed.

What to ask and look for on a visit

Ask how many registered nurses are on duty by day and overnight, and how the home covers a nurse who calls in sick. Ask how the home works with local district nursing and GP services, how quickly it responds to a deteriorating resident, and what its record is on avoidable hospital admissions. Watch how staff speak to residents who cannot easily reply, whether call bells are answered promptly, and whether people are repositioned and supported at mealtimes with patience. Ask what the home changed after its last inspection, then read the report and see whether the two accounts agree. Ask as well how the home supports families at the end of life, since a nursing home is often the last place someone lives and that part of the job deserves a considered answer.

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