Nursing Homes in Stowmarket

Stowmarket has 3 CQC registered nursing homes. 1 is rated Good, 2 Requires improvement. 1 of the 3 was last inspected more than three years ago.

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

What nursing care in Stowmarket involves and what to look for

Nursing care exists for the point at which care staff, however capable, are no longer enough on their own. Medication needs monitoring, wounds need dressing, swallowing has become unsafe, or a condition is changing faster than a residential home can follow. Registration as a nursing home requires a qualified nurse on the premises at all times, which is what makes that possible without a further move later.

Where the three homes stand on inspection

Cedrus House holds a Good rating from the Care Quality Commission. Chilton Meadows Care Home and Langham Manor are both rated Requires Improvement. Those ratings describe each home at its most recent inspection rather than for good, and the reports set out precisely what inspectors wanted put right, which gives you a specific list to work from. Asking a manager what has changed since, and what evidence supports it, is more useful than discounting a home on its grade alone.

What to establish in person

Ask how many registered nurses are on duty by day and overnight, and how often those shifts are covered by agency staff. Ask how the home works with district nurses, the resident's own doctor and hospital teams, and what happens when somebody deteriorates in the night. Ask about pressure care, support with eating and drinking, and how the home handles end of life care. Where a home has been marked down, ask to see what it has put in place since.

Getting an assessment and sorting out the funding

The care needs assessment

A care needs assessment is free and open to anybody who appears to need care and support, whatever their savings, and it is the right first step even where a family expects to fund a placement privately. It is arranged through the Suffolk County Council social care team, the body responsible for adult social care and funded support in this area, and it produces a written account of what the person needs. A separate financial assessment then examines capital and income, and asking for both at once saves a good deal of waiting.

The routes to paying

Above the national capital threshold a placement is privately funded. Below it the council contributes on a means tested basis, with the resident paying an assessed amount from income while keeping a protected personal allowance. Nursing care brings a further route, since continuing healthcare funding is decided by the health service and can meet a placement in full where somebody qualifies. A separate contribution is also paid towards registered nursing input, so ask how any quoted fee is made up.

Cost in context

Weekly fees differ between these homes according to the nursing involved and the type of room, and nursing care generally costs more than residential care. No single local figure applies, so ask in writing what a fee covers, what falls outside it and how often it is reviewed. Confirm current fees and availability with each provider through its profile here.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Stowmarket
• Home Care in Stowmarket