Nursing Homes in Wigan

Wigan has 30 CQC registered nursing homes. 23 are rated Good, 3 Outstanding, 3 Requires improvement, and 1 has not yet been rated. 23 of the 30 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 Wigan

Getting the sequence right saves a great deal of difficulty. An assessment establishes the care that is needed, a financial assessment establishes who pays for it, and the twenty six nursing homes listed here divide into realistic and unrealistic options only once both are settled.

Requesting a care needs assessment

Anyone who appears to need care and support can ask for an assessment, and the request may equally come from a relative, a GP or a hospital discharge team. It is free and does not depend on savings. Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council Adult Social Care is responsible for carrying it out and for the financial assessment that follows, which sets out how much of the weekly fee the council will meet and how much the resident contributes. Families expecting to pay privately still benefit from having eligible needs recorded.

The funding routes worth asking about

A nursing placement rarely draws on a single source. The health service pays a contribution towards care given by a registered nurse directly to the home rather than to the resident. Where someone's primary need is a health need rather than a social one, a further assessment can lead to the whole package being funded through the health service. What remains is divided between the council and the resident on the basis of the financial assessment, and the council pays only up to a set weekly rate.

Getting the cost picture clear

Fees are set by each provider and differ across the homes listed, so ask for a written schedule rather than a figure quoted on the telephone. Check what is charged separately, such as chiropody, hairdressing, newspapers or escorted appointments. Ask how much notice precedes an increase, whether the room is held during a hospital admission and what happens when private savings fall to the level at which council support begins.

Choosing the Right Nursing Home in Wigan and What to Look For

Reading the inspection outcomes

Belong Atherton Care Village, Belong Wigan Care Village and The Rowans Care Home hold the three Outstanding ratings on this list. Nineteen homes are rated Good, three are rated Requires Improvement and one is not yet rated. A rating is a judgement made on a single date, so open the report, check when the inspection took place and look at which of the five key questions were marked down. Concerns about medicines or staffing call for a fuller explanation than concerns about paperwork.

Matching the home to the clinical need

Nursing spans a wide range, from wound and pressure care to diabetes management, catheter care, complex medication and support at the end of life. Ask what each home is equipped and experienced to handle, how many registered nurses are on duty overnight and how much agency cover is used. Ask what would happen if a resident deteriorated and whether they would have to move elsewhere.

What a visit tells you

Go when the home is busy. Watch how staff speak to residents who are not expecting visitors, whether people are occupied and how quickly call bells are answered. Seeing a meal served, and the help given with it, is worth more than a tour of empty rooms.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Wigan
• Home Care in Wigan

Nursing Homes near Wigan

• Leigh
• Skelmersdale
• St Helens
• Bolton
• Chorley
• Warrington
• Ormskirk