Checklist when choosing a care home
The best way to help you decide if a care home is suitable for you or a family member is to visit the home. Talking to staff, residents and managers can help you to get an idea of what living there might be like. You should feel able to visit more than once.
If you are looking for a care home for yourself or a member of your family, the information on this page may help you to make an informed choice.
Questions to ask when visiting a care home
Location
- Is the home near to family and friends?
- Is it convenient for shops and public transport?
- What are the surroundings like?
Accomodation
- Is there a current Registration Certificate prominently displayed?
- Is the home clean and well decorated? Are the furnishings adequate and comfortable? Are residents allowed to bring their own furniture?
- Heating - are there individual controls?
- Is there a phone where residents can take calls in privacy and comfort? Can you install your own phone in your room?
- Is the manager or duty manager available at all reasonable times?
- Are the bedrooms pleasant and properly equipped? Are they en-suite and if not where is the nearest bathroom?
- Can residents lock their rooms?
- Are rooms such as the lounge and dining room pleasantly furnished? It is possible to sit quietly?
- Are there extra wheelchairs, walking frames and other mobility aids available?
- Do residents have access to a garden or other private outdoor area? Is there somewhere to sit?
- Is there a lift?
- Is alcohol permitted?
- Are people allowed to smoke in any parts of the care home?
Care
- Are you made welcome on arrival? Is there a welcoming atmosphere?
- Are residents treated with respect, consideration and affection? Do they have a degree of privacy if they wish it?
- Are residents allowed to choose where to be and what to do?
- Are there restriction times on visiting for the family, friends and other guests?
- Are residents allowed to leave the home to visit family or friends?
- Is the diet wholesome, varied and interesting? Have you been provided with copies of typical menus? Is there a choice of meals? Are individual dietary needs catered for? Why not ask to eat a meal with the residents when you visit.
- What refreshments are available throughout the day?
- Is there flexibility for getting up and going to bed
- Are residents allowed visits from hairdressers, chiropodist, dentist, physiotherapist and other support agencies?
- Are trips and excursions available?
- Are you satisfied with the arrangements for spiritual needs
- Are hobbies and activities catered for and encouraged?
- Are drugs and medicine securely stored and is their issue supervised? Can you have a choice of GP?
- Does the home provide a brochure accurately describing its facilities, services, aims and objectives?
- If the residents needs change, what arrangements are made?
Professional conduct
- Does the manager have a caring attitude towards residents? • Does the staff duty rota provide continuous 24 hour cover by competent staff?
- What is the staff ratio to residents?
- What is the age range of the staff?
- Does the home operate a standard procedure to assess the care needs of potential residents?
- Is information on residents stored confidentially?
- Were you permitted/encouraged to talk in private to existing residents to seek their views on the suitability of the home? Did they look happy and well cared for?
- Does the home make provision of short-term accommodation for relatives of seriously ill residents?
Finances
- Will you be offered a formal and comprehensive written contract of residence? How much notice is required on either side to cancel the contract?
- If there is no standard contract, then terms should be agreed and a document setting out those terms should be signed by all parties including the council (if they are arranging your care or contributing to its costs).
- Can you afford the fees on a long-term basis?
- How often does the home increase the fees? Will you be able to afford regular increases? Will you have to move if you can’t?
- Are the fees payable in advance? If so, is there a refund if you leave?
- What do the fees include? Is there an extra charge for additional services such as laundry, hairdressing, chiropody, extra care, incontinence pads and sheets, newspapers, toiletries, physiotherapy?
- What proportion of the fees are payable in the cases of temporary absence such as holidays or hospital admission?
- What is the care home’s approach to ‘top-ups'?
Email this pageLast modified by: Dawn Rowe on 11/02/2009