Care homes

What is a Care Home?
Who is it for?
How do I get it?
Types of Care Home
What to look for
What does it cost?
Residency Agreement
How do I find a Care Home
What should I do if the Care Home is going to close?
Find out more

What is a Care Home?

A care home is a place where people can live and have their care needs met by trained staff in homely surroundings. 

• Care homes all have staff who have been trained to provide you with care in accordance with National Care Standards.
• Care homes are required to be registered and inspected by Care Inspectorate.
• Care homes which are registered with the Care Inspectorate to provide nursing care have trained nurses and can also provide additional equipment when you need it.
• Care homes which are registered with the Care Inspectorate to provide residential care do not provide nursing staff but can contact a community nurse to visit you should you need it.
• Care homes may be owned and run by Local Authorities, private individuals and companies or the voluntary sector.
• All homes provide meals and trained staff on call at all times.

 

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Who is it for?

A care home may be the answer for you if your needs cannot be met by care at home or supported housing.   An Assessment of your Care Needs is an important step in deciding if you need a care home or whether there are other ways of meeting your needs at home through extra home support, equipment or home adaptations.  If you are already receiving care at home and your needs have changed, you should let your Social Work Department know and your needs can be re-assessed.   If you have increased care needs for a limited period, your needs may be met by respite care, rather than entering a care home on a permanent basis. 

If all the options that might assist you to stay in your own home have been considered and a care home is still the best option to meet your assessed care needs, the next step will be to find a suitable care home. 

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How do I get it?

You should first ask your local Social Work Department for an Assessment of your Care Needs.  Even if you plan to arrange and pay for your own place in a care home, it is still a good idea to get an Assessment of your Care Needs before contacting a care home, to ensure that you are fully aware of all your options and to ensure that you receive any help you may be entitled to with paying care home fees. 

The Social Work Department can help you to find a care home whether or not you plan to fund your own place.  They will be able to provide you with a list of care homes which are suitable for your assessed needs and can also assist you in arranging a trial visit to a care home you are considering.  

You should have a choice of care home as long as:

• the accommodation is suitable in relation to your assessed needs
• to do so would not cost the Local Authority (if they are paying towards your care) more than it would usually expect to pay for accommodation for someone with those assessed needs
• the accommodation will be available
• the person in charge of the accommodation is wiling to provide the accommodation

 

It can sometimes be possible to arrange a place in a care home which is not in your own Local Authority if it is felt that the care home is a better fit for your needs.  The cost of the care home would, in that case, be funded by your own Local Authority.

You may be encouraged to think about more than one care home and rank them in order of preference in case your first choice of care home is fully occupied.   Further information on choice is contained in the following:

Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968

(Choice of Accommodation) Directions 1993 

Delayed Discharge Guidance

If you wish to arrange your own place in a care home, you will need to ensure the care home is registered with Care Inspectorate to provide the kind of care that meets your assessed needs (for example if you need nursing care you will want to select a care home that has trained nursing staff).  You can find this out by visiting the Care Inspectorate's website and checking its directory of care services.  Select a care home of your choice and read the latest inspection report.  The report will tell you what type of care the care home offers as well as the quality grades it has been awarded by Care Inspectorate across a range of areas.

The National Care Standards for Care Homes for Older People are a useful source of information in helping you identify what to look for when choosing a suitable care home. 

Once you identify a suitable care home, you will need to get more information about what they provide and to check if they have a place available.  Most care homes have their own websites with summary information about what they provide and you can call them for a copy of their current brochure, a copy of their residency agreement and their latest Care Inspectorate inspection report.  You will also need to think about what to look for when visiting the care home and about paying care home fees.  

You are entitled to make at least one visit which will enable you to see the home and its surroundings and talk to people who live there and the members of staff, all of which may enable you to make an informed choice.  You may also be abe to arrange a trial stay in the care home you are considering, to see if it is the right one for you.

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Types of Care Home

Care homes are registered with the Care Inspectorate to provide different kinds of care.

• Care homes registered to provide personal care provide help with washing, dressing and giving medication.
• Care homes registered to provide nursing care also provide personal care but have at least one qualified nurse on duty twenty-four hours a day to carry out nursing tasks.
• Some homes are registered for a specific care need, for example, dementia. 

 

Within care homes registered to provide residential care, health support can be provided from members of the visiting health care team for example, a GP, community nurse or physiotherapist.

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What to look for

If you are thinking of moving into a specific care home, you have the right to visit the Care Home at least once before moving in, to help you decide if you wish to move in permanently.  This right is set out in the National Care Standards for Care Homes for Older People.

You might like to think about the following things when you are considering moving into a care home and during your trial visit:

Location - is the care home near enough to your family and friends?  Does it have easy access or local transport to shops and leisure activities?  What about local access to a GP, medical centre or other healthcare services such as the dentist?  Will your GP make home visits to the care home?

Facilties - All care homes must provide you with your own room, you do not have to share with anyone if you do not want to.  (Double-rooms are available in some private care homes for single-occupancy on payment of an additional charge, and double-rooms, where available, can be provided for couples.)  What is provided in the room?  Can you bring some of your own furniture and possessions?  Does the care home have visiting services such as hairdressers, chiropodists or library services?  Do they have flexible meal times?  What are the meals like?  Do they cater for special dietary needs? 

Maintenance - Are the rooms and communal areas clean and well-cared for?  Are the grounds or garden well-maintained?  Is the furniture and equipment in good repair and suitable for your needs? 

Staff - Are the staff friendly and helpful?   Do they welcome your questions and try to answer them as fully as possible?  Are they happy for you to talk to the other residents?  Do they offer you a copy of their latest inspection report from the Care Inspectorate?  Do they provide evidence of staff training to meet the National Care Standards?

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What does it cost?

All care homes charge care home fees, and everyone contributes something towards the cost of their care in a care home.  The amount of help you may receive depends on the outcome of a financial assessment carried out by your local Social Work Department.  Anybody who has capital and savings over the upper capital limit is not entitled to assistance with care home costs.  For more information, see paying care home fees.

Residency Agreement

All care homes must provide you with a resident's agreement.  This is a written agreement required by the National Care Standards that sets out the terms and conditions of residency between the resident and the care provider.  The agreement lists the aims, objectives and principles of the service as well as outlining the type of accommodation that is provided and the various obligations that you and the care provider must abide by.  It details the type of care that will be provided as well as information of any trial period.  There is also a section on payment of fees as well as information on any additional service charges for extra goods and services in addition to the price for your care and accommodation.  The agreement also outlines how to make suggestions or complaints and includes information on notice and termination periods of the agreement.  The agreement should be signed by the resident and the care provider.

This information must be provided before you move into the care home. 

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How do I find a Care Home?

Our page on Finding a care home has details of registered care homes in Scotland.

A directory of registered care homes is available on the Care Inspectorate website.

Scottish Care is the representative organisation of independent care homes in Scotland and represents the majority of private care homes in Scotland, including some from the charity and voluntary sector. 

Scottish Care directory of independent care homes

If you are looking for a Care Home outside Scotland, the Elderly Accommodation Counsel (EAC) have a directory of housing for older people which covers the UK. 

EAC Directory of Housing     

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What should I do if the Care Home is going to close?

For information on care home closures view our What should I do if the Care Home is going to close? page.

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last updated 11/01/2012