Arrange a visit or overnight stay
If you are considering moving into a care home, you (or a trusted friend or relative) should visit it first to make sure it meets your needs. Care homes are required by the Department of Health to offer trial stays. This is a chance to have a meal or sleep there overnight as well as meeting staff and residents to get an idea of what living there might be like.
You should feel able to visit more than once. Only make your decision once you are happy that you have enough information.
If you need help deciding if a care home is right for you, then a temporary stay could be the answer.
Ask lots of questions
When you visit a care home, it's a good idea to request their latest inspection report and ask lots of questions to find out whether it is the right place for you.
For example, find out if you can:
- have some personal belongings in your room
- take your pet
- choose what to eat every day
- invite your friends or relatives for meals
- prepare food or drinks between meals
- have visitors at any hour
- have a phone in your room to make private calls
- come and go as you please.
Decide if it suits you
Once you've visited a few care homes, think about your experiences and the responses to your questions. Consider whether the staff are friendly, the costs were explained, they let you meet residents, asked about your likes and dislikes and answered all of your questions. In general, find out if you'd be living your life in the way you choose.
How residential care is monitored
By law, care homes must meet certain standards of care that protect your safety and rights. Not all homes are inspected by the Care Quality Commission, but those that are must provide a copy of the report if you ask for one. You can order an inspection report from the Care Quality Commission – phone: 0870 240 7535.
In practical terms, if you live in care you can expect:
- to be involved and told what's happening at every stage of your care
- treatment and support that meets your needs
- to be safe
- to be cared for by qualified staff
- your care provider to constantly check the quality of its services.
Read a summary of the standards you should expect by law:
Making a complaint about a care home
If you have a complaint about a care home, the first thing you should do is tell the manager or another senior staff member. You might want to ask a friend or relative, a voluntary organisation like the Citizens Advice Bureau or a charity to help make your complaint.
If you're unsatisfied with the way the centre deals with your complaint, you can contact the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO). In most cases the LGO will only consider a complaint once the agency has been given the opportunity to deal with the situation. It's a free service and the LGO's job is to investigate complaints in a fair and independent way.
East Sussex County Council