Now you have decided what sort of care you need and how it is likely to be paid for, you can start to think about choosing a home.

There is a lot to consider when choosing a care home. Issues such as standards of care, quality of life and peace of mind play a huge part in the decision.

This can be a stressful time. In an ideal world you would have already selected a home for you or your relative well in advance. A bit of forward planning often makes the process of selecting a home far less daunting. However in many cases you don’t have the luxury of time.

In either case the principles are the same.

Where do you start?

Ask around. Get a feel for what’s available from friends, neighbours and relatives. People will often have experiences of care homes that they are willing to share.

A personal recommendation is a very good place to start. If you are a member of a church or social group perhaps someone will be able to recommend a suitable home.

Ask the professionals. Speak to your Doctor. What do they think about the local homes? What would they recommend?

Speak to your local Social Services department. They will be able to give you a list of all the homes registered in your area.

Inspection Reports

Once you have a short list of homes you are interested in you might find it useful to get hold of the most recent inspection report. These are independent reports that are produced by the authorities that are responsible for regulating care homes. You can find copies of the inspection reports on the relevant website.

In England it is the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). Their web site is http://www.csci.org.uk

In Wales it is the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales. Their web site is http://www.csiw.wales.gov.uk

In Scotland the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care at http://www.carecommission.com

Choosing the right home

If you are paying for the home yourself you can choose any home you want. If the local authority is paying part of your fees it doesn’t mean you have to go into a local authority home.

You can request any home that accepts service users funded by the local authority. If the home is more expensive than the local authority would normally pay you are allowed to 'top up'. The top up would be paid by a third party source such as a friend, relative or Benevolent Fund.

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