Navigating the care sector can be extremely complex and confusing for families and loved ones, many of whom have had no prior experience in arranging care or have discovered that support services available from their local council may be limited.
Here, Forest Healthcare has outlined some of the many types of specialist, personalised and fully supported care available from our range of outstanding care homes and nursing centres across the UK – clarifying which aspects of care we can help with and providing indications as to the services that may be suited to the needs and welfare of you and your family.
Specialist Private Care Centre Services Explained
It’s always worth reiterating the contrasts between care homes, nursing homes and other types of residential care centres, as we recognise that many family members find this information helpful, especially when choosing the right care home for a loved one who cannot advocate for themselves.
Private care homes are just that; while you may have care funding that can cover or contribute towards the cost of care, we work as independent specialists in our respective fields and pride ourselves on exceptional standards, contributions to the community, and delivering varied activities that engage and entertain.
Understanding Types of Specialist Residential Care Home Services
Below, we’ve outlined some of the categories of specialist care we provide within our award-winning network and summarised when these services might be a good match for your care requirements.
Condition-Specific Care Centre Support
In many cases, families seek professional care help when the condition or prognosis of a loved one deteriorates or develops in line with the progression of a disease or cognitive illness. Condition-specific support means that teams of carers, nurses and visiting therapists have a well-established knowledge of how to care for the individual while adapting their approach to the person’s needs, wishes and right to independence.
Our specialist care centres offer varied and comprehensive condition-based support, including residential and nursing care centre accommodation for residents requiring:
- Acquired brain injury support
- Dementia care services
- Parkinson’s disease care
- Stroke rehabilitation assistance
Familiarity and continuity are often key, especially for residents living with dementia, dealing with the ongoing progression of conditions such as Parkinson’s, or undergoing therapies and rehabilitation to recover from a stroke.
Specialist Respite Care Services
Respite care is often described as a lifeline by families. It provides an ongoing or short-term structured level of assistance to supplement the care family caregivers can offer and ensures they have the time, space, and capacity to look after their own well-being.
This specialist care service is, as with every supportive care plan from Forest Healthcare, based on need and might work as follows:
- Regular respite care, where a loved one stays with our warm, welcoming and friendly care teams periodically, giving families a few days or a week per month to rest, relax, recuperate or focus on their own self-care.
- Emergency respite is provided when a primary caregiver is unwell, requires a hospital stay, or needs support as quickly as possible. Respite carers endeavour to step in rapidly in an urgent scenario, such as when a loved one’s health or condition deteriorates but without access to or a clinical need for admission to a medical environment.
- Pre-arranged respite care can enable family caregivers to take a well-deserved break or holiday, or take care of other family, childcare or employment responsibilities.
Forest Healthcare’s care and nursing centres across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, London, Norfolk and Oxfordshire can all assist with dedicated respite care from our fully trained care teams.
Nursing Care Support in a Residential Setting
Many families report that the biggest benefit of utilising nursing care support is that they can rest assured that their loved one’s care is in great hands without feeling resigned to a medical or healthcare facility such as a hospital.
Care for a person with a life-limiting condition, where palliative care protects their autonomy and quality of life while controlling pain and symptoms.
End-of-life care, with highly regarded compassionate carers who focus on emotional support, comfort and facilitating visits from family members during this sensitive time.
If you’d like to discuss the care needs of yourself or a loved one or learn more about any of the types of specialist care covered within this guide, please feel free to contact your nearest Forest Healthcare centre directly.
Information Source – https://www.foresthc.com/specialist-care-services-available-in-private-care-homes/
Thousands of people looking for high-quality residential and nursing care homes rely on Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings to determine the standards of care offered within local facilities. They may refer to these ratings to make important decisions about the best possible support for a relative who has found it difficult to cope at home due to age, frailty, disability, or a medical condition.
It can reinforce the data provided through a CQC report and ensure you make informed judgements about the most reputable care home to look after the needs, dignity, and independence of a much-loved relative.
What Do CQC Inspection Ratings Tell You About the Quality of UK Care Homes?
The CQC in England and its counterparts in Wales and Scotland regulate the healthcare and social care system and ensure all service providers adhere to minimum standards.
Many families look primarily at the one-word ‘rating’ given, which can be:
- Outstanding: the service is doing very well and exceeding baseline standards.
- Good: the service is meeting all of the expected requirements.
- Requires Improvement: the service needs to make changes according to the guidance provided by the CQC.
- Inadequate: the service is unacceptable and will be subject to regulatory action such as a fine, suspension or order to make immediate improvements.
Forest Healthcare is proud to maintain the highest quality standards and to have achieved Good and Outstanding ratings across all services for a considerable number of years – but it’s also important to ensure families understand the relevance and limitations of this concise inspection outcome.
Speaking to care home staff in person, touring the centre, accommodation, communal spaces, and gardens, and reviewing testimonials from families or care recipients can provide insights into what day-to-day life at a care centre might look like and how cared-for residents feel.
Which Areas Do Inspectors Review When Rating a UK-Based Care Centre?
We’ve mentioned the one-word summary and should clarify that this approach to regulatory inspections across health and educational services is subject to controversy.
Although a Good or Outstanding care home rating is far preferable, achieving this status depends on how well the care home responds to Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs). Those areas inspected include:
- Safety: Protecting residents, staff and visitors from harm, ensuring adequate staffing with the necessary skills to provide care, administering medications safely and ensuring the site is clean and well-maintained.
- Effectiveness: ensuring residents have treatment, support and care to achieve good outcomes, with individualised care planning and efforts to improve quality of life.
- Care: Treating residents with dignity and compassion, fostering a caring culture, and having clear visiting policies for friends and relatives.
- Responsiveness: Meeting the needs of residents and adapting to changing preferences, involving loved ones in care planning, and noting interests and hobbies.
- Leadership: Implementing leadership focusing on person-centred care, where staff understand expectations and feel comfortable seeking help or reporting problems.
But as a family seeking warm and respectful care, the latest CQC rating may not be the only information you rely on when making such a big decision.
What Other Sources of Information Are Useful for Families Comparing Residential Care Facilities?
There is no doubt that independent CQC ratings are informative, but, notably, the last inspection may have occurred three years ago – the regulator will visit all care homes within six to 12 months of opening and then at least once every three years.
Checking for CQC Inspection Histories
Care homes with a strong track record and numerous consecutive Outstanding ratings are well-regarded and have demonstrated they go above and beyond the required standards for multiple years in a row. For example, we recently celebrated the Outstanding CQC rating awarded to Bridgeside Lodge Care Centre for the third time running—something only 4% of care homes achieve.
Reading Reviews Through Independent Third Party Sites
Carehome.co.uk is one of the most-used review sites where moderators verify that reviews are genuine. Participants can enter a review, including scores for value, accommodation, activities, catering, care and safety. As an illustration, Ash Court Care Centre, our facility in Camden, has a user-generated score of 9.9/10 – one of the highest scores achievable.
For more information about CQC ratings for care homes, or help understanding the right ways to assess the suitability of a care home for yourself or a loved one, you are welcome to contact Forest Healthcare, or your nearest care or nursing centre.
Information Source: – https://www.foresthc.com/the-quality-standards-applied-to-uk-care-homes-explained/
Hundreds of families need to make complex and often emotional decisions every week about how best to manage the care, welfare and safety of loved ones – and many more people are considering a move into a residential care or nursing facility as they find it difficult to cope independently at home.
Across the Forest Healthcare network, discussions about financing support are incredibly common. People and their loved ones need to assess whether they qualify for assistance or the proportion of their care costs they might be expected to self-fund.
Funding for Local Care Home Places: The Essential Information
The first point to cover is that your care needs, or those of your loved one, may influence the types of care and residential homes that are most suitable. For example, a residential home usually provides help with personal care and emotional support and offers comfortable, safe accommodation for residents with a team of qualified carers and support workers.
This all matters because, aside from the funding support available from your local council, you may qualify for additional or separate assistance from the NHS depending on your or your relative’s medical needs.
State vs Self-Funded Care Placements
There are two primary ways to cover the costs of a care home space, usually paid monthly or weekly depending on whether you require long-term ongoing care, or short-term assistance such as rehabilitation or respite care.
- Self-funding means paying for the care home fees directly. You can discuss your specific care needs with the care coordinator on-site.
- State funding means the local council pays for some or all of the care home costs.
In many cases, the local authority will pay a proportion of your care costs, and you may be expected to contribute the balance. Much relies on a means-testing process, where the council evaluates the income, assets, and overall wealth of the person requiring care.
Care Home Means Testing Thresholds 2024/25
Local authorities use means testing to ensure they allocate the right financial support to each claimant. However, we appreciate that many families find an evaluation of their assets and income intrusive.
The system is intended to ensure that individuals with low incomes and minimal capital remain able to access high-quality care and that more affluent families receive support proportional to their ability to contribute.
For the 2024/25 financial year in England, the thresholds are as follows:
- The lower limit is £14,250: a care recipient with income and capital below this value is normally entitled to fully state-funded care in a suitable setting.
- The upper limit is £23,250: if you or your loved one owns or earns above this value, you will typically be expected to cover all care home costs.
- Those with an income and assets between the two thresholds will generally receive partial state funding and independently finance the rest of their care costs.
While this system seems straightforward, it is often anything but. For example, some families find that their loved one is over the upper limit, but the majority of their capital is tied to a property they own and do not wish to sell.
Alternative Funding Options in England to Help With the Costs of a Local Residential Care Home
The NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding service is available for people with a primary health need who must have the right assistance to remain healthy and comfortable. The application process involves a care needs assessment, but there is no means testing element.
Currently, that contribution is set at £235.88 per week, although some people living in a nursing centre who began claiming before October 2007 may be eligible to claim up to £324.50 per week to assist with their care costs.
Independent Advice on Managing Care Home Costs
We recognise that the different funding options, means assessments, and care needs evaluations can be confusing. We hope this information outlines some of the various ways to access support with the costs of a care home or nursing care centre for yourself or a loved one.
The first step to arranging the right care may be to arrange a good time to visit your nearest Forest Healthcare centre. Our skilled care coordinators and managers can provide a guided tour to show you the accommodation, amenities and facilities, and discuss the right care solutions.
Information Source: – https://www.foresthc.com/funding-support-for-places-in-local-care-homes/
Many people and their loved ones find that moving from their own homes and transitioning to a nursing care home comes with mixed emotions, especially when everyday life becomes challenging and they require support with daily activities.
That might include reassurance that their care needs and personal care requirements will now be well looked after, combined with concerns about how life will change in a care setting or whether they will be able to make friends and continue to enjoy their favourite hobbies.
The right approach will, of course, depend on the individual and how they feel about relocating to a professional care centre, with some residents viewing a private, comfortable care space as a welcome transition, particularly when they have complex care needs and require round-the-clock support.
Planning Ahead of the Move into a Specialist Nursing Care Home
However, this is also a great time to raise any questions or organise an additional in-person visit to address any worries you might have. Additionally, our dedicated customer support team is available to answer any questions and assist with the transition into the nursing care home. For example:
• Many nursing centres have a range of optional activities and social events, such as hair salons, musical evenings, seasonal celebrations and open days. Be sure you are happy with all the services on offer and know which of those you might be expected to pay extra for.
• We always encourage new residents to furnish their private accommodation to their taste. You might wish to check the capacity of your room or suite to ensure your furniture or home comforts will fit nicely, or take a few pictures so you can sit down with your loved ones to plan the perfect layout.
• Visiting schedules vary between nursing homes, particularly for residents with more involved personal care requirements. It’s well worth asking when and for how long your family and friends can visit so you can start putting together a visitor schedule to look forward to.
Any good care home or nursing centre will be happy to spend as much time as you need discussing their routines, services, amenities and care provisions, and having a one-to-one chat or meeting a few members of the care team helps to ensure you’ll be greeted by a friendly face on the day.
Contributing to Your Nursing Centre Care Plan
Care plans are meticulously designed documents prioritising residents’ health and well-being, setting out everything your carers need to know – and they’re fluid, flexible plans that can change alongside any variations in your medication, health, preferences or wishes.
Rather than a form created solely for the use of registered nurses, a care plan is collaborative and covers everything from the foods and flavours you most enjoy to your medical needs.
Working through your residential care plan or taking a copy home to review in your own time is a great way to set your mind at ease.
You can review every detail and request necessary changes, advising the nursing centre or residential care home about any information that will make a difference to your comfort. That could include:
• Making a list of your favourite authors, TV shows or musicians to ensure you have a good range of books, movies, films or music to maintain a familiar routine.
• Advising on the food, drinks and snacks you like – and those you don’t! If the nursing care centre knows in advance that, for example, you aren’t fond of a certain flavour, they can remove it from your meal planning.
• Creating an overview of your preferred routine, or your routine for specific parts of the day such as settling down to sleep. You may wish to have warm cocoa at bedtime, play relaxing music in the evening, or have an hour or so of quiet time to enjoy a book.
Although care plans also include important information about medications, your health, the healthcare professionals engaged with your well-being and details such as whether a resident might need help with PEG feeding or mobility, this is also a space where you can record other requirements and wishes.
You are welcome to contact the nearest Forest Healthcare nursing team at any time for further guidance about nursing care, the complexities of the transition many families experience, and how you can make this as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Information Source: – https://www.foresthc.com/advice-on-managing-the-transition-to-a-nursing-care-home-with-sensitivity-and-compassion/
As a leading care home company, our experienced care and nursing centre managers often consult with families and loved ones who benefit from guidance, support and independent advice when making key decisions about the care for themselves or a relative.
We never underestimate the complexity of these conversations, which many find emotional, with concerns about how they can compare one care home to another or what they should ask to verify whether a residential home has the compassion, kindness and sensitivity they want their loved one to be treated with.
Evaluating Potential Residential Care Facilities
Family members pour time, effort and energy into finding the perfect home for older people and loved ones and often refer to regulatory inspection ratings published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England. These ratings are useful and provide a broad-stroke overview of how well a care home conforms to safeguarding, record-keeping, confidentiality and patient care standards.
You can also use resources such as CareHome.co.uk to access each care centre’s review score to see how other service users and residents feel about the care they have received.
However, it is always valuable to take the opportunity to visit a care home in person. Speaking to all the staff, getting a proper look at accommodation and suites, and seeing how carers engage and connect with their residents is a great indication of whether a care home has a friendly team and delivers good care.
Next, we’ll run through the questions we’d advise you to ask during those visits and before making any decisions.
1. What Care, Support, Accommodation and Amenities Are Inclusive?
Care homes charge varied fee structures, depending on the type of care required, the accommodation or suite a resident wishes to reserve, and whether the individual or family receive funding support to contribute towards their overall care costs.
Although most amazing care homes offer absolute transparency, it’s worth enquiring during your visit if you are unsure whether everything is included in that fee. For example, you might find that visiting therapists or beauticians offer manicures, haircuts and beauty treatments at an additional charge or that the care home can organise extra amenities within a room for a nominal fee.
Particularly when you are arranging long-term or complex care, you should be informed about any potential changes to care home fees, if these are reviewed annually, or whether you need to make a deposit there and then to avoid losing out on a high-demand accommodation space.
2. How Does the Care Centre Provide Entertainment, Activities or Opportunities for Socialisation?
Entertainment facilities add real value and ensure that all care home clients, whether living as residents in a dementia care or complex care setting or short-term recovery and rehabilitation care, have plenty of things to do, from crafting to day trips, garden parties to birthday celebrations and movie and quiz nights where residents chat, make friends and relax together.
Although all care homes are required to offer daily activities, the broader the range on offer, the better every resident will be able to pick and choose outings.
3. What Level of Nursing Care or Medical Expertise is Available?
If you are organising a care home place on behalf of a family member with an ongoing or degenerative medical condition or cognitive illness, the standard and availability of nursing support may be key. Care homes normally provide medication reminders and help patients take prescribed medicines at specific intervals, but more in-depth or ongoing supervision may be required.
For example, you might ask how the care team tracks medications and what they would do if a doctor or consultant prescribed a change in dosage.
4. How Often Are Family Members and Loved Ones Able to Visit?
Visiting arrangements may vary depending on the type of care delivered. However, even residents with profound disabilities or cognitive impairments benefit from regular visits from people they know and love, and the impact on their mental health is impossible to overstate.
Some care homes have specified visiting hours or durations or might allow a resident to have a maximum number of people per day to avoid overcrowding in smaller facilities.
5. Does the Care Home Cater to Individual Catering Preferences and Dietary Requirements?
Finally, meal times are a focal point for many care homes, and it’s important that your loved one can advise on the types of foods they like to eat – not solely based on medical requirements, allergies or intolerances.
please get in touch with Forest Healthcare at any time.
Information Source: – https://www.foresthc.com/choosing-a-great-care-home-company-for-you-or-your-loved-one/