Finding the right care
Searching for suitable care or a care home can be very stressful. The kinds of questions people ask include: How do I know what a home is really like? How do I assess the quality of the care provided? Your social worker or care manager should have information on local care providers, but it can really help to do some of your own research too.
Below are links to various websites that can give you free advice to help you navigate this difficult area. These are by no means the only websites out there that offer this service so do take the time to investigate further.
The Care Quality Commission website lists every care and nursing home in England, together with copies of inspection reports on all. You can search the site for homes by area, type of home required, etc. http://www.cqc.org.uk/registeredservicesdirectory/rsquicksearch.asp
The NHS Choices website has a video and a series of fact-sheets produced for those who are looking for a care home. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/goingintocare/Pages/goingintocarehome.aspx
A number of charities offer advice and information. For example:
i. Age UK provides help and advice on finding a care home at http://www.ageuk.org.uk/home-and-care/care-homes/finding-a-care-home/
ii. Counsel and Care provides similar advice at http://www.counselandcare.org.uk/finding-and-paying-for-a-care-home and is just about to publish the revised edition of its "Care Home Handbook", which is funded by the Department.
iii. The Relatives and Residents Association offers support and information about going into care at http://www.relres.org/index.php.