Residential care homes

Residential care homes aim to provide the care and attention you would receive at home from a caring relative. Staff will assist you to meet your support needs and achieve your goals, at all times seeking to promote your independence.

There are a range of homes available, with some specialising in certain age ranges and health conditions such as young people with learning disabilities, or older people with frailty. Meals are provided and there are often outings and other activities organised for residents.

Residential homes cannot provide nursing care, so if you have a condition or illness which requires care from a qualified nurse, you should consider moving into a nursing home instead. 

Some care homes are registered as both residential and nursing homes and are known as dual registration homes. You may want to consider a dual-registration home if you have a condition that may deteriorate in the future, as this would mean that you don’t need to move. A dual-registration home also means that a couple with different needs can live together.

Find a residential care home

Moving into a care home is a huge decision and it is important to do as much research as you can. Make sure you ask questions about the services that are important to you. More information about choosing a care home, including a checklist you can print out, is available from Age UK.

Please view this short video guide explaining five key things to consider when finding a care home produced by the UK Care Guide.

All care homes are registered and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC has inspection reports for all registered care homes and help with using the information. CQC inspection reports for our in-house services are available here.

If you think you, a relative or someone you care for might need residential care home support we can arrange for a social care needs assessment to identify your needs and the support required.