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Being in a nursing home

Sometimes we can arrange short term care if you are recovering from a hospital stay or illness, or to give the person who cares for you a break from their caring responsibilities.

We will want to talk to you about all the options available that can help you to stay living independently before considering a nursing home as the right choice for you.

Even if someone has told you that you need to go into a nursing home, we know most people would rather stay in their own home, and we can usually support most people at home.

More information based on continuing healthcare can be found on the NHS website.

However, some people will find that they can't continue to live at home, even with the wide range of support services and equipment we offer. If you come to us for help, we will give you an assessment to find out what kind of support you need.

Choosing a nursing home

All registered nursing care homes are monitored and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to make sure they keep to high standards.

The CQC’s website lists all of the nursing homes in the borough. This website also tells you how big the homes are, who they cater for and what facilities they have. 

Contact the Adult Intake and Access Team for help and advice about your housing options.

Paying for a nursing home

The council is not allowed to run nursing homes because they provide health care. So they are all run by independent organisations, private companies or other organisations.

Nursing homes usually charge more than residential homes because of the specialist care available. Everyone who needs it is entitled to a contribution of £108 per week from the NHS towards their nursing costs. This is paid no matter what your income or savings are. In some cases, the NHS will pay more.

However, you may still have to pay all or part of your accommodation costs at the home. If you contact us, we can tell you how we work out your contribution and how much it is likely to be.

We will do our best to give you the financial facts and explain the charges to you but sometimes different rules apply. In these cases, we may only be able to give you a general idea of how much you may have to pay.

More information can be found in our Paying for care page.

Adult Intake Team

Contact the Adult Intake Team for more information on adult social care.

Telephone 020 8227 2915

Email IntakeTeam@lbbd.gov.uk