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NEWS
England's Top Ten
'Older' Care Homes
30 January 2020
Sarah Whitebloom
Just one in a thousand 'older' care homes have top marks from the care regulator.
At any one time, only 10-12 homes in England specialising in older care - out of nearly 11,000 - can boast five 'Outstanding' stars from the CQC. Another 40 have four stars. But nearly 200 homes, that's 1 home in 50 are 'Inadequate' and another one in five officially need improvement.
These very best homes are incredibly diverse. They are in every part of the country, Some specialise in dementia care, others are for more active pensioners. A small minority are part of well-known national chains. The majority are independent, family-owned or part of small groups.
Many of our 'top ten' are like to luxury hotels. Several charge more than £1,000 a week. But others accept local authority rates and 'top ups' from families. They have two things in common, however: they provide outstanding care - and they prove that money is not everything.
What marks them out are the official reports on these homes. They show the sort of care residents receive in these homes and which all older people should be getting.
These homes are outstanding because the care and the staff are outstanding and there are enough staff to care properly for residents,
Arcot House
Sidmouth
Queensmount
Bournemouth
The Shelley
Worthing
Maplehurst
Haywards Heath
Godswell Park
Banbury
The Old Hall
Sleaford
Willersley House
Hull
Belsfield House
Blackpool
Wisteria House, Plymouth
Warning!
You must not exclusively rely on current CQC ratings. These can and do change.
One care home, Middleton Hall, Darlington, which was in the Top Ten has been downgraded to 'Requires Improvement'.
Check out OLM's
Finding Good Care report, to see what else you need to do.
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Winner: Ash Grange,
Walsall
Can you ever do enough?
Caring for older friends and relatives can make you feel as though you can never do enough. It's not just a guilt trip. There really is so much to do and so many demands on your time - and you never seem to get it right.
You may never shake off this feeling but there are plans you can make, things you can do, which can rationalise the situation and take the pressure off.
If you want to make a point, open a Twitter account. If you want to be remembered fondly, be fair
Residential care is not the answer for everyone - or indeed most people. It's expensive, sometimes very unpleasant and one day, hopefully, will be consigned to history along with 'lunatic asylums' and other such institutions which were once thought to be a good idea. There are ways to change the system