What is a residential care home?

This is a question many current and future residents and their families have asked us. What makes a residential care home as opposed to a nursing home? Residential homes can, broadly speaking, be used to describe care homes (without nursing) and nursing homes. Nursing homes, by law, are required to have at least one full time nurse on duty whereas care homes do not. This implies that the medical needs and general frailty of the resident is likely to differ between the two types of home. What does not change is the commitment of the staff and owners of these different types of home to their residents and their physical and mental well-being.

Care homes typically have fewer care staff per resident than nursing homes, since residents in nursing homes require more specialized care. However, both of these residential options still provide residents with attentive care as there is a ratio of about 6 residents to 1 care staff in care homes or 4 residents to 1 care staff in a nursing home. Both of these options provide more personal care than other residential assisted living communities. If you are asking what is a residential care home and trying to figure out which of these options is best for your needs, your decision depends on the level of desired independence and care, with residential assisted living providing more independence and care homes and nursing homes providing more personalized attention while still allowing the resident the opportunity to live a fulfilling and engaging life.

An important aspect of deciding if a residential care home will fit your needs is cost. The NHS provides a Funded Nursing Care supplement which is currently around £183 per week. This supplement has increased in recent years, showing that the NHS prioritizes nursing care. However, this supplement is only for residents receiving care from a registered nurse, and it is paid directly to the care home toward the cost of nursing care.

Bromson Hill Nursing Home in Warwick is a great for you regardless of if you prefer a care home or nursing home, because it fits the qualifications of both facilities. We have a nurse present at the home 24 hours each day but not all residents need nursing care, so each resident can decide whether to experience Bromson Hill as a nursing home or as a care home. This provides a great amount of flexibility to accommodate any level of care residents require. Bromson Hill is also in a great location for residents from Warwick who would like to stay nearby.

Please contact us with any questions you may have. We would be delighted to speak with you.