The council offers many services to help you to live independently in your own home. However, if you are still unable to continue living at home, and you are thinking about living in a residential or nursing home, we will discuss this with you and reassess your needs.
Moving into a residential care home or a nursing home is an important decision. This page provides information on some of the issues to consider.
Residential and nursing homes provide accommodation, meals, care and support
from staff, which is available 24 hours a day. You can also see a GP in both
types of home.
There are significant differences between residential and nursing homes, and the type of care they provide.
Residential homes provide support to people who cannot be supported in their own homes, even with a comprehensive package of care. They provide trained care staff, and residents have access to visiting District Nurses.
Nursing homes have qualified nursing staff on duty 24 hours a day to support people's needs, where these are too complex to be met within residential homes.
Both residential and nursing homes have to be registered, and regularly
inspected, by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). For more
information click on the Commission for Social Care Inspection link on the
right, under Useful Websites.
Most care homes are run by the private sector although some are owned by
charitable or voluntary organisations. Councils tend not to own and run their
own care homes these days, and so local authorities are the main purchasers of
beds in care homes.
The law says that everyone placed in a care home by a local authority must pay something towards the cost of their care, unless they have no benefits, pension, other income, savings or property.
If you can afford it, you will be expected to pay the full cost of the accommodation. Otherwise a financial assessment will be undertaken so that we can assess how much you should pay. This is done in accordance with national rules.
If you are financially dependent on your husband or wife they may also be asked to contribute towards the cost of your care.
If you wish to go into a care home where the weekly charge is more than the amount we usually pay, you will have to find someone else who can pay the extra cost. This may be a relative, friend or a charity.
For more information, and to download a copy of our ‘Charges for Care Homes’
document, click on the Charges for Care link under the main navigation list,
on the left side of this page.
When you choose a care home it is important to make sure that you choose one that will be right for you, both now and in the future. You can get advice and information to help you make this important decision from:
your social worker or care manager
a district nurse
a health visitor
your family doctor
All care homes operate under criteria set out by CSCI. CSCI produces a directory of registered care services that includes copies of its annual inspection reports. The reports give details on the quality of the premises, financial arrangements, number of places available, daily life, catering, health care and staffing arrangements.
For more information, and to find out about care homes in your area, click on
the Commission for Social Care Inspection – Care Home Search link on the
right, under Useful Websites.
If you think that you may need to go into a care home, or be assessed for any community care service, contact our Information and Access Team. Your call will be answered by an Information and Access officer who will ask you questions to help decide whether you may need a community care service, including admission to a care home.
Information and Access Team
Tel: 020 7527 2299
Email: Information.Accessteam@islington.gov.uk
Minicom: 020 7527 6475
Page Last Updated: 29 July 2008