Nursing Homes in Barnstaple

Barnstaple has 3 CQC registered nursing homes. 3 are rated Good. 2 of the 3 were last inspected more than three years ago.

Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.

Arranging a nursing placement in Barnstaple and paying for it

Nursing care has more funding routes than any other kind, which is a help and a complication at once. Working out which applies before you choose a home will spare you unpicking it afterwards.

The care needs assessment

An assessment of needs is free and open to anybody who appears to require care and support, whatever their savings. Request one from Devon County Council adult social care, or ask a GP, community nurse or hospital discharge team to refer. For a nursing placement the assessment should set out the clinical needs plainly, since those determine whether a residential home could cope or whether nursing registration is genuinely required.

The three funding routes

A financial assessment compares income and capital with the national thresholds, and those above the upper limit normally meet the fee themselves. Separately, NHS funded nursing care is a contribution paid directly to the home towards the cost of the nursing element, and it is available regardless of savings. Where somebody's needs are primarily clinical rather than social, NHS continuing healthcare may cover the entire placement, and it is assessed independently of the council. Ask which of these has been considered, because families are often told about only one.

Fees in context

Nursing fees sit above residential rates because of the qualified staff on duty around the clock. Check what the weekly figure excludes, how often fees are reviewed and whether the nursing contribution is shown separately on the invoice.

Choosing between the nursing homes in Barnstaple

What the reports show

Park Lane Care Home, Swimbridge House Nursing Home and Heanton Nursing Home each hold a Good rating from the Care Quality Commission. Matching ratings mean the reports are the only way to tell them apart, so read what inspectors recorded about nurse staffing levels, medicines management, pressure area care and how changes in a resident's condition were escalated.

What to look for in person

Ask how many qualified nurses are on duty at night and whether that number changes at weekends. Ask how the home covers a nurse calling in sick, since agency cover is common and continuity suffers when it is heavy. Watch whether residents who cannot move themselves look comfortable and repositioned, and whether call bells are answered promptly rather than merely acknowledged.

Questions worth asking directly

Ask how the home works with the local GP practice and district nurses, and how quickly a doctor is called when somebody deteriorates. Ask what its approach is to hospital admissions near the end of life, and whether it can keep somebody at the home. Ask how families are told about falls, infections and changes to medication.

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