Which nursing homes in St Albans are listed on this page?

Six nursing homes match this search for St Albans, and they are Verulam House Nursing Home, Fonthill House, Abbey Lodge in St Albans, Allington Court Care Home, Crosby Close and Tenterden House Care Home. Fonthill House and Tenterden House Care Home both hold an Outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission. Each has a profile setting out its registration details and inspection report. Nursing beds are often in shorter supply than residential ones, so telephone your shortlist to ask what is available.

What should I ask when visiting a nursing home in St Albans?

Ask how many registered nurses are on duty by day and overnight, and how the home covers unexpected absence. Find out how it works with general practitioners, district nurses and specialist services, and how quickly a change in condition is escalated. Request the most recent Care Quality Commission report and listen to how the manager accounts for anything it raised, particularly anything concerning medicines. It is also worth asking what the weekly fee covers and how the home approaches end of life care.

What is the difference between a care home and a nursing home?

A care home is registered to provide personal care, meaning help with washing, dressing, medication, meals and the routine of the day. A nursing home provides that same personal care with a qualified nurse on duty at all times, which matters where someone has clinical needs such as wound care, a feeding tube or an unstable long term condition. The difference is one of formal registration and appears on each provider's Care Quality Commission record. Every provider listed on this page holds nursing registration.

Can Hertfordshire County Council fund a nursing home placement?

It can, where a care needs assessment identifies eligible needs and a financial assessment shows the person qualifies for support. The financial assessment considers income, savings and capital, and anyone holding assets above the national threshold is normally expected to meet the fees themselves. Where nursing care is needed, ask separately about the funded nursing care contribution towards the nursing element of the fee, which is paid regardless of means. It is also worth asking whether an assessment for continuing healthcare funding would be appropriate, as that is a different route again.

How is a care needs assessment arranged in St Albans?

Contact the adult social care team at Hertfordshire County Council, the authority responsible for assessments in this area. The request can come from the person needing care, from a relative or friend acting for them, or from a professional such as a general practitioner or hospital discharge team. The assessment looks at what someone manages alone and where support is needed, and it is free regardless of income or savings. Where someone is in hospital, ask the discharge team to set it in motion rather than waiting.

How far in advance should I start looking at nursing homes?

Where a move is planned rather than urgent, two to three months allows time to request an assessment, visit homes and read inspection reports without pressure. The care needs assessment is frequently the slowest stage, so putting that request in early is usually the most useful first step. After a hospital admission a placement can be arranged within days, but the choice will be narrower and decisions taken quickly. The homes rated Outstanding tend to be asked for most often, which is a further reason to look early.

Nursing Homes in St Albans

St Albans has 6 CQC registered nursing homes. 3 are rated Good, 2 Outstanding, 1 Requires improvement. 5 of the 6 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

St Albans at a glance

What the local numbers say about care for older people in St Albans, to help you judge the options below.

Hertfordshire County Council pays, residential care: £906 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,585 to £1,856, median £1,700
Care home beds filled across Hertfordshire: 86%. The 12 month average is 85%.
Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 69. Hertfordshire average is 79.
People aged 75 and over: 14,400. Rising to 16,500 by 2035, up 14%
Care homes, last 12 months: 1 opened, 1 closed. 3 changed owner, covering 120 beds.
Who pays, across Hertfordshire (estimate): 34% council, 49% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 1,900. Rising to 2,400 by 2035, up 23%
People aged 85 and over: 4,300. Rising to 6,100 by 2035, up 41%

Planned and recent building work within 5 miles

St Matthews Residential Care Home Chequer Lane Redbourn Hertfordshire Al3 7Qg. Application for a 2 bed care home. Submitted 21 May 2026. Decision pending. (3.9 miles away)

Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.

What nursing care in St Albans involves and what to look for

Establishing the level of care needed

A nursing home is registered to provide personal care with a qualified nurse on duty, which is what distinguishes it from a residential home. That matters where someone has wound care, a feeding tube, unstable diabetes or another condition needing clinical oversight. Six homes appear here, all holding nursing registration. Get the care needs assessment done before visiting where time allows, because it establishes whether nursing is genuinely required and that conclusion shapes both the shortlist and the funding routes open to you.

What the ratings are telling you

Two homes here are rated Outstanding, three Good and one has been told it requires improvement. The Outstanding reports repay close reading, since each names which of the regulator's five key questions was judged exceptional and why, and that often reveals a particular strength such as end of life care or how the home works with families. Where improvement has been required, the report states exactly what was found, and for a nursing home it is worth checking specifically whether anything raised concerned medicines or clinical care. Inspection dates matter too, since a judgement from four years ago rests on older evidence than a recent one.

Questions specific to nursing care

Ask how many registered nurses are on duty during the day and overnight, and what happens when someone calls in sick. Find out how the home works with general practitioners, district nurses and specialist services, and how quickly a deterioration is escalated. Fonthill House and Tenterden House Care Home hold the Outstanding ratings in this field, and Verulam House Nursing Home, Abbey Lodge in St Albans and Crosby Close each carry a profile here with registration details and current rating.

Getting an assessment and arranging the funding

Requesting the assessment

A care needs assessment is the route into funded support, and Hertfordshire County Council is the authority that carries one out for adults in this area. The request can be made by the person needing care, by a relative or friend acting for them, or by a professional such as a general practitioner or a hospital discharge team, and no charge applies whatever the household income. Where someone is in hospital, the discharge team can set it in motion, and it is worth asking them to do so rather than waiting.

Fees, funded nursing care and continuing healthcare

Where eligible needs are identified, a financial assessment establishes the council's contribution and the person's own. Savings and capital above the national threshold ordinarily mean paying privately, with the weekly fee agreed directly with the home. Nursing fees sit above residential ones because of the qualified staffing involved. Ask about the funded nursing care contribution towards the nursing element of the fee, which is paid regardless of means, and about whether an assessment for continuing healthcare funding would be appropriate.

Before a move is agreed

Read the contract on notice periods and fee reviews, ask to see a sample care plan, and ask how the home approaches end of life care.

6 nursing homes in St Albans

Abbey Lodge Care Home · 53-55 Harvey Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 1NA
Nursing home · CQC Good · Nursing on site · Run by Mrs Meetranee Chintaram
Abbey Lodge Care Home in St Albans is a nursing home caring for adults with nursing needs, including people managing mental health conditions. We also offer respite stays. Qualified nurses are on duty at all hours, which means health needs...
Specialisms: Mental Health, Respite Care
Tenterden House Care Home · Lye Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 3TN
Nursing home · CQC Outstanding · Nursing on site · Run by Bupa Care Homes (BNH) Limited
Tenterden House Care Home is a nursing home in St Albans. We care for older people who need qualified nursing alongside everyday support, for people with physical disabilities and for younger adults with nursing needs. We also offer...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Crosby Close · 1-2 Crosby Close, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0AT
Nursing home · CQC Good · Nursing on site · Run by MacIntyre Care
We at Crosby Close are proud to offer specialist nursing care in the historic city of St Albans, Hertfordshire, providing a warm and supportive home for adults with complex needs. Our nursing home combines clinical expertise with genuine...
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism, Respite Care
Allington Court Care Home · Lye Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 3TN
Nursing home · CQC Requires improvement · Nursing on site · Run by Bupa Care Homes (BNH) Limited
We at Allington Court Care Home offer dedicated nursing care in the historic city of St Albans, providing a welcoming home for older people and adults with complex needs across Hertfordshire and the wider East region. Nestled within the AL...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Fonthill House · Cassius Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4GD
Nursing home · CQC Outstanding · Nursing on site · Run by Fonthill Care (Harry Park) Limited
Fonthill House is a nursing home in St Albans. We provide nursing care for older people and younger adults, and we support people living with dementia, adults with a learning disability or autism, people with physical disabilities and...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Verulam House Nursing Home · Verulam House, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4DH
Nursing home · CQC Good · Nursing on site · Run by Verulam Health Care Limited
We at Verulam House Nursing Home are proud to offer compassionate nursing care in the historic cathedral city of St Albans, Hertfordshire. Our welcoming home provides a calm and supportive environment where residents receive professional,...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults, Respite Care

What care costs in Hertfordshire, per week

Type of care	What the council pays	What self-funders are typically asked
Residential care Middle half of prices from 12 Hertfordshire homes. Median £1,700.	£906	£1,585 to £1,856
Nursing care East of England figure, because too few Hertfordshire homes publish this price. 17 homes. Median £1,935.	£1,036	£1,800 to £2,126
Residential dementia care Middle half of prices from 12 Hertfordshire homes. Median £1,766.	Not published separately	£1,678 to £1,874
Nursing dementia care East of England figure, because too few Hertfordshire homes publish this price. 10 homes. Median £1,940.	Not published separately	£1,870 to £2,100

Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price. Powered by Orrery Intelligence.

Inspected most recently

Allington Court Care Home, 19 January 2024, Requires improvement
Verulam House Nursing Home, 21 August 2019, Good
Fonthill House, 1 August 2019, Outstanding

Longest since a report

Abbey Lodge Care Home - St Albans, 16 December 2017, Good
Tenterden House Care Home, 20 March 2018, Outstanding
Crosby Close, 23 May 2019, Good

Frequently asked questions about nursing homes in St Albans

How many nursing homes are there in St Albans?

St Albans has 6 CQC registered nursing homes: 2 Outstanding, 3 Good, 1 Requires improvement. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.

How much does a nursing home cost in St Albans?

Hertfordshire County Council pays an average of £906 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,585 to £1,856 a week. Middle half of prices from 12 Hertfordshire homes. Median £1,700. Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price.

Which nursing homes in St Albans were inspected most recently?

Allington Court Care Home (19 January 2024), Verulam House Nursing Home (21 August 2019) and Fonthill House (1 August 2019) have the most recent CQC reports.

Local care news in Hertfordshire

CQC register adds a new care home in North Hertfordshire: Monread Lodge (5 November 2026)

More local care news for Hertfordshire