It’s only natural that you have questions

All Somerset Care nursing homes provide palliative care for those nearing the end of their life.

We believe in working alongside the individual and their loved ones to offer high-quality, reliable, consistent, and compassionate end-of-life care. This approach has been recognised by the Gold Standards Framework, which has awarded a Platinum status to a number of our nursing homes for the care and support they provide when it is most needed.

A short term respite care stay includes absolutely everything that you would expect from a longer-term stay in one of our specialist residential care homes:

• A fully furnished room in one of our well-equipped care homes, which you can personalise to help you feel at home;
• All of your meals, drinks and snacks (tailored to meet your preferences and dietary requirements);
• 24/7 individual support including overnight care, help with medication and personal care;
• Full use of all of the home’s indoor and outdoor communal areas, garden and facilities;
• Participation in as many of the home’s activities, events and entertainment as you choose;
• A warm welcome for any visitors you may like to invite;
• Utilities, linen, laundry, housekeeping and cleaning.

How you chose to spend your time in respite care is up to you – you can treat it as a relaxing break and change of scene, recovery time to help you to safely return home from hospital, the opportunity to ‘try out’ a care home before making a longer-term commitment, or perhaps the chance to meet new friends and discover new interests.

Read articles about respite care here.

NHS Funded Nursing Care is paid at one consistent rate across England, regardless of the individual’s geographical location or specific nursing care needs. This amount is set by the NHS and subject to change, but currently stands at £209.19 per week. This funding is paid directly to the nursing care home, and deducted from your total nursing care fees.

Please check the NHS website for the current FNC rate.

An assessment is used to determine who is eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care. This is usually carried out by a registered nurse and carried out by the relevant Local Authority or NHS Integrated Care Board (the new name for a Clinical Commissioning Group).

In general terms, nursing home residents who have been assessed as needing support from a registered nurse, but who do not qualify for the CHC (Continuing Healthcare) scheme, may be eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care.

Often referred to by the abbreviation FNC, Funded Nursing Care is funding provided by the NHS towards the cost of nursing care provided within nursing homes, by registered nurses, for eligible individuals.

In certain circumstances, and regardless of your financial circumstances, the NHS will cover the full cost of care for those assessed as having a ‘primary health need’, through the NHS Continuing Healthcare scheme.

To determine if you qualify for Continuing Healthcare, an initial checklist will be completed by a registered nursing or Local Authority social worker, to capture the level and type of support you need on a day-to-day basis. If your combined health needs meet this first stage of eligibility, a further full assessment will then be carried out to confirm if you qualify for a fully-funded CHC care and support package.

If you do not qualify for fully-funded nursing care under the NHS Continuing Healthcare scheme, you may still qualify for a Funded Nursing Care contribution towards the cost of your nursing care.

To find out if you qualify for financial support from your Local Authority, your local adult social care team will complete a financial assessment to consider the value of your income and assets. This figure takes into account any income, savings and property you hold solely in your own name, as well as an equally divided share of any assets you may hold jointly.

The value of your assets will place you into one of three bands, and determine the level of financial support you can expect from your Local Authority:

• If your assets exceed the ‘upper capital limit’ set by the government (currently £23,250), you will be deemed a ‘self-funder’ and required to meet the full cost of your care.
• If your capital is between £14,250 and the upper capital limit of £23,250, then you will be expected to contribute a certain amount towards the cost of your care, with the remainder covered by your Local Authority.
• If your assets are less than £14,250, you may still be required to contribute towards the cost of your care, but the majority of your care fees will be covered by your Local Authority.

Please visit the government website to check the current upper capital limit amount.

If you qualify for relevant funding schemes, your nursing care may be free or partially paid for by your Local Authority or the NHS.

Not everyone will be eligible for financial support, and you may be required to meet the full cost of your nursing care. Decisions about who qualifies for financial support with their nursing care are made on a case-by-case basis by the relevant authority.

The cost of nursing home care will vary according to the level and type of nursing care an individual needs to meet any complex or long-term medical conditions in which they live with.

Nursing home costs will generally be calculated by combining a fixed accommodation fee, with the cost of providing your bespoke nursing care. Your individual financial circumstances and nursing care needs will determine who pays for your nursing care.

A respite care break can last for anything from a few days to a few months – it really is up to you! We’re here to support you with whatever works best for you, whether you simply fancy a change of scene or are keen to try out one of our homes, or whether you need support for a particular period of time as your usual carer is taking a break.

Provided we have availability, we’re happy to accommodate whatever length of stay you need in our respite care homes.

We also offer day care packages at selected care homes across Somerset. If you are not yet ready to book care home overnight stays, but would still like to spend a day with fellow residents, enjoy a hearty home-cooked meal and experience some of the activities on offer, then day care could be the perfect solution. Please contact us to find out about our available day care packages.

Somerset Care’s book-ahead respite care solution allows you to pre-book your care home overnight stays months in advance, with just a small deposit to reserve your room and support package at your chosen care home.

This means that you are free to choose and book your respite break with confidence; booking in advance to align with family member plans, and making sure everyone has a break to look forward to. As your choice of care home isn’t restricted to last-minute availability, you will also have the maximum range of suitable options available to you, from across Somerset Care’s 22 care homes in Somerset and Devon.

Provided the individual’s needs can be safely met at the chosen respite care home, there is no set criteria for respite care. All of our care homes across Somerset offer respite care breaks, subject to availability.

We have some helpful articles around respite care here.

The purpose of respite care is to provide a short-term package of tailored care and support which meets the individual’s needs, including overnight care, within a care home environment. This can be to support rehabilitation following illness or injury, to complement care already delivered in the individual’s own home or at a day care centre, as an introduction to longer term residential care, or simply to provide a holiday with care and support included.

Respite care costs are calculated in the same way as longer-term care in a residential care home; combining fixed daily accommodation costs with the cost of delivering the bespoke care you need.

You will be advised of the cost of your stay at the time of your booking, based on the accommodation cost of your chosen care home, along with the support needs identified in your care assessment.

If you are pre-booking your stay 2 months or more in advance, you will be asked to pay a deposit to secure your short-term respite care break.

If you meet certain financial criteria, or live with identified long-term or chronic health conditions, you may be eligible for Local Authority or NHS funding towards to cost of your care home overnight stays. You can learn more in our article here.

Of course! You are welcome to invite family and friends to visit you during your respite break, and all of our homes have communal areas including lounges and gardens which you are perfect for socialising and spending time with loved ones.

Your care team in the home will be happy to support you in making arrangements to receive your visitors.

Somerset Care has 22 care homes across Somerset and Devon, all of which offer overnight care. If you need to change the date of your stay, or your care needs have changed between your booking and your stay, we are well-positioned to support you in making alternative arrangements, subject to availability.

If you have pre-booked your short-term respite break for a later date, we will reaffirm your care needs nearer the time, to ensure that you can be safe and supported to enjoy your stay.

Somerset Care’s friendly team of care advisors can support you to find and book the respite break you need.

Whether you have a care home in mind or need support in choosing the right location and support to meet your needs, our expert team will guide you through the options available, check availability and support you to get everything in place for your care home overnight stays.

Your break is reserved for you at a time of your choosing, with a care assessment carried out to confirm that your chosen care home can provide the support you need. We will reaffirm your requirements nearer to your booked break, to ensure everything is in place for you to stay safe and enjoy your time away.

Even if your care needs increase, you can relax in the knowledge that, with expert care teams able to provide everything from light help with washing, dressing and daily tasks, right through to hospital-standard, round-the-clock nursing care, Somerset Care is well-positioned to meet your changing needs and support you with the short-term respite care you need.

The cost of short-term respite care in a nursing home is calculated in the same way as longer-term residential nursing care. Your total nursing care fees will combine the nursing home’s fixed accommodation cost with the cost of meeting your individual nursing care needs.

Your individual financial circumstances, along with the level and type of nursing care you need, will be used to determine who pays for your care. Please contact your Local Authority adult social care team to discuss your eligibility for funding towards the cost of your care.

Anyone can be eligible for respite care, provided that their chosen care home can safely meet their care and support needs, and has availability on their chosen dates.

All of Somerset Care’s residential care homes and nursing homes offer respite care throughout the year, so we can offer plenty of choices! Our helpful enquiries team will be happy to discuss your care needs and respite break options with you. They will be able to share a range of respite care options which meet your needs and suggest alternative care if your original choice is unable to accommodate you.

Depending upon your individual circumstances and care needs, you may be eligible for financial support towards the cost of your respite care.

Respite care may be fully or partly funded by your Local Authority if you meet specific criteria in terms of your finances, or medical needs. Some Local Authorities will provide eligible individuals with a respite ‘allowance’ of a set number of days of respite care per year or will pay up to a certain value of respite care fees, which you might be asked to top up.

To find out if you qualify for respite care funding, the best place to start is by contacting the Adult Social Care team at your Local Authority, who will be able to advise if you are eligible.

If you are looking to get the maximum value from your respite stay, we also run seasonal respite care offers for selected Somerset Care residential homes throughout the year, so it’s always speaking with our enquiries team to check if there are any offers running when you book.

Respite care in a nursing home is a short-term stay complete with the tailored, expert nursing care you need.

Depending upon your care needs and circumstances, a respite care break could support your recovery and rehabilitation following time in hospital, to ensure that you can return home safely. If you are normally cared for by family members, it can also offer them a much-needed break, giving them a chance to relax, recharge, and return to simply being your loved one, rather than your carer. You and your loved ones can enjoy peace of mind, knowing that all of your needs are being taken care of.

You can also look upon respite care in a nursing home as a little holiday and change of scene, without the worry of having to arrange specialist care and support to meet your needs.

Short term respite care is a temporary stay in a residential care home, with access to all of the tailored care and support, facilities and amenities available to permanent residents.

Taking a short respite break in a care home is a brilliant way to get to know the home and residents, and experience the atmosphere, facilities, food and activities for yourself, perhaps as a stepping stone to moving in as a long-term resident.

A respite stay can last for anything from a few days to a few months and can be a really helpful option if you normally receive care in your own home, perhaps from a family member, but they are away or unable to support you for a period of time.

You are absolutely welcome to extend your stay with us. Please speak with your care team if you are coming to the end of your respite stay and would like a longer break with us. As long as there is availability, we will be happy to extend your stay.

A day care centre for the elderly provides specialist care and support to meet the individual needs of older members of the local community. As well as being a physical meeting place, day care provides regular opportunities to socialise with new and existing friends, who can discover and enjoy new hobbies and interests together.

Regular day care visits often take place in a residential care home, offering an insight into daily life there, an opportunity to meet residents and staff, and a chance to sample the all-important home-cooked food. Day care can be a great option to supplement any care you may be receiving in your own home, as well as a means of connecting with your local community, safe in the knowledge that your specific care needs are being taken care of.

Whilst we like to ensure you have lots of time to make your move to your new home, we understand that on occasion, you may require emergency support. Our homes work closely with Health Professionals across the system to ensure an emergency admission can take place and keep you or your loved one safe and cared for.

We have a very clear fee structure for all of our care homes, which are based on accommodation costs and a dependency cost to provide a banding for a weekly fee.

Dependency costs are determined as a result of our assessment process, all of which can be shared with you and explained in full, upon request. 

Pre-assessments are completed for all new residents by a member of our Senior Care Team. This is so that we can accurately determine your individual care needs and make sure we can safely support you within our care home.

This assessment is used to determine the care element of your weekly fees, dependent upon your individual requirements.

Your support team will monitor your progress and wellbeing on a daily basis. If a significant change in your care needs is identified, a member of our Senior Care Team will re-assess you to ensure you are receiving the right level of support. We will consult with you and/or your representative about any subsequent changes to your tailored care plan, and any resulting fee increases or decreases. Re-assessments will occur whenever required to meet your changing needs, and any fee changes are separate to the annual fee review.

We have worked closely with Local Authorities and NHS teams for over 30 years to provide support to all those within the community within which we operate. We are passionate that everyone is entitled to quality care when and should the need arise.

We are able to support you if you are funded by the Local Authority, although dependent on the Care Home and your dependency needs, we may require a top up or a higher rate in order to support you with a placement.

Please do contact our teams on 0800 8174 990 so we can talk through your needs in more detail, and advise on how we may be able to help.

We always recommend that you make contact with your local Adult Social Care department in your local authority who will be able to organise a care needs and financial assessment, to determine if you are entitled to any support.

As a general rule, if you have over £23,250 in savings or assets, you are classed as self-funding.  If you have below this amount, you may be entitled to some support or fully funded care.

We recommend you contact the adult social care team regardless as there are a number of benefits that you may be entitled too, which can support you funding your care needs.

Your Local Authority (LA) can assess your financial status and advise if you are entitled to financial support to cover some or all of your care home costs. Please note that LA funding may need to be supplemented (either by yourself or a third party, as appropriate) to meet your full accommodation and care costs.

If you have been diagnosed with certain long-term complex health needs, you may qualify for NHS funding towards your care costs via the Continuing Healthcare (CHC) scheme. Your GP or other medical professional will be able to advise if you may be eligble. Our nursing homes are able to accept CHC funded clients.

The NHS pay a contribution to care homes that provide nursing care, called Funded Nursing Care (FNC). If applicable, the FNC contribution can cover part of your weekly care home fees. If FNC arrangements are not in place at the time of your admission, you will be charged the full weekly fee until this is in place. Once the backdated FNC has been received, the equivalent refund will be credited to your account.

• Fully-furnished accommodation
• Food and drink tailored to your dietary requirements
• Full use of all communal areas, including lounges, dining rooms and gardens
• Full use of the on-site recreational facilities
• Comprehensive activities programme arranged by our in-house team
• All utilities including central heating, electricity, lighting and hot water
• Bed linen and towels
• Laundry services, including ironing
• Team on site 24/7 to support as needed
• Grounds and buildings maintenance
• Daily and weekly cleaning services, alongside regular deep cleaning as and when required
• Insurance of the building and supplied furniture
• Internet access
• Concessionary TV License scheme (if applicable)

• Hairdressing (available in all homes)
• Toiletries (purchasable from the in-house shop)
• Clothing
• Newspapers/Magazines
• Dry cleaning
• Care and maintenance of pets
• Insurance for personal items
• Private transport to access services and attend
• appointments (e.g. hospital, dentist, optician)
• Private telephone lines

We want your home with us to be for life, however, there are some instances where a move is necessary. If your needs change from residential to nursing, it may become unsafe for you to remain in your current home, if nursing care is not provided in that setting.

Yes, and we encourage them to do so. They are welcome to come along before-hand to help set up your room or accompany you on the day. How you do this, is entirely down to your preference, and we are here to help you settle into your new home.

Yes, we love to have visitors in our home, and we love to see you spending time with your family and friends. Your visitors can come along when they wish, and do not need to book an appointment.

We are pleased to say that our homes all have safe visiting pods, should there be any incidents of Covid-19 or other virus outbreak in the home. These visiting pods allow your friends and family to spend time with you, in a safe way.

We take meal times very seriously in our homes and understand how important the meal time experience is for all of us. We have daily menus available in our homes, with locally and responsibly sourced produce with our trusted suppliers. Our menu is seasonal, and we have a variety of themed days, where we experience lots of different styles of foods. If you fancy something a little different, just speak to our passionate kitchen teams who will cater to your needs. 

You are welcome to invite your family to eat alongside you, especially on special occasions. We love nothing more than a party and look for any reason to have a celebration – food will always play a central part to these events.

Our talented teams are able to cater to all dietary requirements and soft diet requirements.

We would love for you to bring your own furniture and creature comforts, to make your new home feel as comfortable and familiar as possible. Our rooms are decorated to a high standard but our in-house maintenance team are also on hand to support with any reasonable requests that you have.

We always recommend that you take the time to view the homes you are interested in. Feel free to visit any of our homes, or call us to book an appointment. A tour allows you to experience the home first hand, understanding the layout of the home, view some bedrooms and communal areas and ask any questions that you may have. Our teams are on hand to show you around and make you feel at ease. Why not join us for a cup of tea and a chat, and we will be sure you leave with all the information you need to make the right decision.

Building a relationship with those we support is a vital step in supporting you to live the life you choose. Your team will be with you from day one, and will work you and your family, where you wish, to support you with your care needs, as well as your goals and wellbeing. 

We encourage you to speak to us, participate in residents’ meetings, chat to our care team, managers and area managers, as well as contact our regulators at the Care Quality Commission should you chose.

We hold daily activities in our homes and encourage residents to join us in the dining room at mealtimes. We know how important social interaction is to wellbeing, and there are plenty of opportunities to make new friends.

When you can no longer safely manage a dementia patient’s care needs at home, it is time to get some help. Depending upon the severity of the individual’s dementia symptoms, this could either be in the form of home care visits, or residential care in a specialist dementia care home.

There is no shame in asking for help if you need it. Caring for a loved one who has been diagnosed with dementia is challenging, so it is worth considering all of the options available for dementia patients. Day care visits or a short-term respite break in a care home which specialises in providing dementia care can be a good way of experiencing the dementia support available, and getting to know the care home, care team and other residents, before moving into a care home. This also gives you, as your loved one’s carer, a well-earned break and the chance recharge your batteries.

To find out about the different types of dementia support available near you, please contact our Enquiries Team who will be happy to help.

All of our homes offer short term breaks, commonly known as respite. Respite stays have a huge number of benefits from offering a safe place to recuperate after a hospital stay or illness, to the reassurance that you are safe if your family or carers are having a break of their own.

Respite stays are a great way for you to experience the home, before considering a longer-term commitment.

Nursing care is essentially a higher level of residential care, where the individual needs more support. This is not necessarily as a result of living with a particular condition, but more about the amount of support that an individual needs in order to live well with that condition. For example, an individual living with diabetes who is able to manage their condition with tablets which they can administer themselves, may only require residential care. However, an individual whose sugar levels are more unstable, and whose diabetes is managed with insulin injections which they cannot administer themselves, will require more support and may require nursing care

All of our nursing homes offer both residential care and nursing care, meaning that if you are a resident in one of these homes, you will not need to move to a different care home if your needs change.

It is possible for care needs to increase or decrease, so these are reviewed regularly to ensure that you are receiving the right level of care for your safety and wellbeing.

Five of our care homes offer specialist nursing care in addition to residential care. These are: Calway House and Lavender Court in Taunton, Cooksons Court in Yeovil, Stockmoor Lodge in Bridgwater and Wessex House in Somerton.

For full details of the services and facilities offered at these homes, along with a breakdown of fees, please visit our Find a Care Home page.

Yes, we can certainly connect your smart speaker to the free wifi in your care home so that you can use this in a way that suits you. This could be to control other smart devices, use it to check the time or the weather, or listen to music, for example.

Most smart speakers need to be connected to a personal device such as a mobile phone or tablet, as well as the home’s wifi network. Some may also require an online account to be set up to give you full access to all of the smart speaker’s functions. We are more than happy to arrange a visit from our Care Technologist, who will be able to help you set up and start using your smart speaker.

Yes, we support people living with dementia to enjoy technology of all sorts, from music to videos, and also to complete video calls. We also understand that what works for one person, may not work for another, so our care teams are on hand to provide you with as much or as little support as you need to stay connected, whether on your own device or using the computer and tablets already in the care home.

Yes, of course. Your care team will be able to support you to get the tablet set up, connected to our free wifi network, and help you to make and receive video calls. If you would like us to, we can also make a note in your care plan to check that your tablet is regularly charged up, and is near you whenever you are expecting a call.

Of course! All of our care homes have access to on-demand TV packages, so that you can keep up-to-speed with the programmes which matter to you. You can even bring your Smart TV with you if you like, and we will help you to get this set up in your room and connected to our wifi network.

If you are experiencing an issue with a particular device, such as a mobile phone or smart speaker, we have a three-stage technology support process to help you.

1. Care home support – the team in your care home will be able to carry out initial checks for you, for instance making sure that the device is successfully connected to wifi and the appropriate settings are in place.
2. Care Technologist support – if your care home team are unable to resolve the issue for you, then they will engage our dedicated Care Technologists to investigate the matter for you.
3. IT support – if for any reason our Care Technologists are unable to fix the problem, our centrally-located IT team will carry out further checks to determine the best solution.

If the problem with the device cannot be resolved, it may be necessary to replace it. If the item belongs to the care home, then we will replace it at no cost to you. If the item is your own personal property, for example your mobile phone, then the responsibility to replace it will fall to yourself or your loved ones. Whilst we cannot make specific recommendations on particular makes and models, we can support you with general advice on the purchasing of a new device, if you would like us to.