Introduction to care homes
If you need support that you cannot get in your own home, moving into a residential care or nursing home might suit you. The local Health and Social Care Trust can tell you about available services and how to get services.
When to consider a care home
A care home may be the best option if you or someone you know:
- is struggling to live alone – even with help from friends, family or paid carers
- had a needs assessment that suggested a care home is the best choice
- has a complex medical condition that needs specialist attention during the day and night
Care homes can reduce the stress of looking after your health and care.
This may help you focus on other things, like your social life and general wellbeing.
If you feel you don’t need to move into a care home, you may be able to get support to stay in your own home.
Choosing a residential care or nursing home
You have the right to choose your residential care or nursing home.
Your Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust will assess your care needs and advise you about the type of home best for you.
You should make sure the home you choose has the facilities, equipment and staff with the right training to meet your needs.
Some homes offer full time nursing care.
Other homes support people with specific disabilities or medical needs.
- Choosing a care home
- Health and Social Care Trusts
Covering the cost
Health and Social Care (HSC) professionals will assess your needs and help you find a suitable home.
Based on your assessed needs, the Trust will tell you how much they'll pay for your residential or nursing home care.
If you want to live in a home that is more expensive, you might need to pay the difference.
They will assess your finances to work out what you can afford to pay for your residential or nursing home care.
Temporary stays in a residential care or nursing home
You may need a temporary stay in a home to recover from an illness or as a break for you and your carer.
You should also be able to stay temporarily to see if the home suits you.
Some people also go to homes for day care.
How going into a home could affect your benefits
A permanent or temporary stay in a care home can affect the benefits you receive.
It is important to claim all the benefits you're entitled to because you'll pay most of your benefits towards your residential care or nursing home fees.
Going into a care home from hospital
Sometimes you need to move to a home directly from hospital.
On leaving hospital, you have the right to choose the residential care or nursing home that best meets your needs.
If your assessment shows that your primary need is for social care, your Trust will arrange for a financial assessment to work out the cost of your care.
If your assessment shows that your primary need is for health care, your Trust will pay the full cost of your care.
You cannot be moved directly into a home against your will.
Effect on benefits
If you live in a home and you go into hospital, you should contact the office that normally pays your Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Attendance Allowance (AA).
Payment of DLA or AA can normally continue if you are in hospital for less than 28 days, but this is not the case if you go into hospital from a home and payment of DLA or AA has already stopped.
Going into hospital if you live in a care home
If you're living in a residential or nursing care home you may need to go into hospital at some point.
It should be possible for you to keep your room while you are in hospital.
If your Trust is helping to pay your fees, they should tell you how long they will continue to pay for your room in the home.
As long as this is happening and your benefits are unaffected, you will be expected to continue to pay your assessed contribution.
If you are self-funding, your home will be able to tell you how they charge during hospital stays.
This information should also be in the agreed terms and conditions you received when you moved in.
Your personal belongings
When you're thinking about going into a residential care or nursing home, you might worry about what will happen to your furniture and other personal belongings.
Before you move in, you should ask the care home about their policy on personal belongings. it's important to know what you can and can't bring with you.
If you have furniture or personal belongings that you can't bring with you to the care home, you could:
- sell them
- put them in storage
- give them to friends and family
- give them to charities
- ask the local council to collect them
Some charities will collect furniture and other belongings from your house for free.
The waste and recycling department in most local councils collect unwanted, bulky items from households. They might charge for this service.
Residential care and nursing homes standards
In Northern Ireland, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) registers and regularly inspects residential care and nursing homes.
When you move into a home, you should be given access to their complaints procedures.
If you aren't happy with their response, you or your relatives / friends can make a complaint to the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman.
Further advice on how to make a complaint and an online complaints form is available at: