0333 305 1785 ∙ enquiries@forestcare.co.uk
Caring Teams ∙ Complementary Therapies ∙ All-inclusive Fees
Help & Advice Nursing care is for people who have more complex care needs in addition to personal care, due to a medical, physical or mental health condition, or long-term illness, that require intervention by a trained nurse. If you or a loved one has a clinical nursing need such as wound care, catheter care, tube feeding or specialist medication by injection e.g., for diabetes, then you will typically need nursing care. Four of our five care homes have experienced registered nurses on-site 24-hours a day.
Residential care provides comfort and security when living at home may have become lonely or when support is needed with daily tasks such as washing, dressing and eating. Our compassionate and experienced teams provide 24/7 support for our residents with all their personal care, medication and other daily needs. All of our care homes provide 24-hour residential care.
Dementia is a complicated condition which affects each person in a different way. Our staff have completed specialist dementia care training to support residents living with dementia. We welcome residents with different conditions and stages of dementia at our Holly Lodge care home in Surrey, providing 24-hour dementia care.
Respite care is a short-term stay to enable someone to convalesce after an illness, injury or operation or to give a family carer a break themselves. Respite care can also serve as a trial period before committing to permanent care. We offer respite care for a minimum period of 4 weeks, subject to availability.
Our residents and their families can relax knowing that the all-inclusive fee covers all the care they need. There are no administration fees, no deposits and no hidden extras, and fees are payable only from the day you arrive to the day you leave.
Providing well-rounded care is important to us, we endeavour to look after residents’ physical and medical needs, as well as their social, mental and emotional well-being. Although physiotherapy, chiropody and hairdressing are not regulatory requirements, we believe they form an integral part of our resident’s care and therefore are provided at no additional cost.
Funding a place in a care home can be complex and daunting and is solely dependent upon personal financial circumstances. We aim to make it a little easier for you and provide a brief overview of the available options to help with planning and decision-making.
Knowing whether you need Residential Care or Nursing Care is often a difficult question to answer. This is made more difficult because there is no definitive definition of either type of care. The first thing to note is that Residential Care Homes are officially called ‘Care Homes’ and Nursing Homes are officially called ‘Care Homes with Nursing’. There are though a few basic factors that you should consider when deciding which one is most appropriate for you or your loved one. It does also depend on the assessed need. Residential care generally is for people who need help/support with their personal care e.g., washing and dressing, meals, medication and going to the toilet. Both Care Homes and Care Homes with Nursing support all these different needs. Often residents living in a Care Home temporarily need greater input from a trained nurse. Rather than move them to a Care Home with Nursing, district nurses will support them directly by visiting the Care Home. Examples include assistance with complex dressings (wound care), medication by injection or catheter management. If this complex care need became more permanent, then a Care Home with Nursing may then be the best place to live. At Forest Care, four of our five homes have qualified and experienced nurses onsite 24/7.
Nursing care is typically care that needs to be provided by qualified registered nurses such as wound care dressings, pressure sores, catheter care, tube feeding, sub-cutaneous medication administration and the like. Personal care is typically provided by carers and involves help with daily tasks such as washing, dressing, eating, going to the toilet and so on.
This all depends on what the specific reason for needing care is. Aside from the dementia aspect, if a person has a clinical need such as a pressure sore, catheter, tube feeding or some specialist medication, e.g., for diabetes, then typically they will require a nursing home (officially called ‘Care Home with Nursing). If their need only relates to help with daily tasks such as eating, washing, and dressing, then they would typically need a residential care home (officially called Care Home).
A needs assessment will determine whether a person requires permanent care or not and the extent to which they do. The elderly person themselves must either have given their consent to move into a Forest care home or another person (usually a family member) must have a valid Power of Attorney to make the decision on their behalf.
Our weekly fee includes everything required to keep a resident comfortable, well cared for and safe:
In addition to this, basic hairdressing, physiotherapy and chiropody are included as we believe they are integral to a resident’s health and wellbeing.
Our weekly fees do not include:
Our weekly fees depend on individual needs, and they are based on a comprehensive pre-admission assessment. Fees are quoted as ‘gross weekly’, which means they are the total you will be asked to pay. The NHS Registered Nursing Care Contribution (RNCC) also known as Free Nursing Care (FNC), will be applied for if relevant and refunded to you if awarded. Your on-going weekly fees will then be reduced by the rate of FNC at the time.
Generally, most people entering a nursing home should be eligible. Following admission to the home, and with your consent, we will apply for Free Nursing Care on your behalf. An NHS Assessor may then arrange a visit to make a separate assessment.
As a rule, no we don’t. Local Authority fees are usually significantly lower than our standard weekly fees and we would normally only accept payment from a Local Authority in combination with a third party ‘top-up’ payment or if the Local Authority agrees to meet our full fees.
Typically, it is the individual requiring care who is responsible for their own care home fees if they have available cash or assets above a minimum threshold set by the Government. Next of Kin can often be responsible for paying care home fees on a resident’s behalf but would only be personally liable if they have agreed to pay where, for example, the individual has no available funds themselves.
Our expectation is that you have sufficient funds available to pay the Home’s full fees for at least 2 years. If your funds run out, the Local Authority will normally offer to pay for your care at their rates, subject to a financial needs assessment. In this situation we would not normally accept the Local Authority rate unless a third-party top-up payment was also available and would instead seek to negotiate a higher rate with the Local Authority.
We provide a diverse and inclusive activities programme adapted to the daily wishes of residents from arts & crafts, pampering days, themed tea parties and live music to intergenerational activities with local schools, visiting entertainers, Pets as Therapy, and organised day trips. All residents have the choice of taking part. For those who are less able we provide one-to-one activities such as hand massages, games and reading.
Yes. A little pampering makes everyone feel good, which is why these services are included in our weekly fees. The hairdresser visits weekly and the chiropodist every 6 weeks. This covers basic hairdressing and chiropody, it excludes perms, colouring, and specialist nail/feet treatments.
Yes. Each resident has an individual care plan, which includes food choices and dietary needs. We work closely with each resident – and will consult with family and friends – to find out their likes/dislikes. Residents can choose from several options at each mealtime. We will always try to provide a suitable alternative if the options are not preferable.
We cater for specific dietary needs, including soft or puréed, diabetic, and allergenic. Individual requirements will be established on admission to the home and reviewed as necessary. We work hard to ensure our menus are balanced and nutritious, and meals are produced onsite using fresh ingredients every day
We intentionally hire more staff than the industry average to enable a relaxed environment for our residents where staff can deliver person-centred care. This excludes each home’s domestic, catering, laundry, activities, and management staff and can vary at any given time depending on the individual needs of our residents.
Yes, providing your existing GP is relatively local to the home and is prepared to continue looking after you and to visit the home on request. We also have an exclusive arrangement with a GP practice local to each of our homes, ensuring consistency and quality of care.
We don’t restrict visiting to specific hours, so visitors are welcome at any time however there are certain times of the day when staff will be particularly busy, such as mealtimes. Residents are free to get up or go to bed when they choose to and choose who they wish to see and spend time with. If you are in any doubt of when best to visit, please speak with our home.
Yes, if there is no medical reason that might prevent this. We will always encourage trips out and know how much our residents enjoy a change of scene. All we ask is that you let us know in advance so we can ensure they are properly prepared and that we know roughly when to expect them back.
Of course. Our bedrooms are furnished and cover all the basic needs for storage and comfort, and we encourage residents to bring something of their own to personalise their room, to help them settle in and feel more at home. However, please be aware that it may not be possible to accommodate large items of furniture.
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Yes, we always advise residents to have a small amount of money available that will cover incidental costs, such as buying toiletries or for purchases during trips out.
Please contact the home you are considering and our staff will be happy to chat through any questions you may have. Better still, why not arrange a visit? Please call 0333 305 1785 or email enquiries@forestcare.co.uk to arrange a personal viewing.
