Residential and nursing care

What is residential care?

You may be living at home and finding it difficult to cope because you are disabled or because you are getting more frail, or you might be in hospital and know that returning to live at home will be difficult. Moving into a residential care home is one possibility that might make your life easier.

Assessment - what help do you need?

Everyone is entitled to an assessment of their needs to see if the Department can help.

When you contact the Adult Services Department, someone will ask about the problems you are having. If the outcome of this initial discussion is that you would benefit from further assessment, we will make you an appointment to meet a Care Manager - often in your own home - for a detailed 'assessment' of what help you need. This means that you will be able to talk in detail about the problems you are having and the Care Manager will try to find the best way of helping to reduce the risks that are preventing you living safely and independently at home. Even if you do not need further support from Adult Services, we will offer you information and advice about ways you can find the help you want.

Whenever possible Adult Services will give you choices about the help and services they can give you. When it has been agreed what kind of help you need, and how it will be provided, you will get a written 'care plan'. This plan is regularly reviewed with you.

You are entitled to have an assessment of your needs even if you may be paying for your care yourself, and if you would like support to make arrangements for your care we will also help you with this.

Do you need residential care?

There are various options for making your life easier. Moving into a residential care home is one - but you could also have help to allow you to go on living in your own home, or you could move into a different kind of accommodation that would suit you better.

Finding a care home

You can use our Care Home search to help you find care homes in Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton that match your care needs and tell you which of them have vacancies

Other sources of help

• Types of care homes - find out which best suits your needs
• Questions to ask when visiting a care home
• Information for carers, families and friends