Residential homes for older people

People can stay in residential care homes in Suffolk, which are run by a variety of organisations.

There are a number of ways the Council can help prevent people from needing more specialist care. Everyone can have an assessment, though, and if their assessment meets the criteria set by Government and agreed locally, there is a care plan written. This lists what has been agreed for that person and what services might be bought to meet their needs. These care plans are regularly reviewed and updated to make sure the most appropriate services are available.

One of the types of service that might be needed is residential care. This means living in a care home, sometimes for a short while, sometimes permanently. This is quite different to living in supported housing. It is also different to living in a nursing home.

There are some criteria for staying in a council run care home, which are under review. They are as follows:

  • Suffolk residents
  • People who are eligible for a care service by the County Council
  • Those who do not have sufficient means to pay entirely for their care

There are a number of care homes in Suffolk, most of them are run by organisations other than the County Council. Many homes offer specialist services, such as dementia care and short-term care.

If you want to find all the care homes in Suffolk that are approved by government, you can go to the Commission for Social Care Inspection web site. There is latest quality inspection information available on all of them, including those run by Suffolk County Council.

If you have a query about the quality of care in any of the residential care homes in Suffolk, do contact the manager of that home or you can contact the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

At the moment, the County Council runs 17 care homes, which are listed on the left of this page. There is a review under way at the moment and possibilities are being explored how the homes might be run differently, and what other possibilities there are for the future for older people in Suffolk.