Prof June Andrews describes how you can use reports prepared by inspectors to help with your decision about a care home.

There are different inspection regimes in the four countries that make up the UK. But the fundamental purpose of the checks is the same everywhere. Be aware that sometimes when the most recent report has been disappointing, the care home will probably have done a lot to sort it out in the following months, or even before the report is published. A lot depends on the person in charge of the home, and that person might change over time.

Care homes also change ownership, when the person who set it up retires, or their company is bought over by another company.

Most of the care homes in the UK are privately owned, and that includes inexpensive as well as expensive ones. And in the majority of privately-owned care homes, many of the residents are not paying privately, but are funded by the NHS or their local authority. It’s a mixed economy.
Useful links

Inspection of care homes England

Inspection of care homes Scotland

Inspection of care homes Wales

Inspection of care homes Northern Ireland

Reviewed March 1, 2019