What the weekly fee includes
The weekly fee covers care, accommodation, meals and the running of the home. Here is what is included, and what is an extra, so there are no surprises.
A guide, not the contract. This page explains the agreement in plain English. The agreement you sign is the legal document, and it is the agreement that applies if the two ever differ. You are welcome to ask the home manager for a copy to read before you decide, and you may want to take independent legal advice.
Included in the weekly fee
- Care as set out in the resident’s care plan (nursing care funded by Funded Nursing Care is separate)
- A furnished room for their own use, unless they choose to share a companion room with another resident, a friend or a spouse
- A choice of meals, plus snacks and drinks, including alcoholic drinks where allowed. We can cater for special diets by arrangement
- Full use of the lounges, dining rooms, bathrooms, other shared areas and the gardens
- Certain activities and events, and use of the recreational facilities
- Laundry, not including dry cleaning or hand washing
- Help with arrangements with the GP, social worker, district nurse, dentist, chiropodist and other professionals
- Central heating (in season), hot water and lighting
- Bed linen and towels
- Upkeep of the grounds, and maintenance and repair of the home, its furniture and furnishings
- Insurance of the home and its contents
- The call system, fire alarms, extinguishers and emergency lighting
- Internet access, within a fair usage policy
Extras that are charged separately
These are not covered by the weekly fee. We will tell you the cost beforehand.
- Personal items: clothing, newspapers and magazines, toiletries and hairdressing
- Clothing name labels
- Specialist medical equipment that is not usually kept in the home and is not provided by the NHS
- Chiropody, physiotherapy, dental care, hearing aids and eye care, where the NHS does not provide them
- Dry cleaning
- Internet use above the fair usage policy
- A private TV in the room, and all the costs that go with it
- Private car hire, taxis, or transport to outside services, except in a medical emergency
- Some outside trips and social activities. You will be told of any charge before the trip
- Any extra continence pads above the number the NHS continence service provides
- Registration costs if someone dies, and other items of a personal nature
Going with someone to an appointment
There is no charge when a member of staff goes with a resident to an urgent medical appointment, or on an organised group trip, unless you are told otherwise. For a non-urgent appointment, there is an hourly charge for the member of staff’s time. The manager will tell you the current rate. [CONFIRMATION REQUIRED: confirm the hourly rate for non-urgent appointments can be given on request]
Between 5pm and 8am we cannot send a member of staff with a resident to hospital in an emergency. We make sure the resident’s medical history, medication and details of what happened go with them, and we tell their next of kin or representative straight away so they can meet them there.
Nursing care and the weekly fee
Where a resident is assessed as needing registered nursing care and the NHS contributes to it, that is called Funded Nursing Care. It is separate from what the weekly fee covers. We tell you about any Funded Nursing Care contribution within 28 days of the move-in date, or as soon as we can after that, and refund any amount already charged. Read about funding and top-ups.
Common questions
What about hairdressing?
Hairdressing is an extra, not part of the weekly fee. Ask the manager how it is arranged at the home and what it costs.
Will my relative’s clothes be looked after?
Laundry is included, but not dry cleaning or hand washing. We take great care, and ask that everything is name-labelled. We are not responsible for loss or damage to clothing unless we fail to take reasonable care of it.
Can we bring our own furniture?
Yes. Electrical items need to be PAT tested and furniture must meet health and safety rules. Read about your room.
Are personal belongings covered by insurance?
[CONFIRMATION REQUIRED: whether the home’s insurance covers residents’ personal belongings, and what families should arrange themselves]
Keep reading
Fees, reviews and top-ups
How fees are paid and reviewed, and how funding and top-ups work.
Your residency agreement, explained
Who signs, how the agreement is laid out, and what to do before you sign.
Your rights and how to complain
Your room, your information, visiting, and what to do if something is wrong.
Want to talk it through?
The manager at your nearest home can go through the agreement with you, with no pressure to decide.