How to Check Care Home Ratings in England

Choosing a care home is a big decision. It’s important to ensure that the home is safe and comfortable, providing a high standard of care. All care homes in England are regulated, assessed and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Each service is graded in five key areas and given an overall rating. CQC ratings help establish the quality of care on offer, allowing you to make an informed choice. In this guide, we will discuss how to find CQC ratings for care homes. We'll also explain how to view full CQC reports on care homes and compare residences in your area.

Understanding Care Home Ratings in England

In England, all residential care homes and nursing homes must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This is an independent organisation that regulates all care services, ensuring they meet essential standards of quality and safety. The CQC aim to inspect every care home within the first 12 months of opening, and at least once every two years thereafter. These inspections are usually unannounced, so care homes can't prepare for them in advance. Care homes are assessed according to five standards. The inspectors look for evidence that the services are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. They then put together detailed care home reports based on their findings, which are made publicly available.

What Are the 4 CQC Ratings?

Each care home is graded separately in each of the five CQC areas of inspection. There are four possible ratings:

·         Outstanding: the service is performing exceptionally well in this area and exceeding expectations

·         Good: the service is performing well in this area and meeting expectations

·         Requires Improvement: the service is not performing as well as it must do in this area

·         Inadequate: the service is performing badly in this area

An overall rating is then awarded for the care home as a whole. This is decided according to the five standards and the professional judgement of the inspector. Read more about what happens at a CQC inspection. Care homes that receive a rating of "requires improvement" are told how they must improve. The CQC will take action against any service that is deemed "inadequate" – e.g. issuing a warning or a fine.

How to Check CQC Care Home Ratings

When choosing a care home for yourself or a loved one, it is important to check their most recent CQC ratings. This will give you a general idea of the quality of care you can expect. Legally, all care providers must display their rating in a place where service users can see it. For example, this may be in the care home's reception area or lounge. It must also be clearly visible on the care home's website (if there is one). You can also check CQC ratings for care homes on the Care Quality Commission website:

1.       Select 'care homes' from the drop-down menu

2.       In the 'service name or specialism' field, enter the name of the care home

3.       Enter the care home’s location (in case there are multiple residences with similar names)

4.       Click the search button to display a list of homes matching your search terms

The care home's overall rating will be displayed to the right. You can then click 'full details' for more information, including a breakdown of the five standards. If there is no rating, it may be because the care home is newly registered and has not yet been inspected.

How to View Care Home Inspection Reports in Full

All care home CQC reports are published on their website. These provide more details about what the inspector witnessed, what the service does well and where it could improve. First, find the correct care home and click 'full details'. In the sidebar, click ‘all inspection reports and timeline’, which will bring up a list of all past CQC reports. (Care homes that have not yet been inspected will not have this section.) You will see a detailed summary of each inspection, starting with the most recent. Underneath, there will be a link to open the full report, which goes into more depth.

How Do I Find the Top-Rated Care Homes Near Me?

Besides searching for a specific residence, you can also use the CQC website to find the top-rated care homes near you. To do this, select 'care homes' from the drop-down list, and leave the name blank. Enter your town, city or postcode in the 'location' field and choose a search radius (e.g. 10 miles). This will display a list of residences in your area. On the left, you can then filter by overall rating (e.g. ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’). You can also filter by type of care home and specialisms such as dementia. It’s important to remember that CQC ratings indicate the quality of care provided at the time the service was inspected. You should always visit a care home in person before deciding if it is the right fit.

Choose KYN for Outstanding Residential and Nursing Care

At KYN, we aim to provide the highest standards of personalised, holistic care. We take into account each resident's personality, history, interests and desires, treating their mental and physical wellbeing as a whole. From beautifully decorated rooms to imaginatively designed gardens, every detail of our luxury care homes promotes an uplifting, enjoyable environment in which to live. Our residents enjoy in-house spa treatments, the finest quality dining and a daily-changing programme of life-enriching activities.

Contact KYN today to request a call back, brochure or visit. Fill in our enquiry form, call us on +44 (0) 20 3535 1923 or email enquiries@kyn.co.uk.