Choosing a home

If you need residential or nursing care and we have agreed to give you financial help, you may choose where you want to live. The home you choose must be one that:
• we have approved;
• has a vacancy; and
• is within the limits of the financial support we will provide for your assessed level of need.

We will make sure that at least one option is available and affordable within the limits of the financial support we will provide, and we will try to provide more than one option.

If you are not entitled to financial help from us because you have more than £23,250 in savings or investments (not including the value of your main or only home), you will need to choose a home and pay for the care yourself.

Please speak to a social care worker if you want to go into a particular home, even if it is in another part of the country. They can also tell you more about the choices that are available in West Sussex, or give you a copy of our Care Guide.

For reports about specific registered care homes, please contact the Care Quality Commission. Their contact details are in the 'Useful contacts' section.

The cost of care in a residential or nursing home may vary. If you are entitled to receive financial help from us, we will pay the difference between your contribution and the full cost of care, up to the limit we have agreed to pay (our usual maximum rate). You can find details of our rates on our website at westsussex.gov.uk or you can ask our Adults’ CarePoint.

If you are paying for your own care, simply contact the home you are interested in to ask them what it will cost.