Key Information for Gloucester House

This document is designed to give you the upfront information you, your family or other representatives need to make an informed choice before moving into our care home.

About Us

Care homes within Greensleeves Care accept both self-funded and some state-funded residents (with an additional top up).

At Gloucester House we provide residential, dementia and nursing care for our residents.

Accommodation

Each room has its own telephone point and profiling bed. The home has complimentary Wi-Fi. All external doors are secure and linked to the alarm system.

The lifts and all communal external doors have a keypad security system for the safety of the ladies and gentlemen living in the home. Each room has a modern 24-hour call system installed to ensure the utmost safety and support at all times.

Facilities

Gloucester House is a 47-bed home with a range of different styles and types of room suitable to meet the needs and tastes of most potential residents.

The home is split into 11 to 13-bed villages operating over 2 floors all serviced by a lift. There is a main lounge and a quiet lounge, an assisted bathroom on each unit plus a dining room in each village.  There is also a hairdresser, café area, sensory room, bar, library and large accessible gardens.

Social Activities

A dedicated social activities team plan a wide variety of daily activities and organise a range of external trips out for everyone to enjoy.

Dining

Meals can be taken in the home’s dining room or there is the option for meals to be taken in your own room. Nutrition and hydration are monitored and supported by a highly skilled team of chefs offering a varied menu to suit all dietary requirements. Family and friends can join you for a meal though a small charge may be requested.

Staffing

All of our employees are highly trained, and many are studying for vocational qualifications. Our staffing levels are tailored to meet our residents needs and are reviewed regularly. We do not work to fixed ratios of staffing as we require the flexibility to respond to the changing needs of our ladies and gentlemen as needed.

Care Quality Commission Inspection Report

Gloucester House’s latest CQC inspection was published on 10th December 2020 and received an overall “Good” rating.

Proof of funding

Prior to moving into one of our homes, we require evidence of sufficient funds to cover all fees for a minimum period of two years.

Indicative fees

Our weekly fees start at £1,979 per week for private nursing residents (updated March 2024).

Please note all fees are subject to an individual care needs assessment and written confirmation of the weekly fee will be confirmed prior to admission.

Trial Period

Greensleeves Care have always believed in allowing our residents a trial period so they can really understand if this is the right option for them or not. Deciding to move into residential care is a big decision and we believe that it is our responsibility to make that whole process as easy and challenge free as possible.

We therefore added a six-week trial period into all our contracts. It allows our new residents and their families to move into one of our care homes risk free. Residents feel content in the knowledge that if they decide a Greensleeves Care home is not for them they can leave without a long notice period and receive all their unused advanced care fees automatically without argument or lengthy appeal process. One of the advantages of being a charity is that it is all about the resident it is never about the money.

This trial period is also an opportunity to ensure that your selected home is the best possible place for your loved one.  If during your stay it became apparent that it was not the right place for you, we would assist you to find a more suitable home.

During the first 6 weeks of your residence, you can end your contract for any reason by giving us at least 7 days’ notice in writing to the Home Manager.

The payment for the initial six-week trial will be taken in two stages – one invoice for four weeks in advance followed by another for two weeks. We then expect fees to be collected by direct debit monthly in advance from then on.

Annual Review Of Fees

Our fees are reviewed annually before the 1st April each year. We will give you at least one month’s written notice of any change to the weekly rate. We review our care needs on a regular basis and will advise you or your representative of any increase due based on a substantial change to your needs.

Services included in the weekly fees

The Weekly fee includes all of the following items and services:

  • The costs of your 24-hour personal care
  • Your accommodation in a fully furnished en-suite room
  • Electricity (e.g. heat and light)
  • Food (breakfast, lunch and dinner), snacks and all drinks including non-alcoholic beverages
  • Housekeeping and laundry undertaken on the premises (excluding dry cleaning)
  • Television licence, inclusive for personal use
  • Wi-Fi connection
  • All in house entertainment and activities and local outings
  • Use of the home’s recreational facilities
  • Social outings

In the absence of free provision by the NHS, we may provide the following services, but we shall charge for these services in addition to the weekly fees:

  • Opticians costs
  • Dentistry costs
  • Physiotherapy costs
  • Chiropody (once every 8-12 weeks)
  • Hairdressing (once per week)
  • Other privately arranged healthcare

In the event that your representatives or relatives are unable to provide you with an escort to hospital appointments, we will apply a charge of £12.50 per hour for each Greensleeves Care member of our staff needed to accompany you, or £17 per hour for an agency staff.

Fees for additional services

We will charge an additional fee for the following items or services:

  • Dedicated personal care if 1:1
  • Personal items such as clothing, magazines and toiletries
  • Visitors meals at the home’s discretion
  • Dry cleaning
  • Private treatments
  • Medication, equipment and prescription charges not covered in full by the NHS
  • Specialist bespoke medical equipment not generally available in the Home
  • Private taxi service
  • Private parties for special occasions

 

Pre-Admission checks

As part of the pre-admission process, we will ask to see evidence of any Power of Attorney arrangements in place where appropriate to ensure someone is authorised to make decisions on your behalf should you lose the capacity to do so yourself.

State-Funded or NHS Funded Care

Anyone admitted to the home who is funded by the state, and where the fee offered does not meet the total fee quoted by the home, will require an agreement by a third party to ‘top up’ the weekly fee to the full amount. This is known as a third-party agreement and will be a formal contract between the home/Local authority and the fee payor.

If a resident’s health deteriorates and they are then assessed as being eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care payment (FNC), you should be aware that the FNC payment is made directly to the home by the NHS. NHS Funded Nursing Care is a contribution to the care home for providing Nursing Care by qualified nurses employed by the home instead of using NHS community nurses to visit the home. It is in addition to the quoted total weekly fee and is retained by the home.

If a resident is granted Continuing Health Care (CHC), the resident may voluntarily purchase additional services (which do not form part of the CHC funded healthcare services). Additional fees will be payable for any such additional services. And a contract would be entered into with the home directly for the amount quoted.

Please Note: This information sheet has been specially designed to assist you in making an informed choice as to which care home you might choose. It gives you all the initial key information required by the Competition & Markets Authority following their report on Care Homes and Consumer Law published in Nov 2018.

A guide for Consumers summarising this is available to view and to download at: Care homes: consumer rights for residents and their families – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)