Key Facts
There are many things to consider when choosing a nursing home and you may feel overwhelmed at the decisions you are facing. That’s why we encourage all prospective residents and their families to visit The Dower House and spend some time to get a real feel for our home.
Of course, it is also important to understand the practical aspects of choosing to live at The Dower House, such as; what the fees are, what extras you may have to pay and how you can fund your care.
This page provides all the important KEY FACTS you need about The Dower House.
About our care
Here at The Dower House you will receive a personalised care package designed to meet your needs, which will be discussed with you/your next of kin/healthcare professionals as appropriate, prior to and at the beginning of your stay. This is then reviewed monthly to ensure that the care received is always appropriate to your needs.
This can range from support to maintain independent living, to nursing care and right the way through to full complex care, including palliative and end of life care.
Please note that The Dower House is not able to meet the needs of everyone with dementia. If you are enquiring about a stay for someone with suspected dementia, we ask you to make us aware to ascertain if we are a suitable home for them.
With a high ratio of staff to residents, you can be confident that you will be well cared for any time of the day or night, with a registered nurse on duty at all times.
About our fees
It is important that you are not worried about hidden costs you weren’t expecting. The Dower House operates a transparent fee structure, with three levels - assisted, nursing and complex care. The level of care required and associated fee will be discussed when our Matron first meets you to assess your needs. This will then be reassessed as we get to know you and any required changes will be fully discussed. For more information and our current fees please see here.
For any emergency admissions you will initially be charged the fee for nursing care until we are able to assess the level of care required.
How your fees are affected by hospital stays
If you are admitted to hospital, your fees remain unchanged for two weeks. If you remain in hospital after that time, your fees will reduce by 15%. After six weeks in hospital, we will review arrangements with you, your family or next of kin.
Trial periods
For those moving into The Dower House on a long stay/permanent basis, your first four weeks will be treated as a trial period. This allows you time to ensure that The Dower House is the right place for you, and you may find that, during this time, you decide that you do not wish to become a permanent resident.
Similarly, if, during the first four weeks, it becomes clear that The Dower House cannot meet your needs, we may decide to end your contract. Should this happen, this will be discussed fully with you.
Funding your care
How you will fund your care is likely to play a major factor when choosing residential care. It is a complex area and when funding your own care, money may well come from various sources.
We recommend all prospective residents consult with a suitably qualified Independent Financial Adviser, such as those registered with the Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA).
Other sources of information you might find useful are:
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and NHS funded Nursing Care (FNC)
The NHS may fund a package of ongoing care for a small number of residents who have a ‘primary health need’. This is based on the level of health and associated social care needs that have resulted from a disability, accident or illness and is called ‘Continuing Healthcare’ (CHC).
The following links provide useful information about CHC and FNC, who is eligible and how to find out more about making a claim.
As a resident of The Dower House, if you need nursing care from a registered nurse, but you are not eligible for CHC, we may be able to apply for FNC which then means there is no extra cost to you for the increased nursing care required.
Eligibility for both CHC and FNC can change, and the NHS will reassess you on a regular basis.
You and your care plan
Getting to know you is a vital part of ensuring you receive the best possible care when you come to live at The Dower House. It is about much more than just knowing your medical needs. That’s why, when you join us here, we will spend time getting to know about you as well as your medical needs.
This may include information about your life and career history, hobbies and any other interesting details about you, whatever you feel that you would like to share with us. This helps us get to know you better and in turn means we can support you as much as is possible in the pursuit of your personal interests as well as your health and personal care.
Insuring your belongings
As a resident, you benefit from our insurance policy which provides cover for your personal possessions up to a maximum value of £2,000 at any time (excluding cash). If your personal belongings such as furniture, jewellery, cash, credit cards, deeds, documents or other personal effects exceed this value, you are advised to take out your own insurance policy.
Ending your contract with The Dower House
It is sometimes necessary for either the resident, or The Dower House, to end the contract. Reasons for this vary and may include, but are not limited to:
The Dower House is no longer able to provide the appropriate level of care required for a resident.
A resident has and continues to exhibit abusive behaviour towards residents and/or staff, including physical attack or threatening assault of residents, staff or visitors.
The resident (or appointed representative) gives notice to leave.
In the case of a resident giving notice to leave, we require 28 days’ notice to end the contract. The resident may move out at any time although payment will be due until the end of the notice period. Full details of the notice period are contained within our long-stay agreement.
What to do if you need to make a complaint
We hope that you never feel the need to make a complaint about the services provided by The Dower House. However, we understand that this may happen and have a formal complaints procedure in place to help you through the process.
The complaints procedure
Stage one: local resolution
The Dower House firmly believes that, wherever possible, complaints are best dealt with directly with the residents by its staff and management. When a formal complaint is received, management will arrange for the appropriate enquiries to be made in line with the nature of the complaint. This can involve using an independent investigator as appropriate or if the complaint raises a safeguarding matter, a referral to the local safeguarding adults’ authority may be necessary.
Stage two: complaints review
In line with national guidance, The Dower House then recognises that if your complaint is still not resolved, you may take your complaint to the body responsible for the commissioning of the service, e.g. local authority and/or health service (depending on the nature of the complaint and type of service involved).
If you are a self-funding resident whose care and support has no local authority involvement, you are entitled to go directly to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) for resolution.
Stage three: independent external adjudication
If you remain dissatisfied with the management and outcome of your complaint, you can refer the matter to the LGSCO/Health Service Ombudsman in respect of some private healthcare providers through the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS) for external independent adjudication.
The role of the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Whilst the CQC does not directly investigate complaints, it welcomes hearing about concerns that you may have. You can find full details about how to contact the CQC here.
The Dower House also sends the CQC any information about complaints as required by the CQC’s compliance reviewing policy.
Regulatory Information
The Dower House is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who can be contacted online at www.cqc.org.uk. Our registered Clinical Manager is Ellie Abrams who can be contacted on 01962 882848 or by email to matron@thedowerhousewinchester.co.uk
The most recent CQC Inspection took place in August 2020 and achieved a GOOD rating. The full report is available here, or you may request a copy from us.
In the most recent Food Standards Agency Inspection in January 2024, The Dower House achieved the highest rating of 5 (Very Good). Click here to view the inspection report.
If you have any further questions about choosing The Dower House for your care, or to arrange a visit, please call 01962 882848 and one of the team will be delighted to help you.
Enjoy a taste of life at The Dower House
Join us for a tour of the house to experience the welcoming, homely atmosphere. Book a visit now, we’d be delighted to welcome you.
