Key Facts

Key Facts

There are many things to consider when choosing a care 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 even join us for lunch. It gives you a valuable insight into life here as well as giving you the opportunity to meet staff and residents.

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 will also be reviewed regularly to ensure that the care received is always appropriate to your needs.

This can range from support to maintain independent living right the way through to full nursing care and palliative care.

Please note that The Dower House is unable to meet the needs of people who live with dementia.

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. You can usually expect there to be three registered nurses and Matron on duty during the day, along with a team of carers. Overnight there is usually one registered nurse plus four carers.

About our fees

It is important that you are not worried about hidden costs you weren’t expecting. That is why our fees include all the care that you need, including any nursing care, allowing you to relax in the secure knowledge that your full needs are covered by the fees you pay. The Dower House operates a transparent fee structure with no additional fee tier for higher dependency needs. This means that, if your needs change during your time at The Dower House you won’t be moved to a different tier. For more information and our current fees please see here.

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 or 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 care 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 what 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 are able to apply for FNC on your behalf.

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 is why we take the time to compile a biography that forms part of your care plan records.

Your biography includes information about your life and career history, hobbies and any other interesting details about you that you would like to share with us. This helps us get to know you better and in turn means we can support you 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 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.

Request more details

You may find it useful to request a brochure pack of key information, or to show to friends or relatives as part of your decision-making process.

Simply click the button to request a full information pack including:

  • Our brochure
  • A sample menu
  • A sample of the regular activities timetable
  • High-level information about state benefits and where you can find more details
  • Sample copies of the long and short-stay agreements

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.