Yes, we are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). All our homes across the south of England are regulated by the CQC, which is the independent regulator of health and social care for England. For more information, please visit https://www.cqc.org.uk/

At Hartford Care we offer residential, dementia, nursing, respite and day care in our homes across the south of England. We strive to ensure all our residents and their visitors feel at home in our care and believe that the ‘family feel’ we promote makes us a unique care provider.

Yes – we are proud to offer residential dementia care in all our care homes, ensuring care is tailored to the individual. Our highly trained carers work in partnership with our residents living with dementia (and their families) to replicate lifestyle choices and preferences wherever possible, offering home-from-home care in a safe and secure environment.

Our care plans are created once we have spent time discussing care requirements and preferences with our residents and their family members. We consult with all relevant parties, including medical professionals, to formulate a plan that ensures our residents receive the very best levels of care and enjoyment in our homes. Care plans are regularly reviewed, and any changes clearly communicated.

At Hartford Care we pride ourselves on clear and constant communication. If there are any issues, problems, concerns or changes – we will be in touch.

If a potential resident would like to attend a trial/taster at one of our homes, we would suggest that spending time with us as a day care resident would be the best way to experience how they might enjoy staying with us on a more permanent basis. Day care sessions are subject to availability, but we will do all we can to accommodate requests. For a more in-depth experience, a respite stay (for a few weeks) would provide more of an opportunity to experience the care we provide.

Our respite care is designed as a short-term care package and is usually booked for up to 8 weeks, depending on individual circumstances. Occasionally, respite care is required for several months and we would assess each case on its individual requirements, creating a care plan and respite solution that is appropriate. A respite stay can be a good way for prospective residents to transition into full-time care. Terms and Conditions apply.

Absolutely! As mentioned above we try to avoid any restrictions when it comes to visitors. Visitors are even welcome to eat with our residents, we simply ask for advanced notice so that our chefs can cater accordingly – private dinning can also be arranged. All our food is home-cooked, so why not join us for a delicious meal?

Of course! All ages are welcomed in our homes and visits from younger generations can provide the perfect tonic for many of our residents.

Yes – but we do request that you check with the Home Manager before bringing any pets into our homes. We appreciate that pets can provide excellent therapeutic benefits, but we must consider things such as allergies or fears our other residents may have, so we do ask that pet visits are discussed and arranged in advance.

All our care homes offer ample onsite parking, but please do bear in mind that availability may be limited during popular visiting days/times or when events/activities are taking place.

The weekly fee is dependent on both the type of room and the pre-admission care needs assessment. The fee range will be provided by the Home Manager, and we will ensure that this is clearly laid out at the earliest opportunity during the decision-making process.

Weekly fees cover:

• Accommodation in your specified room
• Food and drink, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks
• 24-hour care provided by our highly trained team
• Housekeeping, covering your room and all other areas of the home
• Activities as part of our planned programme
• Access to all our communal areas, including the lounges, gardens, etc
• Visitor drinks, meals and participation in activities if arranged in advance
• Security
• Laundry service
• Wine and aperitifs, served with meals.(Additional alcohol will be an extra charge.)

There are a few additional services which require payment should you wish to use them. These include:

• Hairdressing
• Newspapers
• Medical treatments such as physiotherapy, chiropody, etc
• Any taxi journeys or other transportation
• Escorted visits to appointments

A holding deposit may be requested at the discretion of the Home Manager and is required where, for example, you ask to reserve a room with a future move-in date two or more weeks beyond the date of your formal care needs assessment. It would be fully refundable after the scheduled move-in day. Should you fail to move in for whatever reason, we would reserve the right to treat 50% of the holding deposit as non-refundable.

Fees are reviewed annually. The review date will be stated on the Admission Agreement. We will provide at least 28 days’ notice in writing of any increase. The review will consider changes in the National Living Wage Index to the extent that it impacts employment costs, the Consumer Prices Index to the extent that it impacts other costs, along with any other exceptional factors due to changes in legislation that are not already reflected in the standard indices used.

We reserve the right to amend your weekly fee at other times, should you change your room or your care needs change considerably. With any change in care needs, we will consult with you and your family and involve you in any decision to provide additional care. Following this consultation, we will give you 28 days’ notice in writing before implementing a change in your fees for this reason.

Fees are payable monthly in advance and collected by Direct Debit on the first working day of each month. Fees for short-term respite stays are invoiced and payable in full, prior to the date of admission to the home.

Yes – if you are unable to self-fund your stay, then you may be able to get help with your funding from your Local Authority. We can provide support by signposting you in the right direction, but it will be your responsibility to agree on the funding with the Local Authority. This may have to include a third-party top-up if the Local Authority is unable to meet our fee level. We will assist in any way we can but, ultimately, if the Local Authority is unable to secure the required funding level for our fees, then you will need to seek an alternative care option.

Yes – privately funded residents will need to provide evidence of how the fees are to be funded for a minimum period of 24 months. This includes where part, or all, of that funding is to come from the proceeds of a future property sale.

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document which allows someone to make decisions for you if you are no longer able to, or no longer want to make your own decisions.

There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney:

• LPA for financial decisions
• LPA for health and care decisions

There is plenty of advice on the internet. For example, the Age UK website provides very good advice and further information on this subject. Just Google ‘AgeUK Lasting Power of Attorney’ or follow this link:

Age UK – Power of Attorney information guide

If you don’t have LPAs for financial decisions and health/care decisions already, it may be a good idea for you to organise both now. It means that, were you to lose mental capacity or need help with your finances, everything is already organised. If you don’t put this in place, someone will need to apply to the Court of Protection and they will appoint a Deputy. A Deputy is authorised to deal with the property and financial affairs of someone who can’t do this for themselves. This is a slow process which can be stressful for everyone involved. While the Court of Protection will act in your best interests, it’s not the same as making the decisions for yourself.

You don’t need a solicitor to put in place an LPA although you can choose to pay one to do this for you. The application forms from the Office of the Public Guardian contain guidance to help you fill them out.

Yes! We love to plan a busy activities programme enabling our residents (and their visitors) to enjoy varied activities. Our programmes include gentle exercise, singing, garden walks, quizzes, live performers, films, pamper sessions and so much more! We partner with several later life wellbeing specialists to provide stimulating and rewarding activities that everyone can benefit from. Our dedicated Activity Coordinators ensure a packed and fun-filled programme!

At Hartford Care, we provide an inclusive environment for our residents and our team members, and are respectful of everyone’s religious, ethnic, spiritual and cultural beliefs. Any religious, cultural or other specific beliefs would be discussed and included in the resident’s individual care plan.

The facilities that are available vary depending on the care home, but all our homes pride themselves on providing a variety of facilities that benefit our residents’ health, happiness and wellbeing. All our homes boast beautiful gardens that can be explored and enjoyed by our residents and their guests. We partner with several later-life wellbeing specialists, including The Digital Rainbow and Oomph to provide digital entertainment that is available daily.

Our other services and facilities include room cleaning, laundry services, hairdressers (some homes have their own hair salon facilities), visiting chiropodists and beauticians, and more. We have teams and processes in place to gather feedback and understand the requirements of all of our residents so we can provide services and facilities to enhance their stay

Yes – it is a legal requirement that we set out the Terms and Conditions that underpin the contractual side of the relationship that exists between us, as the care provider, and you, as the resident. The contract will consist of an Admission Agreement which should only be signed by you or your representative, after you have read through and understood our Terms and Conditions of Residence, which are available directly from the home.

You may terminate the contract between us at anytime by giving us at least 28 days’ written notice.

A contract with Hartford Care can be terminated for the following reasons:

• If, as the care provider we have experienced a significant or repetitive non-payment of fees
• If the resident needs to go into hospital on a full-time basis
• If the resident’s behaviour can no longer be managed by the home
• If the home can no longer meet the care needs of the resident
• If more appropriate care has been identified elsewhere
• If the home must be closed for any reason

Full details of our complaints handling procedure can be found within section 13 of our Terms and Conditions of Residence.

Yes – the trial period will be for a period of four weeks, during which time a reduced period of seven days’ notice may be given on either side. Any fees that have been paid for any period beyond the expiry of the notice period (or the date of departure if later) will be refunded to you.

All our Hartford Care homes serve home-cooked, fresh food prepared in our in-house, fully equipped kitchens. We take the nutritional care of our residents very seriously and well-balanced, healthy meals are prepared accordingly. Our residents’ visitors are welcome to join them for a meal too, we simply ask for advance notice so that our chefs can plan ahead.

All our Hartford Care chefs, across all our homes, are highly skilled and able to cater for any special dietary requirements, guaranteeing all residents receive a well-balanced, healthy diet. We are also able to prepare food for residents with Dysphagia (difficulty eating/swallowing).

Mealtimes are very sociable events in our care homes and we encourage our residents to eat together and enjoy each other’s company. We do appreciate that there may be occasions where residents would be more comfortable eating in their rooms, and this can of course be arranged too.

Snacks are always readily available and, should someone request something specific, our team will always try and accommodate any requests.

Yes – alcohol is permitted in our care homes and often accompanies mealtimes. Consumption is carefully monitored by our team. Wine and aperitifs are served with meals, however, additional alcoholic beverages are not included in the weekly fees but can be purchased or provided by residents.

We want every visitor to feel welcome and relaxed and encourage all our guests to help themselves to hot drinks and refreshments. There will always be someone on hand should they require any help. Visitors are welcome to enjoy meals too, but we do require advance notice of this.

This is an individual choice, but we do recommend our residents are protected with contents insurance, especially if they bring any high-value possessions. The safekeeping of any cash or high-value items is the responsibility of the individual, so residents and relatives may want to discuss which items are kept in their room and how they are stored.

All our rooms are tastefully furnished but we appreciate that residents may wish to be surrounded by some of their own belongings. We encourage residents to bring any items of furniture, providing there is enough space. We know this helps many of our residents feel at home. Residents are welcome to bring furniture, ornaments, photos, books, toiletries, equipment for hobbies, etc. We’re also happy to hang pictures on walls and our maintenance team will discuss any exact requirements. We believe that our home-from-home atmosphere makes our care homes incredibly special.