Hi Sheila, I have a five bedroom house and wanted to go into private care for the elderly, is it possible to start with only five? Do I need to be registered & what qualifications will I need?
Hi S,
You must register any premises where you intend to operate as a care home for older people with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
In the first instance you should read the section on registration on the CQC website including all the information you will be expected to submit as part of your application https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care#registration
You must also check building regulations to make sure that your building will be compliant with current standards.
You must check the Fire Prevention requirements for care homes https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-residential-care-premises
You will also need to read what the Health and Safety Executive says about care homes http://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/index.htm
From this you will see that there is a great deal of regulation to be complied with when opening a care home.
You do not say what experience you have of working in Adult Care Services but experience is an important part of working in social care.
I would expect that it would take a considerable amount of investment to prepare the building that you briefly describe to meet the required standards so it is essential that you check that there will be a need for the service that you wish to provide in the area where the building is. You should consider discussing this with the commissioning department at your local Council.
I am certainly not saying that you should not open a care home but I am saying you should thoroughly investigate what it would cost to convert your building in order for it to be registered as a care home and set that against the average weekly cost that is paid for care in the area where you intend to operate.
One final thought although you may not welcome it, I think you might look at how much it would cost to purchase a care home already in operation.
Please do come back to me if you require further information.
Sheila