What's the Difference Between a Care Home and a Nursing Home?

All nursing homes are care homes. Not all care homes offer nursing care. The real difference comes down to one thing: whether there's a registered nurse on site, day and night.

At a glance

Why the nurse on site changes everything

A care assistant can help with almost everything day to day: getting dressed, eating well, feeling safe and occupied. What changes in a nursing home is the range of clinical tasks someone qualified is there to do, including:

• Administering medication that needs a clinical judgement call, not just a reminder to take it
• Managing wounds, pressure sores and general skin care
• Monitoring health conditions closely enough to spot a change early, not after it's become serious
• Carrying out clinical procedures such as catheter care or PEG feeding
• Deciding, there and then, whether a GP or hospital needs to be involved

Not more care. Different care. In a nursing home, there's always someone qualified to act if something changes overnight, not just during a GP visit the next day.

How to tell which one you need

Ask what your relative needs help with, not what label feels right.

Residential care usually fits well if:

• They need help with daily tasks like washing, dressing or preparing meals
• They need a reminder to take medication, rather than someone to administer it
• Their health is broadly stable, even if their mobility or memory isn't
• What they want most is company, routine and things to do

Nursing care is usually the safer choice if:

• They have an ongoing health condition that needs regular monitoring
• They're coming out of hospital and need clinical aftercare, not just a rest
• Medication needs to be administered by someone qualified, not just prompted
• Their needs could change quickly, and they'd need a nurse able to respond immediately, day or night

A proper care needs assessment will tell you far more than any comparison online. It's worth asking for one before you decide anything.

A view from the sector

We speak to a lot of families early in their search, and "care home" and "nursing home" get used interchangeably long before anyone's explained the difference. In our experience, the confusion is rarely about the label. It's about not knowing what to ask. The honest answer is that the right setting depends on health, not preference, and that's exactly what an assessment is for.

Where each type of care is available at RMD Care

All six of our RMD Care homes provide residential care, with support for daily living from teams who know residents well and stay for years, not months.

Nursing care is available at Bentley Lodge and Cams Ridge, where registered nurses are on site around the clock alongside our care teams.

Common questions

If my relative's needs increase, will they need to move home? Not always. At Bentley Lodge and Cams Ridge, nursing support is on site, so many residents can stay in familiar surroundings even if their care needs change over time.

Is nursing care more expensive than residential care? Generally yes, because of the round the clock registered nursing staff. The exact cost depends on the level of need, so it's worth discussing with the home directly.

Do all care homes offer nursing care? No. Only homes registered with the CQC to provide nursing care can offer it, which is why RMD Care offers it specifically at Bentley Lodge and Cams Ridge rather than across every home.

Not sure which is right for your family?

Every family's situation is different, and guessing from a table only gets you so far. Get in touch and we'll talk you through what your relative needs, honestly and without pressure.