Going Into Hospital From a Care Home: Will They Keep the Room, and Who Pays?

A fall, an infection or a sudden change can mean a trip to hospital, sometimes in the middle of the night. When someone lives in a care home, it raises questions nobody thinks to ask until it happens: will they keep the room? Do we still pay? Can they go back?

Will the Home Keep the Room?

Usually, yes, for a period. The care home contract should explain what happens during a temporary absence such as a hospital stay, including how long the room is held. If you haven't read that part yet, now is the time.

Do Fees Still Have to Be Paid?

• Self-funded: most homes charge fees to keep the room. Consumer guidance expects homes to be reasonable about this, and some reduce fees to reflect savings such as food. Check your contract and ask.
• Council-funded: the council usually keeps paying the home for a set period. Ask the council's adult social care team how long, and whether any top-up you pay continues.
• Longer stays: if the stay goes on for weeks, ask the home and the council what happens next before any deadline arrives.

What to Send With Them

• A list of their medication (the home can print one)
• Glasses, hearing aids and dentures, all labelled
• A short "about me" sheet: what they like to be called, how they communicate, what calms them. Many homes already have one, often called a hospital passport or "This is me".
• Your contact details, and a copy of any Lasting Power of Attorney

Staying With Them

Hospital can be very frightening for someone with dementia. Many hospitals support family carers staying with them beyond normal visiting hours, so ask the ward. Our guide on hospital admissions and dementia covers this in more detail.

The Bit Nobody Warns You About

Before they come back, the care home may need to reassess whether it can still meet their needs. If a hospital stay has changed things, for example they now need nursing care, the home may say it can't take them back. That can turn a short admission into a care home move with very little warning. Ask early, while they're still in hospital: "Will you be assessing them before discharge, and is there anything that might stop them coming back?"

Planning the Return

• Ask the ward to talk to the home before discharge, not on the day.
• Ask for a discharge summary to go to the home and the GP, including any medication changes.
• If their needs have increased a lot, ask whether they should be assessed for NHS Continuing Healthcare before discharge.
• Expect a few unsettled days when they get back. Familiar faces and routines help.