Help With Choosing a Care Home in Surrey

Choosing the right care home for your elderly relative so that they are comfortable and you are happy is so important. There are two main types of care homes – residential and nursing:

• Residential homes are for the elderly who can no longer cope independently at home at need some extra support in daily tasks (e.g. meal preparation and washing)
• Nursing homes are for the elderly whose illness or infirmity (including Dementia) requires regular nursing care, so qualified nurses work in the home

As well as the environment inside the home, the outside area is also important. Your elderly relative may want a community with certain amenities such as a church or lunch club. You may also want to visit an area where you can make a day of it and enjoy the local setting too. Below is a guide to the most popular towns in Surrey to choose a Care Home.

• Surrey Areas to Consider
• Average Surrey Care Home Fees
• Benefits and Drawbacks of Elderly Life in Surrey

Find Surrey Care Homes

There are more than 250 care homes across Surrey, each offering different facilities to meet certain needs. We have compiled a short list of care homes in Surrey that you might find useful. It shows the range of options that might be available to you.

There are also a number of online directory options to help with your search. 

Lottie.org is a care home finder that is meant to reduce the time needed to find the right care home. They have handpicked a selection of care homes across Surrey, vetted each of them and negotiated the best price for their customers. 

There are also other directories that contain more care homes from the area like carehome.co.uk and housingcare.org.

Different Areas to Consider in Surrey

Surrey has plenty to offer in terms of choosing a care home location. Thriving market towns are set within gorgeous countryside, and the county has amongst the lowest crime rates in the country. Moreover, the county borders London and is easily accessible by rail and motorway link, ideal for visiting relatives.

Esher

Esher is located on the Surrey side of the Greater London/Surrey border. The town is easily accessible, lying just off the A3 link between London and Portsmouth. Sandown Park Racecourse is in the town near the railway station. In the South of the area lies Claremont Landscape Garden, run by the National Trust and a popular destination for family days out. The area is a popular place to grow old, and a thriving elderly population means a large choice of care homes.

Farnham

Farnham is a rural market town, to the extreme west of Surrey, bordering with Hampshire. The town is of historic interest, with many old buildings such as Georgian houses. Farnham Castle overlooks the town, and a public museum and library serve the community. Farnham Maltings hosts an array of concerts including opera, folk and blues genres. The population of Farnham is more elderly than the Surrey average.

Guildford

Guildford is a popular Surrey town, regarded as the county town. Bustling farmers markets and quirky independent shops line the town centre. There is a strong elderly community; Guildford hosts senior social centres and lunch clubs.

Maybe the amenities of Guildford appeal, but somewhere slightly quieter may suit your elderly relative more. If this is the case check out the neighbouring villages of: Elstead, Goldaming, Peasmarsh, Shalford and West Clandon; all of which have a care home.

Leatherhead

Leatherhead is situated just North of the Surrey hills area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town centre is pedestrianised with a combined theatre and cinema. The population of Leatherhead is older than the Surrey average, and there is a lively elderly community with a large choice of nursing and care homes.

Walton-on-Thames

A market town on the right bank of the Thames to the North of Surrey. Walton-on-Thames is a vibrant town with a vast array of shops, pubs and restaurants. The town has a number of cultural centres including the Cecil Hepworth Playhouse, Riverhouse Arts Centre and Everyman Cinema. These venues have their own elderly friendly clubs or accessible performances.

Woking

Woking is one of the county’s largest towns, located in the northwest of Surrey. Being one of Surrey’s largest towns, there are plenty of community facilities including the New Victoria Theatre and the largest public library in Surrey. Woking Community Hospital serve the local residents’ primary healthcare needs.

Average Surrey Care Home Fees

Surrey is one of the most affluent areas of the UK. The area is home the second highest house prices, after London. Therefore average care home fees here are above the national average (£600 per week, or £800 including nursing care).

The table below shows the average cost for a week’s care in the Surrey depending on the type of care you require.

Please note, these figures are based on those self-funding care (total value of assets owned above £23,250). Please visit our page on Care Needs Assessment in Surrey for more information on funding care.

Source: Fees paid by self-funders: LaingBuisson surveys of care homes 2018-19.

The Benefits & Drawbacks of Elderly Life in Surrey

Surrey is a popular place to grow old for good reason. It hosts beautiful countryside; the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty attract visitors from all over the UK. As mentioned above, the towns are lively, with good amenities and buzzing elderly communities. Please visit our Enjoying Elderly Life Section for more information about accessible family days out and Cultural Delights in Surrey.

The two NHS trusts that oversee hospital and healthcare in Surrey have favourable ratings:

The only drawback to elderly life in Surrey, is that Care Home costs in the county are high. However, if your elderly relative has a property in Surrey, then high market value should mean the release of this asset will cover any cost of care.