How to choose a care home in Blackpool, Lytham St Annes and the Fylde Coast

How fees get paid, what a CQC rating tells you, and what to ask when you visit. Figures checked on 12 October 2026.

Start here

1. Ask the council for a free needs assessment now. Blackpool residents contact Blackpool Council. People living in Lytham St Annes, Kirkham, Poulton and the rest of the Fylde and Wyre coast contact Lancashire County Council. Ask even if you expect to pay in full.
2. Find out who will pay. With more than £23,250 in savings and property, you pay the fee. Below £14,250, the council pays after a financial assessment. In between, you share it.
3. Check each home's CQC rating and the date of the inspection behind it.
4. Visit at least three homes. See your favourite twice, at different times of day.
5. Ask for a trial stay and a written fee sheet before you sign anything.

Not sure which kind of care to ask about? Use the care finder. It takes two minutes and gives you a question list for your situation.

Which council helps: Blackpool or Lancashire?

The Fylde Coast is split between two councils. Your council runs the care assessment, decides how much it will pay a home, and is the one you will be phoning for answers.

You can find your council and apply for a needs assessment on GOV.UK by entering a postcode. The assessment is free and covers what help the person needs. A separate financial assessment works out who pays.

The home does not have to be in your council's area. Blackpool Council says you can choose a home outside Blackpool, for example to be near family. If you pay for yourself and move across a boundary, check with both councils which one you would ask when savings run low.

Marton Moss and St Annes are a short drive apart, but families there often deal with two different councils. I have heard of more than one person losing a fortnight phoning the wrong department. Check the postcode before you pick up the phone.

How care home fees are paid

Fees depend on the home and on the level of care. Who pays depends on a means test. The limits below apply in England for 2026/27 and did not change from the year before.

Your home. If you own it and move in permanently, it is usually counted. It is left out while a partner or a relative aged 60 or over lives there, and for the first 12 weeks of a permanent stay if your other assets are under £23,250.

Deferred payment agreement. The council covers the fees now and recovers the money from the sale of the home later. It buys time if you do not want to sell in a hurry. Blackpool Council runs one.

Top-ups. Some homes charge more than the rate a council pays. Blackpool Council says this happens. The difference is called a top-up and is usually paid by family or another third party. Ask any home about it before you visit.

NHS-funded nursing care. In a nursing home, the NHS pays a flat £267.68 a week (2026/27) straight to the home for nursing care, if the person qualifies. It does not apply in a home without nursing.

NHS Continuing Healthcare. If someone has a primary health need, the NHS can fund the whole fee whatever their savings. It starts with a checklist, so ask the council, the hospital team or the GP for one if health needs are high.

Attendance Allowance. A benefit for people over State Pension age who need help, and it is not means tested. People who pay their own fees can normally keep claiming it. It normally stops once the council pays for the care.

As a guide to cost, The Willows in Marton Moss starts from £1,100 a week. Ask every home on your list for a written fee sheet with the extras itemised. For larger decisions, such as selling a house, a specialist care fees adviser accredited through the Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) is worth paying for.

The question families forget is what happens when the money runs out. I have heard homes answer it three different ways. Get the answer in writing before the move, not after.

What CQC ratings mean

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects every care home in England and publishes a rating. Most homes are rated on four levels:

• Outstanding: the service is performing exceptionally well.
• Good: the service is performing well and meeting expectations.
• Requires improvement: the service is not performing as well as it should, and CQC has said how it must improve.
• Inadequate: the service is performing badly and CQC has taken enforcement action against the provider.

The overall rating is built from five questions inspectors ask about every home: is it safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Some areas can show as "not rated". That usually means the latest inspection looked at other areas, not that something is wrong.

How to read a report

1. Check the date. A rating is a snapshot of the days inspectors visited. An Outstanding from three years ago says less than a Good from last month.
2. Look at the five areas, not just the headline. A Good overall can hide a weaker area that matters to you, such as "safe" if your relative is at risk of falls.
3. Read what residents and relatives told inspectors.
4. Ask the manager what has changed since. A good manager will answer without hesitating.

The Willows is rated Outstanding overall. CQC publishes the full report and inspection history for The Willows, which is where to check the date. You can search every other Blackpool and Fylde home on CQC's care service search.

I read the "what people told us" section before I look at the rating. Inspectors quote residents and relatives directly, and a pattern shows quickly: whether people mention staff by name, or only mention paperwork.

Types of care

Residential care. Staff help with washing, dressing, meals and medication, day and night. Nursing care is not part of it.

Nursing care. Registered nurses are on site for medical needs such as wound care, injections and complex conditions. Ask how many nurses work each shift, nights included.

Dementia care. Can be residential or nursing. Ask what training staff have, how the building helps people find their way, and whether the garden is secure.

Respite or short stay. A few days to several weeks. It suits recovery after a hospital stay, a break for a carer, or a trial before a permanent move. Not every home takes short stays.

Questions to ask on a visit

Take this list with you. Write the answers down so you can compare homes later.

Staff and care

• How many staff are on duty in the day, in the evening and overnight?
• Do residents have a named member of staff who knows them well?
• How are care plans written, and how often do families see them?
• What happens if someone needs more care than they do now? When would you say you can no longer meet their needs?
• How do you support someone with memory loss or distress?

Daily life

• Can I see last week's activity plan, and who ran each activity?
• Can residents get up and go to bed when they choose?
• Can they get into the garden without help?
• What are the visiting times, and can family join for meals?
• Can residents bring their own furniture, photographs and a pet visitor?

Rooms and building

• Is every room en-suite, and is there a shower or a bath?
• Are corridors and doorways wide enough for a frame or wheelchair?
• Is the whole home on one level?
• What is the plan in a fire for someone who cannot walk?

Fees and contract

• Can I have the full fee sheet in writing, with extras listed?
• How often do fees rise, and how much notice do you give?
• Is there a trial period, and what happens to the fee if it does not work out?
• What is the notice period if we leave?
• What happens when savings fall to the council's limit?

Standards

• When was your last CQC inspection, and what did you change afterwards?
• How long has the manager been here?
• How many staff left in the past year?

What to notice without asking

• Greetings: do staff speak to residents by name, at eye level?
• Call bells: how long does one ring before someone answers?
• The lounge: is something going on, or is the television on with nobody watching?
• The smell and the temperature: clean and warm without being stuffy is the aim.

Families who come away with the clearest view are the ones who visit twice. The tidy Tuesday tour and the Sunday afternoon rarely look the same, and the Sunday is the one that shows what a normal day feels like.

If a hospital is hurrying you

Many families on the Fylde Coast make this choice from a ward at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, with days to decide rather than weeks. If that is you:

1. Ask the ward team who is arranging the care assessment and what your options are.
2. Ask the council for a needs assessment the same day.
3. Phone three homes, check each one's latest CQC report, and book visits for the next day.
4. Ask for a short stay first, so you are not signing a long contract in a hurry.
5. Get the fees in writing before anyone moves.

Families who cope best with a hurried discharge ask for a short stay first. It buys time to look properly without anyone having to promise a permanent move.

Visiting The Willows

The Willows is a boutique care home in Marton Moss on the south side of Blackpool, with Lytham St Annes close by.

Address: 397 Midgeland Road, Marton Moss, Blackpool FY4 5ED Phone: 01253 693961

• Rating: Outstanding overall, from the Care Quality Commission
• Rooms: 26 rooms, all en-suite, one suitable for a couple
• Layout: all on the ground floor, with no stairs or lifts
• Garden: every room has direct garden or patio access
• Recognition: Gold Standards Framework Platinum status and an Investors in People Gold award
• Fees: from £1,100 a week
• Trial: residential admissions begin with a four-week trial period
• Manager: Maxine Bosley, who has worked at The Willows for more than 10 years
• Activities: a full-time Lifestyle and Wellbeing coordinator plans the days, and a sample activity planner is in reception

Bring the questions above and ask to see the activity planner. You can read more about The Willows or make a care enquiry.

Common questions

How much does a care home cost in Blackpool?

It varies by home and by the level of care. The Willows starts from £1,100 a week. Ask each home for a written fee sheet, and ask what costs extra.

Do we have to sell the house?

Not always. A home is left out of the means test while a partner or a relative aged 60 or over lives in it, and for the first 12 weeks of a permanent stay in many cases. After that, a deferred payment agreement can delay the sale. Get advice before deciding.

Can the council choose the home for us?

Blackpool Council says it cannot recommend a particular home. The choice is yours, within the council's rate unless someone pays a top-up.

What is the difference between NHS-funded nursing care and Continuing Healthcare?

NHS-funded nursing care is a flat weekly payment towards the nursing part of a nursing home fee. Continuing Healthcare is full NHS funding for people with a primary health need, and savings do not affect it.

Can we try a home before committing?

Ask. Many homes offer short stays, and The Willows begins residential admissions with a four-week trial period.

Sources

• GOV.UK: social care charging for care and support 2026 to 2027 (capital limits)
• NHS: NHS-funded nursing care (£267.68 a week from 1 April 2026)
• Care Quality Commission: The Willows Care Home (rating levels and inspection reports)
• Blackpool Council: residential and nursing care fact sheet
• GOV.UK: apply for a needs assessment

Fees, limits and benefit rules change, usually each April. This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice.