Guidance for England
Local councils assess social-care needs and may carry out a separate financial assessment. CQC regulates personal-care providers.
Where to begin
- Request a care-needs assessment from the local council.
- Check CQC registration and inspection information for home-care agencies.
- Attendance Allowance and Disabled Facilities Grants use England-specific rules.
Visual guides
See the decision at a glance
- Request a needs assessmentContact the local authority adult social care service and explain urgent risk, communication needs and desired outcomes.
- Receive eligibility and planningAsk for the written assessment, eligibility decision, personal budget and proposed care and support plan.
- Complete the financial assessmentProvide requested evidence and obtain the written contribution calculation and start date.
- Review or challengeUse reassessment, complaint and Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman routes as appropriate.
Care and funding
Ask the responsible council or health and social-care body for an assessment before assuming you must arrange everything privately. Request the written eligibility, care-plan and charging decisions.
Benefits and legal planning
Use the official benefit and legal documents for England. Do not copy forms, thresholds or terminology from another UK nation.
Complaints and safeguarding
Start with the service or commissioning body. Ask for its written complaints route and raise immediate abuse, neglect or danger through the local safeguarding or emergency route.
Urgent health help
Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency. For other urgent problems use the official NHS urgent-care service operating in England; local arrangements can differ.
Official starting points
Guides that apply here
These have been selected for England; guides that apply only in another UK nation are not shown.
Disabled Facilities Grants: limits, assessment and application
Learn Disabled Facilities Grant maximums for 2026, means testing, occupational therapy assessment, application steps and approval times across the UK.
Useful if: For disabled people who need major home adaptations, and the family members, landlords or advisers helping them apply before work begins.
Read the guideLasting power of attorney: forms, fees and how to apply
Lasting power of attorney forms let adults in England and Wales appoint trusted decision-makers; choose the right type and register it before it is needed.
Useful if: For adults in England or Wales who want to plan who may make financial or health decisions for them, and people supporting them with the process.
Read the guideFinancial assessment for care: income, savings and your home
Prepare for a UK care financial assessment, understand 2026/27 capital limits, income, property disregards and how deprivation of assets is considered.
Useful if: For people planning or receiving council-funded home support or a care-home placement, and relatives helping organise records or question a contribution decision.
Read the guideNHS Continuing Healthcare: checklist, assessment and appeals
Understand NHS Continuing Healthcare eligibility, the checklist, full assessment, decision support tool, appeals and how Scotland’s approach differs.
Useful if: For adults with significant ongoing health needs, families and advocates preparing for a Continuing Healthcare screening, full assessment or review of a decision.
Read the guideNHS-funded nursing care: eligibility, rates and reviews
NHS-funded nursing care: who qualifies, 2026/27 weekly rates in England and Wales, Scotland’s different payments and how reviews work.
Useful if: People considering or living in a nursing home, and relatives checking whether NHS nursing funding or Continuing Healthcare should be assessed.
Read the guideLiving wills: advance decisions and advance statements
Understand advance statements and advance decisions to refuse treatment, including how legal rules and document requirements differ across the UK.
Useful if: Adults who want clinicians and trusted people to understand their future treatment wishes, and supporters helping them record those wishes clearly.
Read the guide