Choosing a care home: what to check before moving

1. Start with the person’s needs and preferences

Ask what matters most to the person: remaining near family, keeping a familiar routine, having a garden, faith or cultural support, a quiet room, particular food, or access to familiar services. Discuss what has become difficult and what support would make daily life safer and more comfortable. Include communication, mobility, memory, medicines, continence, sleep, eating, sensory needs and emotional wellbeing. If the person has fluctuating needs, record what a difficult day looks like as well as a good day. A relative can help express wishes, but should not assume what the person wants.

2. Understand residential and nursing care

A residential home supports everyday activities such as washing, dressing, eating and moving around, with staff available according to the home’s arrangements. A nursing home provides personal care plus access to registered nursing care for clinical needs. The names alone do not guarantee a particular level of staffing at every hour or that a home can meet changing needs. Ask who assesses nursing needs, how the home arranges nurse cover, what happens overnight and how staff coordinate with GPs, community nurses, pharmacies and hospitals. If needs are complex or mainly health-related, ask the NHS team whether a separate continuing healthcare assessment is appropriate.

3. Ask for an assessment and a clear funding route

Contact the relevant council or, in Northern Ireland, the Health and Social Care Trust, to request an assessment of care needs. The assessment should explain the outcomes and support needed; a separate financial assessment may decide whether public money contributes. A public body should consider whether the options it can fund will meet the assessed needs. Ask for decisions, the personal budget or local equivalent, and any top-up arrangement in writing. If care is being arranged after a hospital stay, ask the discharge team and social-work service to explain the immediate plan and who will review it. Read [[care-at-home-extra-care-or-care-home|how a care home compares with home care and extra-care housing]] before treating a move as the only option.

4. Read the regulator’s report as evidence, not a verdict

Search the home by its exact name and address using the correct regulator: CQC in England, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, Care Inspectorate Wales in Wales, or RQIA in Northern Ireland. Check that the registration covers the service and location you plan to visit. Read the latest report, its date, what inspectors examined and whether actions or concerns were recorded. Earlier reports can show whether issues have improved or repeated. Ratings and inspection systems differ between nations, so compare the detail rather than treating labels as directly equivalent. A report is a useful snapshot, not a guarantee of what every shift will be like; ask the manager how issues were addressed and what has changed since inspection.

5. Visit at a useful time and ask specific questions

Arrange a visit when you can see ordinary activity, and ask whether a second visit or conversation with residents and relatives is possible. Notice whether staff speak respectfully, knock before entering, respond to requests and offer genuine choices. Look at privacy, lighting, noise, smells, access to outside space, communal areas and how residents spend time. Ask how staffing is planned for days, nights and absences; how medicines and falls are handled; how personal care is delivered; and how concerns are raised. Ask what support is available for the person’s condition, language, diet, faith, relationships and communication. The separate [[preparing-for-a-care-home-visit-or-trial-stay|visit and trial-stay guide]] has a practical question list.

6. Compare location, visiting and the real weekly cost

Consider how the location affects the resident and the people who matter to them. Check travel by public transport and car, parking, step-free access, visiting arrangements and whether visitors can join a meal or activity. Ask what happens during outbreaks or when a visitor cannot attend in person, and how the home supports private contact. Age UK’s page, updated 19 August 2026, gives broad UK averages of about £1,100 a week for residential care and £1,450 for nursing care; actual fees can be higher or lower, especially by area and level of need. Treat this only as context, not a quote. Which? reported in 2025, using LaingBuisson’s 2024–25 data, that private residential-care fees averaged about £370 a week more than councils paid, so broad averages can understate a self-funder’s quote. Get the home’s own written weekly fee and ask what is included, what costs extra, how increases are calculated and whether a more expensive room or specialist support changes the charge. [[care-home-contracts-and-top-up-fees|Care-home contracts and top-up fees]] explains the agreement questions.

7. Plan the move around continuity and choice

Before agreeing a place, make sure the person has had a chance to ask questions and understand the proposed move. Clarify the start date, contract, payment responsibility, notice arrangements, belongings, room personalisation, transport, medicines and who will share the care plan. With consent, pass on a concise account of routines, preferred name, communication, food, sleep, mobility, relationships and what helps if the person is distressed. Agree who will contact the GP or other clinicians and how prescriptions will be managed. Plan visits and familiar activities after the move, while allowing time to settle. If the arrangement is not working or needs change, ask who can review it and how to raise a concern.

Common questions