How to Choose a Care Home: A Step-by-Step Guide for Families

Topic cluster: Finding & Choosing a Care Home | Reading time: 8 min

Choosing a care home for your parent is one of the most significant decisions you will make — and it is rarely straightforward. You are balancing your parent's needs and wishes, your own practical constraints, and a market that can feel overwhelming. This guide breaks the process into clear, manageable steps.

Step 1: Establish What Type of Care Is Needed

Before you search for homes, you need to know what kind of home to look for. The main types are:

Residential care home — personal care without on-site nursing
Nursing home — personal care plus registered nurses on site 24/7
Dementia care home / EMI unit — specialist environment and staff for people living with dementia
Dual-registered home — registered for both residential and nursing care

If your parent has not already had a care needs assessment from their local council, arrange one now. It is free, and it formally establishes what level of care is required. The GP can also advise on whether nursing care is clinically necessary.

Step 2: Set Your Budget

Care home costs vary by region, type, and provider. UK averages in 2026:

Care type	Average weekly cost
Residential care	~£1,300
Nursing care	~£1,512
Dementia care (residential)	~£1,375
Dementia care (nursing)	~£1,600+

Check eligibility for local authority funding (depends on savings thresholds — see our funding guides), NHS Continuing Healthcare, or NHS-Funded Nursing Care.

Self-funders should also explore Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit, which can help towards costs.

Step 3: Choose a Location

Location matters — and there are competing priorities to weigh:

Close to family — makes visiting easier, which matters greatly for wellbeing. Regular visitors make a real difference to quality of life for residents.

Close to your parent's community — near lifelong friends, a familiar area, or a place of worship can ease the transition.

Quality over geography — a Good or Outstanding CQC-rated home slightly further away is worth considering over a mediocre one nearby.

Practical access — can family members reach the home easily by car or public transport?

Step 4: Filter by CQC Rating

In England, all care homes are inspected and rated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC):

Outstanding — exceptional care (around 5% of homes)
Good — meets all standards (around 75% of homes)
Requires Improvement — failings identified; improvement required
Inadequate — serious concerns; may be subject to enforcement action

Search ratings at cqc.org.uk. Read the full inspection report, not just the headline rating — it gives detail on specific areas such as safety, leadership, and responsiveness.

Equivalent bodies in Scotland (Care Inspectorate), Wales (CIW), and Northern Ireland (RQIA) publish similar reports.

Step 5: Shortlist and Make Initial Contact

Once you have a shortlist of 5–10 homes, call each one to check:

Do they have availability (or an expected vacancy soon)?
Can they meet your parent's specific care needs?
What is the weekly fee, and what does it include?
Are there any additional charges (hairdresser, outings, specialist therapies)?
Can you arrange a visit?

The way staff answer the phone — warmth, patience, willingness to explain — is already telling you something about the culture of the home.

Step 6: Visit in Person

A visit is non-negotiable before making a decision. Book visits to your top three or four homes, and try to include:

An unannounced visit or drop-in (most homes allow this) — it reveals everyday conditions rather than prepared presentations
A planned visit where you can meet the manager and ask detailed questions

What to observe during a visit:

✅ Are residents dressed, groomed, and engaged?
✅ Do staff address residents by name with warmth and patience?
✅ Does the home smell clean and fresh (not of urine or institutional cleaning products)?
✅ Are communal areas lively and comfortable?
✅ Are activities underway, not just a printed programme on a noticeboard?
✅ Do staff seem calm and unhurried?
✅ Is the food fresh and appealing? Ask to see a menu.
✅ Is the outdoor space accessible and usable?

Questions to ask the manager:

What is the staff-to-resident ratio on a typical day? At night?
What is the staff turnover rate? (High turnover is a warning sign)
How are care plans created and reviewed?
How do you communicate with families?
How are complaints handled?
What happens if my parent's needs increase significantly?

Step 7: Involve Your Parent

This is their home. Wherever possible:

Bring your parent to visit (particularly if they are cognitively well)
Ask for their honest reaction — trust their instincts
Discuss the decision openly and give them as much agency as possible
If your parent lacks capacity, make the decision in their best interests and with input from other people who know them well

Step 8: Check the Contract

Before signing, review the contract carefully. Key points to check:

What notice period is required (from either side)?
What are the grounds for the home asking a resident to leave?
How are fee increases handled?
What happens to belongings and fees if your parent is hospitalised?
Are top-up fees required? Are they legal and transparent?

If you are unsure about any clause, seek advice from Citizens Advice or an independent financial adviser before signing.

Step 9: Make the Decision — and Keep Reviewing It

Choose the home that best combines quality, suitability, location, and cost. Trust your gut as well as the data.

Once your parent has moved in, the relationship does not end. Visit regularly, maintain communication with the care team, and review the placement formally when a care plan review is due (usually every six to twelve months).

Browse care homes near you by CQC rating, care type, and budget at homeformum.com