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Paying care home fees in England and Wales

Like choosing any home, choosing a care home is a big decision. People sometimes make this decision in a hurry, but it’s a good idea to think about what you’d like sooner rather than later, and to discuss this with your family or friends.
In many cases, a move to a care home will be prompted by a crisis, so you won’t have much time to plan ahead. If you're under pressure to find a care home quickly, contact our Helpline to arrange to speak to an adviser.
You should start by having a care needs assessment. This will give you more information about the care you need, and help you think about what support would be best for you. See Getting a care needs assessment for more information.
Our retirement housing checklist can help you work out what to consider if you're choosing a care home for yourself or a relative.
There are various types of care home available, depending on the level and type of care you need. The outcome of your care needs assessment should give you an idea of which one would be right for you. If you’re moving as a couple, it can be more difficult to find a home to cater for both your needs.
Residential care homes – these offer personal care, including help with washing, eating and drinking, going to the toilet and taking medication.
Care homes with nursing care – these offer personal care and also have qualified nurses on duty at all times. They may also specialise in specific illnesses or disabilities, such as dementia.
Care homes offering some residential and some nursing care places – these might be a good option if you may need nursing care in the future and you don’t want to move more than once.
This will be your new home, so it's important to think about how you want to live. You might have to compromise, so think about your priorities. Some things to consider include:
It’s always best to visit any care home you're considering. Take a list of your priorities and things you want to know more about and speak to staff and residents.
You might want to use our Retirement housing checklist to help you make notes and remember what to look for when you visit a care home.
Social services should be able to provide a list of homes. If your council is paying some of your care costs, keep in mind that not all the homes on the list may be at the council’s standard rate. There are also organisations that have online directories of care homes, such as carehome.co.uk and autumna.co.uk. You can use these to search for one near you.
There are organisations in charge of regulating care homes. These organisations regularly inspect care homes to check whether they meet government standards. You can search for local care homes on their websites and check how they've been rated.
Download our Retirement housing checklist to help you prepare.
Call our Helpline to arrange to speak to an adviser.
By calling Independent Age's free and impartial Helpline, you can get information and advice from one of our friendly advisers, or order our free guides.