Changing Your Care Provider

Adults receiving council-funded social care have the right to request a change of care provider. Under the Care Act 2014, the council must give proper consideration to requests and cannot unreasonably refuse. The council has a duty to ensure your needs are met, and if your current provider is not meeting them adequately, changing provider is a legitimate way to address this.

For self-funded care, you have full freedom to choose and change providers, subject to the terms of any contract you have entered. Most care home contracts and home care contracts include a notice period (typically 28 days) which you must give before leaving or ending the arrangement.

If your dissatisfaction arises from poor care quality, make a formal complaint first — problems can sometimes be resolved without the disruption of changing providers. However, if care quality is seriously inadequate or you have lost confidence in the provider, changing may be the best option.

Moving from one care home to another is a significant step — it can be disruptive and stressful, particularly for people with dementia or other complex needs. Consider the following:

• Research alternatives before giving notice. Visit potential homes, check CQC ratings, and ensure the new home can meet your specific needs;
• Check your contract for the notice period required to leave. Usually 28 days, but sometimes longer;
• If council-funded, discuss the proposed change with your social worker — the council may need to carry out a reassessment and identify and fund the new placement;
• Request a care transfer document from the current home, including care notes, medication records, and the care plan, to be shared with the new home;
• Arrange for GP and pharmacy registration at the new location if applicable.

Changing a home care agency is generally less disruptive than moving care homes, but still requires careful planning:

• Give proper notice to the existing agency — typically 28 days or as per the contract;
• Identify a new agency with availability to start promptly — ensure the new agency is CQC-registered and has capacity to cover your care schedule;
• Overlap if possible — arranging a few days of parallel care (if affordable) can help with the handover and allow the new carers to get to know you;
• If council-funded, contact your social worker — the council must agree to commission the new agency and fund the change;
• Brief the new agency on your needs, preferences, routines, and any health conditions or risk factors. Share the existing care plan.

Continuity of care during a provider transition is often the biggest practical risk, particularly for people with dementia, complex health needs, or high dependency on established routines and relationships. A poorly managed transition can cause significant distress and clinical deterioration. Both the outgoing and incoming provider share responsibility for a safe handover, but the commissioning body — the council, or the NHS if the placement is CHC-funded — has the ultimate duty to ensure the transition is managed safely.

The outgoing provider is expected to share all relevant care documentation with the incoming provider before the transition date. This includes: the current care and support plan; medication records and any prescribed protocols; risk assessments (including falls, pressure sore, and behaviour risk assessments); records of known preferences, communication needs, and relationships with family members; and contact details for the GP, district nurse, and any specialist clinicians involved in the person's care. Failure to provide this information is a safeguarding concern and should be reported to the council and the CQC. In practice, outgoing providers sometimes withhold or delay sharing documentation, particularly where the change follows a dispute — be prepared to escalate this to the council social worker immediately.

Council-funded residents have specific rights when changing care provider. Under the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, the council must ensure that any new provider can meet the person's assessed needs. A council-funded resident has the right to request a particular alternative provider and the council must give genuine consideration to this choice, subject to the provider being willing to accept the council's standard rate (or a third-party top-up being in place). Crucially, the council must also conduct a reassessment if there is any suggestion that the person's needs have changed since the last assessment — the transition is an opportunity to update the care plan rather than simply transferring the existing arrangement to a new provider.