What should I look for when choosing a care home?
Short answer
Check the CQC rating first and read the full inspection report, aiming for Good or Outstanding. Then visit at least twice at different times of day, talk to residents and relatives, confirm the home can meet the specific needs involved, and understand the whole fee structure before signing.
The right home transforms someone’s quality of life; the wrong one causes harm that is hard to undo. Two things make the difference: reading the evidence that already exists, and seeing the home more than once.
Start with the CQC report
Aim for a home rated Good or Outstanding. Avoid Requires Improvement or Inadequate unless there is genuinely no alternative — and if there is not, ask the council what is being done about care quality there. Read the full inspection report, not just the headline rating: the detail on staffing levels, medication management, safety and leadership is where problems show up first.
Check the registration category too. Not every home is suitable for someone with dementia — a specialist home will have staff with dementia training, an environment designed for it, and appropriate activities and routines.
Visiting
- Visit at least twice, at different times of day — once midweek, once at a weekend or evening. Atmosphere and staffing vary enormously between shifts.
- Ask whether you can visit without an appointment, and take up the offer if it exists.
- Talk to residents and their relatives, not only the manager. Ask how long staff have worked there — turnover tells you more than the décor.
- Check that specific needs can be met: medical and nursing needs, dietary requirements, cultural and religious needs, mobility, and social interests.
Before you sign
Understand the whole fee structure: what the weekly fee includes, what triggers an increase, how much notice is given, and what happens if funding changes. Extras can only be charged where they were clearly identified as extra in the contract before signing — a home cannot spring new charges after admission, and the CMA’s guidance on care home consumer rights sets out what is and is not permissible. Challenge anything that was not agreed in writing.
Finally, remember the decision is not irreversible. If the home turns out to be wrong, a resident can move — and for a council-funded placement, the council must be involved in arranging it.
Related guides
How to Choose a Care Home
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