Independent · no commission from any care provider · fees published
Professionals
We do the research. You make the decision.
A tailored shortlist of care providers that genuinely fit — matched to assessed need, location, preferences and budget, with availability, CQC ratings and real fees checked. Built by a registered nurse who is paid by you, not by the homes on the list.
Why finding the right care is so hard on your own
There are thousands of care homes, nursing homes and home care agencies in England, and almost all of them look good on their own website. Ratings are a starting point but they are not a match: an outstanding home with no dementia experience is the wrong home for somebody with advancing dementia, and a home with a vacancy today may have nothing suitable by the time you have visited.
Meanwhile the listings sites that appear first in search results are, in most cases, funded by the providers they list. The result is that families spend weeks on research and still end up choosing from whoever answered the phone.
What we actually do
We start by establishing what is genuinely needed — the level and type of care, the clinical picture, what matters personally, and what the realistic budget is including any funding that may apply. Then we search the whole market in the area you need, contact providers directly, check current availability and actual fees, and assess suitability against the need rather than against the brochure.
You receive a curated shortlist, typically three to five providers, each with a clear written summary: what it is, what it costs, what it does well, what to watch, and why it is on the list. We then talk it through with you, and we stay available while you make the decision.
Why the fees we quote are the real ones
Advertised weekly fees are frequently not what you will pay. We ask about the fee for the specific level of care needed, what is excluded, whether a third-party top-up would be expected, what the annual increase has looked like, and what happens if funding changes. That is usually where the surprises are.
- You need to find care quickly after a hospital discharge
- You are managing the search from a distance and cannot visit
- You feel overwhelmed by the number of options
- You want an independent expert to identify what genuinely fits
- You have had a poor experience with a placement agency before
- The needs are complex — dementia, nursing, mental health or challenging behaviour
- You want to be sure the fees you have been quoted are the real ones
What the search covers
Needs and budget review
A structured conversation establishing the level of care required, the clinical picture, personal preferences and what can realistically be afforded.
Whole-market research
We search all relevant providers in the area, not a panel or an approved list, and contact them directly.
Availability and real fees
Current vacancies, the fee for the actual level of care needed, exclusions, top-ups and recent increases.
Written shortlist
Typically three to five matched options with honest summaries, CQC ratings and our reasoning for each.
Every shortlist entry tells you
- The type of registration — residential, nursing, dementia or specialist
- The current CQC rating, when it was inspected and what the report flagged
- Availability now, and realistically over the next few weeks
- The weekly fee for this level of care, and what it does and does not include
- Whether a third-party top-up would be expected, and how much
- Staffing, including who is on duty overnight and how stable the team is
- How well it fits the personal preferences we discussed
- Our honest reservations, where we have them
From first conversation to arranged care
Consultation
We establish the need, the location, the preferences and the budget, including any funding that may apply.
Search
We research the market and contact providers directly to confirm suitability, availability and real fees.
Shortlist
You receive three to five matched options in writing, each with an honest summary and our reasoning.
Discuss
We talk the shortlist through, answer questions and refine the criteria if nothing feels right.
Follow-up
We stay available while visits are arranged and care is put in place.
Types of care we search
Residential care homes, nursing homes, dementia and specialist dementia units, homes able to manage complex or challenging behaviour, home care and live-in care agencies, respite and short-stay placements, and supported or extra-care housing where that is the better answer. Where the right answer is to keep somebody at home with a properly built package rather than to move them, we will say so.
Two ways to run the search
Both are fixed price, quoted before anything begins.
Phone consultation, whole-market research, a tailored shortlist with availability, CQC ratings and real fees, plus follow-up until care is arranged. Available across the UK.
Everything above, plus an in-person consultation at home or in a care setting, a full written care report and ongoing follow-up support. Available within our in-person area.
If you would also like somebody with you when you visit the shortlisted providers, see Assisted Care Home Visits (£1,854), where we attend, ask the professional questions and write up every provider seen.
Care Search Consultation: your questions
How long does the search take?
Most searches are completed within five to ten working days, depending on how specific the requirements are and what is available locally. Where a hospital discharge is driving the timetable we work faster and will tell you honestly what is achievable.
Are you paid by the care homes you recommend?
No. We receive no referral fees, commission or payments of any kind from providers. Every recommendation is based solely on suitability, and you are the only person paying us.
Which types of provider do you search?
Residential care homes, nursing homes, dementia and specialist units, home care and live-in agencies, respite placements and supported housing — whichever fits the assessed need.
What if I do not like any of the options?
We refine the criteria and search again until you have options you are confident considering. That is part of the fixed fee, not an extra.
Do you arrange the placement for us?
We do the research, make introductions and support you through the process, but the contract is always between you and the provider. That keeps our independence intact.
Can you help if funding is not yet resolved?
Yes, and it is often better to run both together. See funding support and NHS Continuing Healthcare — a shortlist built on the wrong assumption about who pays is not much use.
Do you visit the homes yourself?
Not as part of the standard search. Where you want us physically present, that is either the on-site version at £1,197 or Assisted Care Home Visits at £1,854.
How much does a care home cost?
It varies widely by region and by level of care, and the advertised rate is often not the rate you will pay. Rather than quote an average, we establish the actual fee for the actual need in your area as part of the search.
Can you search anywhere in the country?
Yes for the phone-based search. The on-site version needs us to travel, so it is limited to the area described on our areas we cover page.
What if the placement turns out to be wrong?
Come back to us. Reviewing an existing placement, and where necessary evidencing why it is not meeting the need, is what the Care Needs Assessment is for.
Related services
Assisted Care Home Visits
We come with you, ask the right questions and write up every home you see.
Care Needs Assessment
Establish exactly what level of care is needed before you start looking.
Hospital discharge
Finding care under discharge pressure, without being rushed into the wrong one.
You don’t need to know which service you need.
Just tell us what’s happening.
No pressure. No care-provider commissions. Just a conversation about what may help.