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CHOOSING CARE · PLACEMENT RESCUE

The placement is failing. Rescue it if it can be rescued; move well if it can’t.

A notice to leave, a resident “not settling”, repeated hospital admissions, a home that has stopped answering the phone. Most failing placements are failing for one of six reasons, and about half can be turned round in a fortnight with the right meeting and the right plan. The other half need a well-managed move. We do both.

Written by Francis, co-founder · registered mental health nurseReviewed by Samantha, co-founderLast reviewed 11 September 2026Sources: Care Act statutory guidance, NHS, our editorial standards
Book a free 20-minute callNotice to leave?
A notice is the start of a processNot the end. The CMA guidance and the contract both give you time and a meeting.
Behaviour is usually a symptomPain, infection, medication, boredom, a room by the lift. A nurse looks for the cause before the person is labelled.
A move is managed or it is harmfulFamiliar objects, staff handover, a first-week plan. Done badly, a move ends lives.
THE SIX REASONS

Why placements fail, and what fixes each

Needs have changed

A residential home cannot meet nursing needs. Fix: reassess, apply for FNC or CHC, and either bring nursing in or move to a nursing home – funded correctly.

Behaviour that challenges

Usually unmet need: pain, infection, medication, fear. Fix: a nurse-led review, a behaviour support plan, and training for the staff – not a notice.

A fee dispute

A top-up that has crept up, an increase without a formula. Fix: the contract read, the letter written, the council involved if it should be paying.

Staffing has collapsed

Agency staff every shift, the manager gone. Fix: sometimes none – this is when to move, before the CQC does it for you.

The family and the home have fallen out

Complaints, meetings that go nowhere. Fix: an independent nurse in the room and a written plan both sides sign.

The wrong home from the start

Chosen in a crisis, from the hospital list. Fix: a proper shortlist and a managed move.

Free callWhich of the six is it?
Notice to leaveA home must follow its own contract and the CMA guidance: a reason, a notice period, and a meeting first. A notice served without those is challengeable. Notice to leave, or care that isn’t safe →
FEES

Placement rescue services

Rescue meeting – independent professional advocacyPreparation, a nurse at the meeting with the home and council, and a written plan both sides sign · 2-hour minimum
£165 exc. VAT · £198 inc. VAT per hour
Care needs assessment + written reportWhere the question is whether needs have outgrown the home
£895 exc. VAT · £1,074 inc. VAT
Care search consultationA shortlist for a managed move, with availability and fees, in five working days
£795 exc. VAT · £954 inc. VAT
Care home contract & fee reviewWhere the dispute is money
£425 exc. VAT · £510 inc. VAT
Our standards. NMC-registered nurse · professional indemnity insured · no commission from any provider · not legal or FCA-regulated financial adviceWhat we are, and what we are not →

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