No advertising
There are no adverts on this site. No organisation pays to place content here. No banner ads, sponsored posts, or pay-per-click links.
No referral fees
We do not receive referral fees, commission, or any payment when a family chooses a care home or contacts an organisation listed on this site.
No paid listings
No care home has paid to appear in our directory. No organisation has paid to be listed in our support section. Inclusion is based on relevance and CQC registration status only.
Primary sources only
All factual content is sourced from NHS England, GOV.UK, the Care Quality Commission, Age UK, and other authoritative primary sources. We do not reproduce or rely on secondary aggregator sites for facts.
Review dates on everything
Every page carries the date it was last reviewed. Care rules, funding thresholds, and contact details change. We review all content at least twice a year.
Plain English throughout
The care system uses complex terminology. Every guide and glossary entry is written to be understood by someone encountering it for the first time, without a care background.
What CareGuide UK is
CareGuide UK is an independent informational resource designed to help families across England understand how the care system works. All information is based on publicly available guidance from NHS England, GOV.UK and the Care Quality Commission, written in plain English to help families understand the process.
It was built because families facing care decisions — often in crisis, often for the first time — have almost nowhere to go for clear, independent, locally relevant information that is not trying to sell them something.
This site does not sell anything. It has no commercial relationships with care homes, care agencies, solicitors, financial advisers, or any other organisation. It is an informational resource, nothing more.
Where our information comes from
Every factual statement on this site is sourced from one of the following primary sources. Where a figure, rule, or process is described, the relevant source is referenced at the bottom of that section.
| Source | What we use it for |
|---|---|
| NHS England | NHS Continuing Healthcare rules, CHC National Framework, discharge guidance |
| GOV.UK | Care Act 2014 guidance, financial assessment rules, capital thresholds, charging regulations |
| Care Quality Commission | Care home registration status, inspection ratings, regulatory guidance |
| Age UK | Practical guidance on care options, rights, and financial planning |
| Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman | Complaints process guidance |
| Beacon CHC | CHC appeals process guidance |
The homes directory
The homes directory lists CQC-registered care homes. It is not comprehensive — it does not list every registered home in England. Homes are included based on CQC registration status and publicly available information.
CQC ratings shown are sourced directly from the CQC website and reflect the most recently published inspection at the time of our last review. Ratings change — always verify the current rating at cqc.org.uk before making any decision.
No care home has paid to appear in the directory. No care home has paid for a more prominent position. The directory exists to give families a starting point, not a recommendation.
Editorial responsibility
Content on this site is compiled from publicly available NHS, GOV.UK and CQC guidance and reviewed against those primary sources at each review cycle. The site carries no connection with any local authority, NHS integrated care board, the Care Quality Commission, or any other statutory body.
Last reviewed: March 2026. Next scheduled review: September 2026.
If you believe any information on this site is incorrect or out of date, please use the feedback button on any page to let us know.
What this site is not
This site is not a care agency, a care home referral service, a legal firm, a financial advisory service, or a regulated healthcare provider. Nothing on this site constitutes advice of any kind. See our full Information Disclaimer for detail.
This page was last reviewed March 2026. Next scheduled review September 2026.