Hospital discharges move fast. Knowing the process keeps you from accepting the first available place under pressure.
Meet the discharge team early
Every hospital has a discharge planning or social work team. Ask them, as early as possible, what level of care your relative will need at discharge and whether an NHS Continuing Healthcare checklist should be started.
Short-term reablement or intermediate care
Many areas offer a short, often free period of reablement or intermediate care after discharge — a partly funded window before you commit to a longer-term arrangement.
You can decline a placement
You have the right to be involved in the choice. If the suggested home is far, poorly rated or a poor fit, ask for other options — a short list of three to five is reasonable to request.
Contact homes in parallel, not one at a time
Places move quickly. Reach out to a few suitable homes at once with a clear, prepared message.
Ready-to-send message
Hello,
my relative is being discharged from hospital and needs a care home place soon.
Do you have a place available this week, and can you accept a referral directly from the hospital?
What do you need from the hospital or council to process the referral quickly?
Thank you,
[Name]
[Phone]
How to use this guide in practice
Don’t read this as general information — use it as a worksheet. Write down the details of the person who needs care, the current limits of the situation at home, the monthly budget, the documents you already have, whether a local-authority financial assessment may apply, and who you’ve already spoken with. Then turn every unclear point into a specific question. A family that arrives with a clear picture usually gets more useful answers than one calling under stress with scattered information.
Keep one simple rule: anything about admission, cost, funding, timelines and whether a care home fits must be confirmed directly with the care home or the competent authority serving your area. This guide prepares the search — it does not replace official decisions.
Want a clear shortlist before you start calling?
If you don’t know which care homes to contact first, Curalune Care Help can prepare an ordered shortlist of 3–5 suitable options — with CQC ratings, contacts, useful links and a ready-to-send inquiry.
The service helps you organise the search.£69, one-off. If you don't receive at least 3 homes matching the area and criteria you gave us, we refund you in full. It does not replace the care home’s own assessment and does not guarantee admission, price or bed availability.
Important limit
Curalune offers practical help with the search and orientation. Admission, pricing, bed availability and the final assessment always rest with the care homes and the competent authorities (the local authority, the NHS, the Care Quality Commission).
