Care home fees are one of the largest recurring costs a family faces. Nationally, residential care commonly runs about £800–1,000 a week, and nursing care often £1,000–1,300 a week, with wide variation by region — London and the South East run higher. Dementia and heavy nursing needs push the number higher still.
What you are actually paying for
The weekly fee typically bundles room and board, 24-hour care supervision, meals, and basic personal care. Ask what is not included: toiletries, hairdressing, outings, a private room upgrade, and one-to-one support can all be extra.
Who pays: local authority vs NHS vs self-funding
If your capital is above the upper threshold (currently around £23,250 in England, with different limits in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), you are usually a self-funder. Below that, the local authority may contribute after a financial assessment (means test). NHS Continuing Healthcare can fully fund care for those with a primary health need, regardless of means — it is underused and worth checking.
How to compare real numbers
Ask each home for the all-in weekly fee for the level of care your relative needs, what triggers a fee increase, and whether they accept local-authority-funded residents (and at what rate). A well-rated home that accepts council funding may matter more than a cheaper one that does not.
Ready-to-send message
Hello,
we’re looking into care for my mother/father and want to compare fees.
Could you send the all-in weekly fee for the level of care needed, and what is not included?
Do you accept local-authority-funded residents, and at what rate?
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).
Paying less is mostly a paperwork problem
What a family actually pays is decided less by the home's headline fee than by three applications: the council's financial assessment (capital above the threshold means paying in full — below it, means-tested support starts), NHS Continuing Healthcare, which covers the entire fee when the need is primarily a health need and is worth requesting a checklist for even if you expect a no, and Attendance Allowance, which is not means-tested and is missed by a great many families. If the home is the only asset, ask the council about a deferred payment agreement before selling anything.
