A visit is your best signal of day-to-day quality. Bring this list and watch how staff answer.
Staffing and care
What are your staff-to-resident ratios by shift? What is staff turnover? How quickly are call bells answered? Is there a visiting GP or district nurse?
Safety and quality
May I see your latest CQC report? How do you handle falls, infections and pressure sores? What is your approach to restraint and restrictive practices?
Money
What is the all-in weekly fee for this level of care? What is extra? What triggers a fee increase? Do you accept local-authority-funded residents, and what happens if my relative’s savings run out while they live here?
Daily life
What do meals and activities look like? Can I visit at any time? How do you communicate with families about changes in condition?
Trust what you see as much as what you’re told: visit at a busy time and notice whether residents look clean, engaged and comfortable.
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).
