How to Find a Care Home

How to Find a Care Home: free guidance for families seeking care across the UK

How to Find a Care Home is a UK advisory service dedicated to helping families identify a care home or care service suited to the person who needs support. The organisation presents its service as permanently free to families and operates a freephone line attended by advisors seven days a week, including weekends and evenings. It was founded in 2014 by Gail, who states she has worked in the care sector since 2003.

The service is structured around what the company calls the 4 Corners of Care™, a framework covering care needs, location, cost and vacancy. Each of these dimensions is used to filter and match the options presented to a family.

The 4 Corners of Care™: how matches are assessed

The advisory process considers four criteria before recommending a home. The first is the level of support required by the individual, so that the residence can provide appropriate comfort and expertise. The second is proximity: the search is carried out close to the family's preferred area or postcode, with the aim of keeping the person near relatives and familiar surroundings. The third is financial sustainability, since only homes that fit the family's budget and funding arrangements are put forward. The fourth is current bed availability, as every suggested home is checked for a suitable vacancy to avoid delays.

Relocation and long-term planning

Beyond the initial search, the service specialises in helping families relocate a loved one closer to relatives when family members are spread across the country. The company describes its approach as planning not only for present care needs but also for future changes in health, circumstances and finances, with the goal of finding a home that can remain suitable over the long term.

Who the service is for

The advisory service addresses families and individuals facing a care decision, often for the first time. The contact form on the website asks what type of care is being sought and lists 24-hour care, respite and home care among the options, alongside an option for those who are not yet sure. The company states that it has supported thousands of people across the UK since 2014 and that it works with care homes and care agencies as partners.

Principles stated by the company

How to Find a Care Home summarises its commitments as a Trio of Trust™: always free, always honest and always human. In its own account, the service listens first, explains the available options and avoids pressure, treating each family's circumstances as distinct. The founder, Gail, describes the organisation as independent and compassionate, and says the team remains mindful that the person requiring care is someone's relative or lifelong friend.

Contact and availability

The company operates a freephone number, 0800 193 0443, described as free from UK landlines and mobiles, and an email address, hello@howtofindacarehome.co.uk. The website states that messages sent through its form receive a reply from an advisor the same day, seven days a week. How to Find a Care Home Ltd is registered in England & Wales.