Need help navigating care?
When someone you love needs care, knowing what to do next can feel overwhelming. Carentis brings together clear information, practical tools and independent guidance to help you understand your options and make more confident decisions.
You don’t need to understand the whole care system first.
Care decisions rarely happen all at once. You may be trying to work out what type of care someone needs, how it will be paid for, whether NHS Continuing Healthcare could apply, or simply what to do next. Start with the question that matters most to you.
Free tools to help you work things out
Carentis interactive tools help you understand your situation, explore possible options and prepare for conversations with health and care professionals.
Care Funding Calculator
Explore how care might be funded, what you may need to contribute and which funding routes could be relevant.
Calculate care funding →Find the Right Care Home
Understand what type of care setting may be appropriate based on your loved one’s health, mobility and support needs.
Start the assessment →Find a Care Home Near You
Search for residential, nursing or dementia care homes and create a personalised enquiry checklist to help you ask the right questions.
Find care homes →Mock CHC Decision Support Tool
Explore the twelve CHC care domains and understand the areas considered during an NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment.
Start the Mock DST →CHC Decision Challenge Tool
If CHC funding has been refused, use the tool to help identify areas of the decision that may need further consideration.
Challenge the decision →Continence Assessment
Work through practical questions about continence needs, products, support and estimated usage.
Start the assessment →Respite Care Checker
Explore whether respite could help and what type of break may be appropriate for you and the person you care for.
Start the checker →Follow the care journey
You may not know exactly what you need yet. That’s okay. These are some of the questions families commonly work through.
Understand the need
What has changed and what help is actually needed?
Explore care options
Could support be provided at home or is another setting needed?
Understand funding
Who may pay for the care and what assessments are relevant?
Choose a service
What should you look for when choosing care or a provider?
Keep it under review
What happens if your loved one’s needs change?
Explore guidance by subject
Once you know the broad direction, explore the specialist information that applies to your situation.
Care Funding
Understand the different ways care may be paid for and the financial questions to consider before making major decisions.
Explore care funding →Care Homes
Decide whether a care home may be needed, compare options and find homes near you.
Explore Care Home guidance →Care at Home
Understand how care and support can be provided at home and what to consider when arranging it.
Explore the Care at Home Hub →NHS Continuing Healthcare
Understand CHC before, during and after assessment, including the Checklist, DST, evidence and appeals.
Explore the CHC Hub →Respite Care
Understand different forms of respite care, how to arrange it, how long it can last and who may pay.
Explore Respite Care →Continence Care
Practical guidance about continence, products, support and questions about funding.
Explore continence guidance →Dementia Support
Practical information for families living with dementia, including care decisions, visits and changing needs.
Explore Dementia resources →Palliative Care
Understand palliative and end-of-life care, planning ahead, changing needs and support for families.
Explore the Palliative Care Hub →Assessments & Capacity
Understand care needs assessments, consent, capacity and some of the formal processes families may encounter.
Explore assessment guidance →When care needs are changing
Palliative and end-of-life care can raise difficult questions for families. Carentis brings together practical information about understanding palliative care, advance care planning, DNACPR and ReSPECT, medicines, family support and what may happen towards the end of life.
Visit the Palliative Care HubLooking for the right care home?
Choosing a care home can be one of the biggest decisions a family has to make. Start by understanding what type of care your loved one may need, then search for suitable homes.
Find a care home near youPractical guides for important decisions
When you need more than an article, Carentis provides structured guides with practical information, checklists and tools.
Complete Guide to NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
A comprehensive guide to the CHC process, including the Checklist, Decision Support Tool, twelve care domains, evidence, assessment preparation and appeals.
Get the CHC GuideChoosing the Right Care Home
A practical guide with checklists, worksheets, questions and comparison tools to help families choose a care home with confidence.
View the Care Home GuideMore care guidance
Explore practical information covering the questions families face throughout the care journey.
What Is a Care Needs Assessment?
Understand what a care needs assessment is and what happens when someone needs more support.
Read the guide →Consent & Capacity
Understand the Mental Capacity Act and what families should know about consent in care.
Read the guide →Care Home Fees
Understand what care home fees can pay for and the wider financial questions families need to consider.
Explore care fees →Falls in Care Homes
Understand why falls prevention matters and what families should consider when someone lives in a care home.
Explore falls guidance →Food in Care Homes
Understand why food, flavour, texture and mealtimes matter to people living in care homes.
Read the article →Free Resources
Browse the wider Carentis library of practical care information, guidance and explainers.
Browse all resources →Professional experience. Family-focused guidance.
Carentis was created to make complex care issues easier for families to understand and act upon.
Independent information. No pressure.
Carentis is here to help you understand your options and ask better questions. Our tools and information are practical starting points and do not replace professional health, social-care, legal or financial advice. Where a formal assessment or professional decision is needed, we help you understand what to ask for and what to consider.
You don’t have to work it out alone.
Whether you’re just beginning to think about care, trying to understand funding, looking for a care home or simply need a break, start with Carentis and work out what to explore next.