Can I move from one care home to another?

You can move from one care home to another. Before doing so, you should check if your current home has a notice period. You may need to reapply for funding, such as if you’re moving from one local authority to another and don’t pay for your own care.

Can you go into a care home in a different country?

If you pay for your own care, you can move to any home you can afford.When the local authority pays for your care, you can sometimes move from one country to another, such as from Scotland to England, through a cross-border placement. If you don’t move through a cross-border placement, you may need a new financial assessment, as funding thresholds differ in each UK country.

What is continuity of care when moving between areas?

Continuity of care is fully explained in the Care Act 2014. This ensures you receive continuity of care when moving from one area to another, such as when changing local authorities. If you’re receiving care in one area, such as personal care in a residential care home, continuity of care means you’ll continue receiving this when you arrive in the new area.

How Does Moving To A New Care Home in a Different Area Work?

How your care is funded can change when you move from one care home to another in a different country or local authority. Different local authorities have their own rules and regulations about the process of arranging care, so this can be confusing.

We’ve explained how moving to a new care home in a different country or local authority works, including what you need to do, whether your care funding will be affected and what else you need to consider when moving homes.

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What Happens When I Move To a Care Home In Another Local Authority?

What happens when moving between local authorities depends on whether you pay for your own care. If you pay, you can simply find a care home in your new area and continue paying as you did before.

However, if your care is paid for through local authority funding, things get a bit more complicated. Every local authority works differently, so there isn’t a completely clear process about what happens.

Sometimes, you’ll contact the adult social services department of your new local authority. Other times, your social worker will directly liaise with your new local authority themselves.

When moving to an out of area care home, some local authorities will continue paying for your care, even after moving to a different council area. For example, imagine someone living in a Birmingham care home who wants to move to Surrey. Birmingham City Council pays £800 per month for this resident to live in a Surrey care home (there may also be a third-party top-up fee involved). In this case, Birmingham City Council may only do this for a certain amount of time, such as two years. After two years, Surrey County Council then takes over these fees.

Again, for local authority funders, exactly what happens isn’t black and white. If you’re unsure, get in touch with your current local authority for more information.

What Happens When I Move To a Care Home in Another Country?

The care thresholds for local authority funding are different in each country of the UK. When it comes to care homes, if the total value of your savings and assets is above the upper threshold, you’ll be classed as a self-funder and will pay for your own care. If they’re below the lower threshold, you’ll qualify for full funding support from your local authority. You’ll qualify for partial support if they’re between the two thresholds.

Because these thresholds are different, moving to a care home in a different country could mean you qualify for local authority funding where you didn’t previously, or vice-versa.

To make things clearer, we have guides explaining care funding in England, Scotland and Wales.

Here are the 2024/2025 care funding thresholds:

Country	Upper Savings Threshold	Lower Savings Threshold
England	£23,250	£14,250
Northern Ireland	£23,250	£14,250
Scotland	£35,000	£21,500
Wales	£50,000	N/A

Whether you pay for your own care is determined by a financial assessment, which immediately follows a care needs assessment.

When moving from one country to another, you’ll need to be reassessed to ensure your eligibility for that country’s funding thresholds.

If you pay for your own care and will continue doing so in the new country, you don’t need to have your finances reassessed.

Cross-border placements

A cross-border placement is where someone who needs care and support within a care home is given this in a different country of the UK by their local authority.

A cross-border placement often occurs when someone has complex needs and suitable support isn’t available in the country where the local authority is arranging their care and support. It also occurs when someone wishes to move closer to their loved ones to improve their emotional wellbeing.

Usually, someone who moves through a cross-border placement remains ‘ordinarily resident’ in their first local authority, meaning their needs are still the responsibility of this local authority. ‘Ordinarily resident’ means you regularly spend time in that area and are settled there as part of your normal life, despite any temporary absences where you weren’t living there.

Can I continue to receive free care if I move from Scotland to England?

Personal care and nursing care in Scotland provided by your local council is free if you’re assessed as needing it. This assessment doesn’t consider any income or how much money you have.

Personal care includes support with things like washing, bathing and getting dressed and undressed, while nursing care is provided by registered nurses in a specialist nursing home.

This free personal and nursing care stops if you move from Scotland to England. Depending on the total value of your savings and assets, you may become classed as a self-funder, meaning you’ll have to pay private fees in full.

When moving from another part of the UK to a care home in Scotland, local authorities have differing limits on how long you must live there before becoming eligible for free personal and nursing care. You won’t qualify for free care if you live in Scotland but own a home in a different part of the UK. Before passing this duration, you’ll only be eligible for free care if you qualify through local authority or NHS funding.

For further information on this, get in touch with Age UK Scotland on 0800 12 44 222.

Returning to the UK after living abroad

To qualify for social care (such as care in a care home) in the UK after living abroad, you’ll need a care needs assessment from your local council, and be considered eligible for care and support as a result of this assessment.

You’ll also need to prove you’re ‘ordinarily resident’ in the local council area you’ll be living in. If you can prove that you plan on settling in this local council area, you should be granted ordinary residence straight away.

Your local council is only obliged to assess you once you’re there in person, which can lead to delays between returning to the UK and actually being approved for care home funding. With this in mind, you may want to make alternative arrangements, such as temporarily living in a private care home while waiting for a care needs assessment and financial assessment.

If you’re paying for your own care, you can select your dream care home as soon as you like, such as through Lottie.

We’re here to help you find the right care home for you or your loved one. You can request a free list of care homes from our care experts, who will then share homes matching your budget, location and type of care needed. You can also search for a care home through our easy-to-use directory.

How Is NHS Funding Affected By Moving Care Homes?

NHS funding is broken down by area, similar to local authorities. Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are in charge of these local budgets and the distribution of care. You can find your local ICB here.

Similarly to when moving to a different local authority, if you’re moving to a different ICB’s area, a transfer should take place so any funding is taken over by your new ICB.

Moving from one ICB to another shouldn’t affect the NHS continuing healthcare or funded nursing care you already receive.

What Else Do I Need To Think About When Moving Care Home?

There are a few other things to consider when moving care home, such as:

Checking your contract relating to a notice period and any other terms and conditions
The cost of a new home (a top-up fee may be needed if self-funding)
Where family are based. Think about whether they’ll be nearer or farther away
Whether a new home can still support your care needs if they increase

Our 2024 Care Seeker Survey found that the five most important considerations when choosing a care home are:

Good management and staff - 64% of people said this was important
Care home ratings, such as from a regulator like the CQC - 56% of people said this was important
The different care services available - 53% of people said this was important
Reviews from people who have previously stayed in homes and their loved ones - 49% of people said this was important
Overall reputation - 47% of people said this was important

We also learned that people visit an average of 3.5 homes before making a final decision, with many wishing they'd started their care search earlier so they had enough time to properly consider all options.

Lottie matches care seekers with the best care homes for their needs. You can request a free care home shortlist from our care experts, who will share homes matching your budget, location and type of care needed. You can also search for a care home through our easy-to-use directory.