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Care guides
Choosing and paying for care is confusing and often urgent. These plain-English guides explain how it works, written to be genuinely useful — not to sell you anything.
How to choose a care home: a step-by-step guide
What to look for, the questions to ask on a visit, and how to read a CQC report — a practical checklist for families.
Paying for care: funding, means tests and NHS CHC
Who pays, the capital thresholds, what the council covers, and how to claim NHS Continuing Healthcare.
Types of care explained: residential, nursing, dementia and home care
The difference between the main types of care, who each suits, and roughly what they cost.
Care home costs in North East England (2026)
Typical weekly fees, how they vary by area, and the questions to ask every home about money.