Finding a care home that respects faith, culture and LGBT+ identity

Every care home in England must treat residents with dignity and respect, and the regulations say that includes giving proper weight to a person’s religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and other protected characteristics. The Equality Act 2010 also makes it unlawful for a care home to discriminate against residents for those reasons. To find a home that will truly respect your parent’s faith, culture or LGBT+ identity, look past the brochure and test how the home handles everyday things: food, prayer, personal care, partners, visitors and end-of-life wishes.

In short

• The Equality Act 2010 lists 9 protected characteristics, including religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, race, and marriage and civil partnership.
• Regulation 10 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires care providers to treat people with dignity and respect, with due regard to their protected characteristics.
• When a council arranges or pays for a care home place, the home is covered by the Human Rights Act 1998 under section 73 of the Care Act 2014.
• A faith-based exemption in the Equality Act does not apply to organisations whose main purpose is commercial, which covers most care homes.
• Discrimination claims about services must usually be brought in the county court within 6 months; free advice is available from the Equality Advisory and Support Service on 0808 800 0082.

What the law says

Religious organisations have a limited exemption that allows some restrictions linked to their doctrine. It does not apply to an organisation whose sole or main purpose is commercial, and it cannot be used to restrict services because of sexual orientation when the organisation is working under a contract with a public body such as a council. In practice, a resident of a privately run home has the full protection of the Act.

Discriminatory abuse, including harassment or slurs because of religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or race, is listed in the statutory guidance as a type of abuse that councils must respond to under adult safeguarding.

Faith and culture: what to check

A home does not need to be run by a faith group to support faith well. Some families prefer a home linked to their community; others find that a mainstream home with a good manager and a diverse staff team does just as well. What counts is what happens day to day.

Food and fasting

Ask to see a menu for a typical week. Can the kitchen provide halal, kosher, vegetarian or other diets reliably, not just on request? How are utensils and storage kept separate where that matters? How would they support fasting, such as during Ramadan, while keeping an eye on hydration, diabetes and medication? Ask how food from home or the community can be brought in and stored safely.

Prayer, worship and festivals

• Is there a quiet room for prayer, and space in the bedroom for a prayer mat, shrine or religious objects?
• Can staff help with washing before prayer, or with timing care around prayer times?
• Do faith leaders visit, and can residents be taken to a place of worship?
• How are major festivals marked, and can families join in?

Personal care and modesty

Many people strongly prefer carers of the same sex for washing and dressing, for religious, cultural or personal reasons. The Competition and Markets Authority’s consumer law advice says homes should tell people upfront whether residents can choose male or female carers and whether they can meet dietary or religious requirements. Ask how often the home actually achieves this on night shifts and at weekends, not just whether it is possible. Also ask about hair, skin care, head coverings and clothing.

Language and communication

Some people living with dementia find a language learned later in life harder to use and rely more on the language they grew up with. Ask whether any staff speak your parent’s first language, and whether the home uses interpreters, picture cards or translated menus. See our guide to choosing a dementia care home.

End of life and after death

Ask how the home records end-of-life wishes, such as prayers, who should be present, religious rites, and what should happen immediately after death, including washing the body and the need for prompt burial in some faiths. Record these in an advance care plan; our guides to DNACPR and advance decisions and what happens when someone dies in a care home explain the steps.

LGBT+ older people: what to check

Many LGBT+ people now in their 70s and 80s grew up when same-sex relationships were criminalised or hidden. Some worry that moving into a care home will mean hiding their identity again, or meeting staff or residents with hostile views. A good home makes it clear that this will not happen.

• Partners. Will a same-sex partner be treated as next of kin in day-to-day matters, included in care planning and welcome to visit and stay? Can couples share a room? See couples in care homes.
• Legal decisions. “Next of kin” has no legal power to make decisions. If your parent wants a partner or friend to decide for them later, a lasting power of attorney is the way to make that clear.
• Gender identity. For a trans or non-binary resident, ask how the home records name and pronouns, handles personal care, and supports any ongoing treatment. Discrimination because of gender reassignment is unlawful.
• Policies in practice. Ask what equality and diversity training staff have, how the home would handle a resident making homophobic comments, and whether any current residents or staff are openly LGBT+.
• Confidentiality. Your parent should decide who knows about their identity and history. Ask how the home protects this in records and conversations.
• Visible signals. Inclusive photos, events and leaflets are a start, not proof. Watch how staff talk to and about residents.

Questions to ask on a visit

1. Can you show me how a resident’s faith, culture or identity is recorded in their care plan?
2. Who on the staff team has supported someone with similar needs before?
3. What happens if a carer has a personal or religious objection to part of my parent’s care?
4. How do you deal with conflict between residents with different beliefs?
5. Can I speak to a resident or relative from a similar background?

Take our care home visit checklist and the wider list of questions to ask when visiting a care home. Visit more than once, including at a mealtime.

Paying for a faith-based or specialist home

If the council is arranging care, your parent has a right to choose a home, as long as it meets their assessed needs and costs no more than the council’s personal budget. Cultural and religious needs that form part of the assessed needs should be reflected in that budget. If a preferred home costs more simply through choice, a relative can pay a top-up fee. Self-funders can choose any home with a place; our care cost calculator helps with budgeting, and care home costs in England shows typical fees.

If something goes wrong

1. Raise it with the manager, in writing if it is serious. Many problems are about training or rota gaps and can be fixed quickly.
2. Use the home’s complaints procedure. If the council funds the place, you can also complain to the council. See how to complain about a care home.
3. If you are still unhappy, go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, which deals with complaints about both council-funded and self-funded care.
4. Tell CQC about your experience. It cannot resolve individual complaints but uses the information in inspections.
5. If your parent is being harassed or abused, report it to the council’s adult safeguarding team.
6. For advice on discrimination, call the Equality Advisory and Support Service. A county court claim must usually be started within 6 months of the act complained of.

If your parent is unhappy and wants to leave, read changing care homes.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The Equality Act 2010 applies in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own equality laws, overseen by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. The care regulators are the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, Care Inspectorate Wales and the RQIA in Northern Ireland, each with its own standards on dignity and respect.

Frequently asked questions

Can a care home refuse someone because of their religion?

Generally, no. Under the Equality Act 2010, a care home cannot refuse a place or give worse treatment because of religion or belief. A narrow exemption for religious organisations does not apply to bodies whose main purpose is commercial, which includes most care homes. A home can decline someone whose assessed care needs it genuinely cannot meet.

Are there LGBT-friendly care homes in the UK?

A small number of homes and housing schemes describe themselves as LGBT+ friendly, but every care home in England must avoid discrimination and treat residents with dignity, with due regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. Ask about partner involvement, staff training and how the home handles prejudice from other residents.

Can my mum have only female carers in a care home?

You can ask, and homes should tell you upfront whether residents can choose male or female carers. Record the preference in the care plan with the reason, such as religious modesty. Ask how reliably the home meets it at night and at weekends, as this depends on its staffing.

Will a care home provide halal or kosher food?

Many can, but it varies. Ask to see a weekly menu, how food is sourced and stored, and whether it is provided every day or only on request. Ask whether family or community food can be brought in. Diet is part of person-centred care that CQC inspects.

Does the council have to pay more for a faith-based care home?

The council must meet assessed needs, which can include cultural and religious needs, within a personal budget. If a home costs more only because of preference, a relative may need to pay a top-up. The council must offer at least one suitable home your parent can afford without a top-up.

Who do I complain to about discrimination in a care home?

Start with the manager and the home’s complaints procedure, then the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Report harassment to the council’s safeguarding team. The Equality Advisory and Support Service (0808 800 0082) gives free advice; a county court claim usually has a 6-month time limit.

Sources

• Equality Act 2010, section 4: protected characteristics (legislation.gov.uk)
• Equality Act 2010, Schedule 23 paragraph 2: religious organisations (legislation.gov.uk)
• Equality Act 2010, section 118: time limits (legislation.gov.uk)
• Regulated Activities Regulations 2014, regulation 10: dignity and respect (legislation.gov.uk)
• Care Act 2014, section 73 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Care homes: consumer law advice for providers (CMA, GOV.UK)
• Equality Advisory and Support Service (EHRC)

General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures for 2026/27, checked October 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 29 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.