Care glossary

Care glossary: the terms explained

Plain-English explanations of 66 words and phrases you will meet when arranging care in England: types of care, CQC ratings, paying for care, benefits, NHS funding and your legal rights.

Types of care

Home care
Care and support given in a person's own home by trained carers, usually through a CQC-registered agency.
Live-in care
A carer who lives in the person's home, usually for one to three weeks at a time, to give support around the clock.
Overnight care (sleeping and waking nights)
A carer who stays the night: asleep but on call (a sleeping night) or awake throughout (a waking night).
Respite care
Short-term care that gives an unpaid carer a break, at home or in a care home.
Reablement
Short-term care, usually free for up to six weeks, to help someone regain skills and confidence after illness or a hospital stay.
Intermediate care
NHS and council services that help people recover after illness or avoid going into hospital, free for up to six weeks.
Hospital discharge (discharge to assess)
The process of leaving hospital, where longer-term care needs are usually assessed after the person is home or in a short-term placement.
Residential care home
A care home that provides accommodation, meals and personal care around the clock, without nursing staff on site.
Nursing home
A care home with a registered nurse on duty 24 hours a day, for people with medical needs.
Dementia care
Care from staff trained to support people living with dementia, at home or in a care home.
Palliative care
Care that relieves pain and other symptoms for someone with an illness that cannot be cured, at any stage.
End of life care
Support for people in the last months or weeks of life, and for those close to them.
Supported living
People live in their own tenancy, often shared, and get personal care and support from a separate provider.
Extra care housing
Self-contained flats with care staff on site, for people who want independence with help available when needed.
Personal care
Hands-on help with washing, bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet and taking medication.
Companionship care
Visits for company, conversation, outings and help around the house, without personal care.
Introductory agency
An agency that introduces self-employed carers to clients; you, not the agency, direct the carer.

Ratings and regulation

Care Quality Commission (CQC)
The independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, which registers, inspects and rates care services.
CQC rating
The overall judgement CQC gives a care service after inspection: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate.
Outstanding (CQC rating)
CQC's highest rating: the service is performing exceptionally well.
Good (CQC rating)
The service is performing well and meeting CQC's expectations.
Requires improvement (CQC rating)
The service is not performing as well as it should, and CQC has told it how to improve.
Inadequate (CQC rating)
The service is performing badly and CQC has taken, or will take, action.
Five key questions (Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led)
The five areas CQC rates every service on, which together make up the overall rating.
Single assessment framework
CQC's current way of assessing services, using "quality statements" and scores under each key question.
CQC inspection report
The published findings from a CQC inspection, with evidence for each rating.
CQC enforcement (warning notices and special measures)
Action CQC takes when a service breaks the rules, from warning notices to cancelling registration.
Registered manager
The person registered with CQC as legally responsible for how a service is run day to day.
Regulated activity
A type of care that must be registered with CQC, such as personal care or accommodation with nursing.
Specialism (CQC registration)
A group of people a service tells CQC it supports, such as people living with dementia or with a learning disability.

Paying for care

Self-funder
Someone who pays the full cost of their own care, usually because their savings are above the upper capital limit.
Care needs assessment
A free assessment by the council of what care and support someone needs, whatever their savings.
Financial assessment (means test)
The council's check of income and savings to work out how much someone pays towards their care.
Upper capital limit
The savings level above which people in England usually pay the full cost of their care: £23,250.
Lower capital limit
The savings level below which savings are ignored in the means test: £14,250.
Tariff income
An assumed weekly income of £1 for every £250 of savings between the lower and upper capital limits.
Personal expenses allowance
The weekly amount a care home resident keeps from their income for personal spending: at least £31.80.
Minimum income guarantee
The weekly income someone receiving care at home must be left with after paying towards their care.
Disability-related expenditure
Extra costs caused by a disability that the council should allow for when working out what someone pays for home care.
12-week property disregard
The value of a person's home is ignored for their first 12 weeks in a care home, if their other savings are under the upper limit.
Deferred payment agreement
An arrangement with the council to delay paying care home fees from the value of the home until it is sold, or until death.
Third-party top-up
An extra payment, usually by a relative, to cover the difference between what the council pays and a dearer care home's fee.
Personal budget
The amount the council works out it will cost to meet someone's eligible care needs.
Direct payments
Money from the council that people use to arrange their own care, instead of the council arranging it.
Deprivation of assets
Giving away money or property to avoid paying for care, which the council can treat as if you still had it.
Care cap
A planned lifetime limit of £86,000 on personal care costs in England, which was cancelled in 2024.

Benefits

Attendance Allowance
A weekly benefit of £76.70 or £114.60 (2026/27) for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care. Not means-tested.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
A benefit for people under State Pension age with a long-term condition or disability that affects daily living or getting around.
Carer's Allowance
A weekly benefit of £86.45 for people who care for someone for at least 35 hours a week.
Pension Credit
An income top-up for people over State Pension age on a low income, which also unlocks other help.
Council Tax discount for severe mental impairment
A Council Tax reduction for people with a severe mental impairment, such as advanced dementia, who also get a qualifying benefit.

NHS funding

NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
Care arranged and fully paid for by the NHS for people whose main need is a health need. Not means-tested.
NHS CHC Checklist
A screening tool, completed by a health or social care professional, to decide whether someone needs a full CHC assessment.
Decision Support Tool
The form a team of professionals uses for a full NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment, across 12 areas of need.
Fast Track (CHC)
A quick route to NHS Continuing Healthcare for people with a rapidly deteriorating condition who may be nearing the end of life.
NHS-funded nursing care (FNC)
A weekly payment from the NHS directly to a nursing home, towards the cost of care from registered nurses.
Integrated Care Board (ICB)
The local NHS body that plans and pays for health services, and decides NHS Continuing Healthcare eligibility.

A to Z

1 12-week property disregard ·
A Attendance Allowance · Advance decision and advance statement ·
C Companionship care · Care Quality Commission (CQC) · CQC rating · CQC inspection report · CQC enforcement (warning notices and special measures) · Care needs assessment · Care cap · Carer's Allowance · Council Tax discount for severe mental impairment · Care Act 2014 · Carer's assessment · Care plan ·
D Dementia care · Disability-related expenditure · Deferred payment agreement · Direct payments · Deprivation of assets · Decision Support Tool · Deputyship (Court of Protection) · Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) ·
E End of life care · Extra care housing ·
F Five key questions (Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led) · Financial assessment (means test) · Fast Track (CHC) ·
G Good (CQC rating) ·
H Home care · Hospital discharge (discharge to assess) ·
I Intermediate care · Introductory agency · Inadequate (CQC rating) · Integrated Care Board (ICB) ·
L Live-in care · Lower capital limit · Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) ·
M Minimum income guarantee · Mental Capacity Act 2005 ·
N Nursing home · NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) · NHS CHC Checklist · NHS-funded nursing care (FNC) ·
O Overnight care (sleeping and waking nights) · Outstanding (CQC rating) ·
P Palliative care · Personal care · Personal expenses allowance · Personal budget · Personal Independence Payment (PIP) · Pension Credit ·
R Respite care · Reablement · Residential care home · Requires improvement (CQC rating) · Registered manager · Regulated activity ·
S Supported living · Single assessment framework · Specialism (CQC registration) · Self-funder · Safeguarding ·
T Tariff income · Third-party top-up ·
U Upper capital limit ·

CQC register data (Oct 2026), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel is independent of every provider listed.

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