Your rights and how to complain
What the agreement says about your room, your care plan, your money, visiting and your information, and what to do if something is not right.
A guide, not the contract. This page explains the agreement in plain English. The agreement you sign is the legal document, and it is the agreement that applies if the two ever differ. You are welcome to ask the home manager for a copy to read before you decide, and you may want to take independent legal advice.
Your room
A place in a care home is not a tenancy. We do not expect residents to move rooms, but we may if it is in their best interests or they ask, and we give four weeks’ notice (or move them straight away if their safety is at risk). A different room may mean a different fee.
Residents are welcome to bring furniture and belongings. Electrical items need to be PAT tested, furniture must meet health and safety rules, and electric recliner chairs, private wheelchairs and mobility scooters need proof of servicing within the last 12 months. We respect privacy, and staff need access to the room to give the care a resident needs.
Care, medication and information
Care plan
We work with the resident to make a personal care plan when they move in, and review it during their stay. Please tell us about any changes, so it stays accurate.
Medication
All medication is handed in on admission and kept securely. Residents are supported to look after their own medicines wherever it is safe, based on a risk assessment.
Accidents
We tell relatives or representatives about any accident, injury or illness as soon as we reasonably can. Every incident is recorded in a log, which you can ask to see.
Money and visitors
Personal money
Unless the resident asks us not to, we look after any personal allowance, in a bank account or in cash, and help them access it. Staff are not allowed to accept gifts or bequests, or to give advice or sign documents about a resident’s money or legal affairs. We can help you find professional advisers, but we do not recommend any one of them.
Visitors
We encourage open visiting, as long as it suits the resident and does not harm other residents’ quality of life. We may refuse or limit entry only if a visitor’s behaviour is persistently abusive or threatening, or poses a real danger. Any ban follows a risk assessment and talking to those involved, it is reviewed regularly, and it can be appealed through our complaints procedure.
Our standard of care
We promise to provide our service with reasonable care and skill, and to the standard the law requires. We do not limit our responsibility to you where we fall short, including where our negligence causes injury, death or loss or damage to belongings.
We cannot be held responsible for interruptions to services caused by things beyond our reasonable control, such as fire, extreme weather or an outbreak of infectious disease. In those cases, we will do everything reasonable to keep care going.
If you are not happy
We are always glad to hear from you, including when something is not as you would like or you think we have made an unfair decision.
- Speak to the home manager first. Most things can be put right quickly, and the complaints procedure is displayed in each home.
- Contact head office. Phone 0191 300 7256 or email info@lenorecare.co.uk.
- Questions about your personal information. Contact our Data Protection Officer. If you are still unhappy with how your information has been handled, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), by email at casework@ico.org.uk or phone on 0303 123 1113. Our privacy policy explains how we use information.
You can also raise a concern with the Care Quality Commission, which inspects and regulates all our homes. If the resident’s place is funded by the council, you can contact the council, and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman if you are not satisfied with the outcome.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC). Phone 03000 616161 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm, not bank holidays) or email enquiries@cqc.org.uk. Website: cqc.org.uk/contact-us.
- Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Phone 0300 061 0614. Website: lgo.org.uk, where you can make a complaint online.
Common questions
What if I think a charge is wrong?
Tell us as quickly as you can. We will not charge interest on a disputed invoice until it is resolved, and we give a statement of account on request.
Can the home transfer the agreement to another company?
It can, but it will talk to you first. If you are unhappy about it, you can end the agreement by giving four weeks’ written notice.
Which law applies?
The agreement is governed by the law of England and Wales. If a resident’s place is funded by a funding authority, and the agreement conflicts with the authority’s own contract with the home, the authority’s contract takes precedence.
Keep reading
Your residency agreement, explained
Who signs, how the agreement is laid out, and what to do before you sign.
Trial period, notice and leaving
The four-week trial, how notice works, and what happens when someone leaves.
Fees, reviews and top-ups
How fees are paid and reviewed, and how funding and top-ups work.
Want to talk it through?
The manager at your nearest home can go through the agreement with you, with no pressure to decide.