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Important information
Guardian Guide provides general information and helps families prepare for conversations about care and support. It is not medical, nursing, social-work, financial or legal advice.
It does not diagnose dementia, assess mental capacity, decide funding eligibility, approve a discharge plan or recommend a particular provider. A qualified professional or responsible public body must consider the person’s individual circumstances.
Call 999 if somebody is in immediate danger. For urgent medical help that is not an emergency, use NHS 111. For urgent social-care or safeguarding concerns, contact the council shown in your plan, including its emergency duty service when appropriate.
Next of kin and records
Being named as next of kin or an emergency contact does not automatically give you legal authority to make decisions or a general right to see somebody else’s health or care records. Access may depend on the person’s consent and capacity, a valid power of attorney or deputyship, or another lawful decision.
Care homes and funding
A listing, CQC registration or rating is not a recommendation and does not confirm that a home has a room, can meet the person’s needs or will accept the proposed funding. Confirm the current position directly with the home and the council or NHS body responsible for funding.
Keeping information current
Council contacts, services, funding and regulator information can change. We show official sources and checking dates where possible. Confirm important decisions with the responsible council, NHS service, regulator or provider. Please report anything that appears wrong through our sources and corrections page.