Care Home Planning
Care Home Planning Solicitors
With many people living into older age, families are increasingly worrying about how they will pay for care homes, whether for their own care or for their parents.
At Rothera Bray we can advise and guide you through care home planning and the various options available.
It can be a complex question to navigate as the funding available will be affected by a number of factors such as savings and property ownership, as well as whether the care needed is for a ‘primary health need’ rather than social care (support with daily living activities such as cooking or getting dressed).
Can I get state support for care home fees?
The NHS might be able to contribute to your care home fees, but only if you are very ill.
Your local authority might also contribute but might do a financial assessment and if you own more than £23,500, they might not make a contribution.
As a result, it is vital to ensure your finances and assets are set out in a certain way to take advantage of any state support available.
I own my home as a joint tenant with my partner-will this affect whether I can get support for care home fees?
If you own your home as joint tenants, then you own equal shares in the property which automatically passes on to the survivor when you die.
However, if the survivor then needs to go into care the local authority might count the value of the whole property towards their assets in a financial assessment to see if the survivor can pay their own care home fees or whether the local authority should contribute.
By owning the property as tenants in common instead, each spouse will have their own share of the property but can make wills to say that the first to die puts their share in a trust for their children but allows the survivor to remain living in the property for as long as they need to.
Consequently, if the survivor has to go into care only their share of the property is taken into account by the local authority and the value of half of the property is safeguarded for the children.
What happens if I don’t plan for care home fees?
You will most likely have to pay for most or all of your care home fees which could involve having to sell your home, being unable to leave an inheritance for loved ones and being unable to take advantage of state support.
Can I give away my assets to avoid paying care home fees?
Yes, but this can be risky. If your local authority thinks that you have done this, then they could assess you as if you still own the assets – known as “deliberate deprivation of assets”.
Also, if your local authority has been paying your care home fees and later finds out that you have been gifting assets to avoid paying care home fees yourself, you could be made to pay back the fees in one lump sum through the local authority enforcing powers of recovery.
Are there any assets that are exempt from care home fees?
There are some products and belongings that might not be included under your assets, including personal belongings unless they were purchased with the intention of reducing capital in the assessment; the capital value of a life interest in land or trust fund; and certain financial products such as life insurance policies.
Why use Rothera Bray for care home planning?
Our specialist team will take the time to understand your personal circumstances to help you and your family understand how your particular needs will be met, when you will have fund care yourself, and when it will be covered by the Local Authority.
We will talk you through the options and help you decide what type of care is needed and who you need to contact to arrange a place in the right type of care home. We can also help families arranging residential care for parents or other relatives.
Your pension and other income will be used as a contribution towards fees if you need to move into a care home. If your income doesn’t cover the full cost, your home and other capital would then potentially need to be used.
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Posted 22 December 2025
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Posted 22 December 2025
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Posted 19 December 2025
From the outset, my experience working with Rothera Bray, and in particular, Lauren, has been outstanding. I was navigating a stressful settlement process and wasn’t sure what to expect, but Lauren took the time to explain everything clearly, set realistic expectations, and guide me step-by-step. Her advice was always proactive and well considered, and I felt fully supported throughout. Lauren’s professionalism, calm approach and attention to detail gave me confidence at every stage, and ultimately helped secure the outcome I was hoping for, one that truly protected my best interests. I would absolutely recommend Rothera Bray. Having someone who is responsive, knowledgeable, and genuinely cares about the result makes all the difference. Lauren made a challenging situation feel manageable, and I’m incredibly grateful for her help.
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Posted 18 December 2025
Our experience with Rothera Bray has been very positive. Abbey and Luisa were consistently professional, approachable, and supportive at every stage of the process, which made what could have been a stressful situation feel much more manageable. Their communication was timely and transparent, and we always felt reassured that our case was handled with care and expertise. We can highly recommend Rothera Bray, and in particular, Abbey and Luisa.
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Posted 18 December 2025
Having been using Rothera Bray (previously Woolley, Beardsleys and Bosworth) for almost the last 10 years, I can honestly say that it is by far the best solicitors that I have used, in the Loughborough area. Having used them between 25-30 times in that period, not just for house sales and purchases, but for other tasks too, their work on everything has been exceptional, prompt and meticulous. Everything is explained clearly and no question ever feels too silly to ask... I must say a huge thankyou to Suzanne Riozzi, and her PA's over the years, who have been handling everything for me during this time. Her professionalism and dedication to her work, and clients, is second to none, and her time and effort has made the legal landscape for me personally, and for my work, a lot easier to navigate. Suzanne is the reason I have used, and will continue to use, Rothera Bray.
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Jeremy Allen
Partner & Head of Trusts and Court of Protection
Jeremy Allen is a Wills, Probate and Trusts specialist at Rothera Bray Solicitors and is based at our Lace Market offices in the heart of Nottingham City Centre.

Russell Dalby
Partner
Russell is a Partner based at our Market Harborough office and specialises in all areas of Private Client work. He predominantly deals with probate administration and estate planning work – such as advising on Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Inheritance Tax planning.

Ann Farnill
Partner
Ann Farnill is a Partner in Rothera Bray’s Wills, Probate and Trusts department and is based at our Mapperley office. She specialises in Wills, Inheritance Tax planning, Powers of Attorney including acting for lay attorneys, Estate planning and administration.

Nelissa Hicks
Partner
Nelissa is Partner at Rothera Bray with a demonstrated history of working in the legal services industry. Nelissa has over 20 years’ experience as a Wills, Probate, Tax and Trusts solicitor and is based at our Loughborough office. She is skilled in Inheritance Tax Planning and the Administration of Trusts and Estates.

Martin Witherspoon
Partner
Martin provides advice and assistance with regard to Wills, Powers of Attorney and administration of estates at our West Bridgford Office.

Kirsten Wood
Partner & Head of Wills and Probate
Kirsten Wood leads the firm’s Wills and Probate department and is a partner with over 18 years’ experience specialising in will drafting, tax, trusts, estate administration and lasting powers of attorney.

Melissa Merry
Consultant
Melissa Merry is a Consultant in our Wills and Probate department, with over 30 years of experience in private client work. Melissa is based at our Derby city centre branch.

Eleanor Robinson
Managing Associate
Eleanor Robinson is a Wills, Probate and Trusts specialist at and is based at our West Bridgford and Loughborough offices.

Sarah Soo
Managing Associate
Sarah Soo is a Wills and Probate specialist at Rothera Bray Solicitors and has specialised in private client work since she began her career. Sarah is currently based at both our Beeston and Nottingham offices.

Amelia Carruthers
Senior Associate Solicitor
Amelia Carruthers is a Senior Associate at Rothera Bray’s Derby office and is experienced in drafting wills, lasting powers of attorney, administering estates and providing tax advice and planning.

Sandra Garvey
Senior Associate
Sandra is a Senior Associate in our Wills & Probate department based at our Market Harborough office and has over 35 years in experience in dealing in all areas of Wills & Probate.

Julie Graham
Senior Associate Solicitor
Julie is a Senior Associate Solicitor in our Wills and Probate department and is based at our West Bridgford Office.

Carly Harwood
Senior Associate Solicitor
Carly Harwood is a Senior Associate Solicitor in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Derby office.

Amy Goodwin
Associate Solicitor
Amy Goodwin is an Associate in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate team and is based at our Derby office.

Sam Hardy
Associate
Sam is an Associate in Rothera Bray’s Wills, Probate and Trusts department, specialising in trusts and estates administration. He is based at our Market Harborough office.

Rebecca Lee
Associate Solicitor
Rebecca is an Associate Solicitor in our Wills & Probate team based at our Leicester office.

Jasmin Marshall
Associate Solicitor
Jasmin Marshall is an Associate Solicitor in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Mapperley office.

Libby Birt
Solicitor
Libby Birt is a Solicitor in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Loughborough office.

Toby Byford
Solicitor
Toby is a Solicitor in the firms specialist Trusts team. He is based at our Lace Market office.

Talita Fantauzzi
Solicitor
Talita Fantauzzi is a Solicitor in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Nottingham office.

Lacey Glover
Private Client Executive
Lacey Glover is a Private Client Executive in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department. She is based at our Beeston office but can visit clients across the East Midlands.

Ed Granger
Solicitor
Ed is a solicitor in the firm’s specialist trusts team. He is based at our Lace Market office.

Rebecca Holmes
Legal Executive
Rebecca is a Legal Executive in our Wills & Probate team. She is based at our Lace Market office.

Ria Makwana
Solicitor
Ria Makwana is a Private Client Solicitor specialising in Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning and Administration, and is based at our Loughborough office.

Sallie Poultney
Private Client Executive
Sallie is a Private Client Executive in the Private Client Department at our Market Harborough office. She advises clients on a range of private client services including Wills, Probate and Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Alison Richardson
Legal Executive
Alison Richardson is a member of the wills, trust & probate team based at our Mapperley branch.

Rebekah Royles
Legal Executive
Rebekah Royles is a Legal Executive in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our office in Mapperley, Nottingham.

Amanda White
Private Client Executive
Amanda is a Private Client Executive in the Wills and Probate department at our Leicester office. She advises clients on a range of private client services and has been handling her own caseload since 2014.

Laura Windsor
Chartered Legal Executive
Laura Windsor is a Chartered Legal Executive in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Beeston office.

Jack Cooper
Senior Paralegal
Jack Cooper is a Senior Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based in Loughborough, Leicestershire.

Anna Guy
Senior Paralegal
Anna Guy has over 10 years’ experience of working in law firms, and 7 years’ experience of dealing with Wills and Probate matters.

Rochelle Hutton
Senior Paralegal
Rochelle works in the private client team at the Market Harborough office, having joined the firm in November 2024.

Hollie Moore
Senior Paralegal
Hollie Moore is a Senior Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Mapperley office.

Sarah Simpson
Senior Paralegal
Sarah is a Senior Paralegal in our Wills & Probate department based at Market Harborough office.

Lisa Warren
Senior Paralegal
Lisa Warren is a Senior Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate team and is based in Derby.

Beth Ashton
Paralegal
Beth Ashton is a Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Derby Office.

Morgan Bramley
Paralegal
Morgan is a Paralegal in our Private Client department and is based at the Mapperley office.

Amy Emmerson
Paralegal
Amy Emmerson is a Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate team and is based at our Beeston office.

Brett James
Paralegal
Brett James is a Wills and Probate Paralegal at Rothera Bray Solicitors and is based at our Lace Market, Nottingham office.

Michelle Kingston
Paralegal
Michelle Kingston is a Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Lace Market, Nottingham branch.

Kathryn Lane
Paralegal
Kathryn Lane is a Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Loughborough office.

Elaine Langley
Paralegal
Elaine is a Paralegal in the Wills and Probate department based at the West Bridgford office.

Morgan McGahan
Paralegal
Morgan is a Paralegal in our Wills and Probate department and is based at our West Bridgford office.

Janet Prentice
Paralegal
Janet Prentice is a Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills, Probate and Trusts department and is based at our Lace Market office in the heart of Nottingham city centre.

Gill Subbarao
Paralegal
Gill Subbarao is a Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Wills and Probate department and is based at our Mapperley office.

Georgia Weller
Paralegal
Georgia is a Paralegal in our Wills and Probate team. She is based at our Market Harborough office.

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