Free tool
Care home dependency tool
Measure how dependent your residents are across six care domains, see the dependency mix of your home and the care hours it really needs, the foundation of a safe-staffing case.
- Assess residents across six care domains
- See your home’s dependency mix instantly
- Get the care hours per day and per week
- Feeds straight into our staffing calculator
Assess a resident profile
Rate how much help this type of resident needs, then say how many match.
Residents assessed
0
Care hours needed / week
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0 hrs/day
Add at least one resident profile above to see your dependency report.
About the care home dependency tool
Getting staffing right starts with understanding how dependent your residents are. A dependency tool turns that need into numbers, how many care hours your home requires each day and week, so you can plan rotas, evidence safe staffing and have a credible conversation with commissioners and inspectors. Our free tool makes that assessment quick: rate each type of resident across six everyday care domains, tell us how many match, and see your home’s dependency mix and total care hours build up instantly.
It is deliberately simple and transparent, the care-hours figures are shown so you can see and adjust the logic, and it works alongside your own professional judgement rather than replacing it. Once you have your care hours, our staffing calculator turns them into the number of care staff, seniors and nurses you need per shift. Care home, nursing home and specialist providers use both to plan confidently and keep agency reliance down.
Dependency, explained
What is a care home dependency tool?+
A dependency tool measures how much support your residents need and converts that into the care hours your home requires. It gives managers an evidence base for safe-staffing decisions, alongside professional judgement.
How does this tool work out dependency?+
Each resident profile is rated across six care domains, mobility, washing and dressing, continence, eating and nutrition, cognition and behaviour, and night-time needs. The combined score places them in a dependency band (self-caring, low, medium or high), each with an indicative number of care hours per day.
How many care hours does each dependency level need?+
As an indicative guide we use one hour per day for self-caring residents, two for low, three for medium and four for high dependency. You should always adjust for your own home, care model and professional judgement.
Is this a compliant staffing assessment?+
No. It is a free planning guide, not a substitute for a full, evidence-based dependency assessment or professional judgement. CQC expects providers to use a recognised tool and a multi-professional approach to determine safe staffing.
From dependency to safe staffing
Turn your care hours into the staff you need per shift, and see where technology can lighten the load.