Care home extra charges: hairdressing, chiropody and trips

By CareFinder Team · Published 2026-09-20 · Last reviewed 2026-09-20

Most UK care homes charge separately for hairdressing, private chiropody, paid outings, newspapers, toiletries and sometimes a member of staff going with a resident to hospital. Consumer law says the home must tell you about these charges before you agree to move in. Residents funded by their council keep a small weekly allowance intended for exactly these personal costs.

Hairdressing, private chiropody and paid outings are almost never part of a care home's weekly fee. They are billed on top, usually monthly, and for some residents they add up to a noticeable sum. The home has to tell you about these charges before you sign anything, and a few of the things that appear on bills should not be charged for at all.

This article looks closely at the small, regular extras. It is general information, not personal financial or legal advice.

Which extras do care homes usually charge for?

Every home draws the line in a slightly different place, which is why two homes with the same weekly fee can cost different amounts over a year. The extras families most often see on an invoice are:

• Hairdressing and barbering, normally from a visiting hairdresser who sets their own prices.
• Private chiropody or podiatry, usually a visit every six to eight weeks.
• Outings, such as entry tickets, meals out and sometimes a share of transport.
• Newspapers, magazines and personal toiletries beyond the basics the home provides.
• A private phone line, television package or wifi upgrade in the resident's room.
• Staff escorts, where a member of staff goes with the resident to a hospital or clinic appointment and the home charges for their time.
• Taxis to appointments or family events.
• Dry cleaning, clothes labelling and alterations. Ordinary laundry is normally included.
• Beauty treatments, such as manicures, and some one-to-one therapies.

Activities inside the home, such as quizzes, music sessions, exercise classes and visiting entertainers, are normally part of the fee. It is still worth asking, because a few homes charge for particular sessions.

What must the home tell you before you move in?

Care homes across the UK are covered by consumer law, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published guidance on what that means for residents. It applies whether the resident pays for themselves or is funded by a council, a Health and Social Care Trust or the NHS.

The CMA's guide to consumer rights for care home residents says that when you first contact a home it must give you key information, including what services are included in the weekly fees and whether there are any additional fees or optional extras. The example the CMA itself uses is being accompanied by staff to hospital appointments. This information should be easy to find on the home's website and in its information pack, not tucked away in the contract.

The same guide says the contract should explain clearly when fees may change and how changes are worked out, and that you should usually get at least 28 days' notice of a change.

In practice, ask for the home's price list for extras in writing before you decide. If a home cannot produce one, treat that as useful information about how it runs its billing.

Is chiropody ever free in a care home?

Sometimes, and it depends on medical need rather than on living in a care home.

The NHS is responsible for providing community health services to care home residents on the same basis as if they still lived in their own home. Age UK's factsheet on paying for permanent residential care, which covers England, lists chiropody among the NHS services a resident can receive, along with physiotherapy and district nursing, and notes that NHS services are free of charge with limited exceptions. The same factsheet says the NHS should meet the cost of continence pads a resident has been assessed as needing, so those should not appear on a bill as an extra.

The catch is eligibility. Local NHS podiatry services set their own criteria, and they generally prioritise people whose feet are at risk because of a medical condition, such as diabetes, poor circulation or rheumatoid arthritis. Many do not offer routine toenail cutting to people with no such condition. So a resident with diabetes may well qualify for free NHS foot care, while a resident who simply cannot reach their feet may not.

What to do:

1. Ask the home's manager or the GP whether your relative has been referred to NHS podiatry, and ask for a referral if they have a condition that affects their feet.
2. If they do not qualify, check who the home's visiting foot care practitioner is. "Chiropodist" and "podiatrist" are legally protected titles, and anyone using them must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, which has a free public register online.
3. Ask what is actually being provided. Simple nail cutting costs less than a full podiatry treatment, and a relative in good foot health may only need the former.

For relatives who can get out, Age UK's foot care services are another option. More than 80 local Age UKs offer basic foot care such as toenail cutting. There may be a charge, and people with diabetes or on medicines such as warfarin may need a more specialised service.

Who pays for extras when the council funds the care?

When a council pays towards a care home place, the resident hands over most of their income but must be left with a small weekly amount of their own. Hairdressing, toiletries, a newspaper and similar personal spending are meant to come out of this.

• England: this is the Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA). For the 2026 to 2027 financial year it is £31.80 a week, as set out in the government's charging circular for local authorities. The figure normally changes each April, so check GOV.UK for the current amount.
• Wales: the equivalent is the Minimum Income Amount, set by the Welsh Government at a higher weekly figure than England's. The Alzheimer's Society explains how the financial assessment works in Wales.
• Scotland and Northern Ireland: both have their own Personal Expenses Allowance, set at different amounts. Care Information Scotland and nidirect publish the current figures.

Two rules from the English guidance are worth knowing. First, the allowance belongs to the resident. Age UK's factsheet quotes the statutory guidance: the money is for the person to spend as they wish, and pressure from a council or a home to do otherwise is not permitted. Second, a resident should not be asked to put their allowance towards the cost of meeting their care needs. The council's funding should cover the care and accommodation the person has been assessed as needing. The allowance is for things that are genuinely additional.

So if a council-funded resident is being billed as an "extra" for something that is part of their assessed care, such as help they need to get to a medical appointment, raise it with the council's social worker or care manager as well as the home.

Councils in England also have discretion to increase the allowance in individual circumstances. It is always worth asking if the standard amount clearly does not stretch.

How can you keep extras under control?

Most disputes about extras start with surprise rather than with anyone behaving badly. A few habits prevent most of them.

Before moving in

• Get the extras price list in writing and keep it with the contract.
• Ask which outside providers set their own prices (the hairdresser and chiropodist usually do) and how often those prices change.
• Ask how staff escorts are charged: by the hour, from what point, and whether the charge applies if a family member can go instead.
• Ask whether your relative can keep using their own hairdresser or chiropodist. Many homes are happy with this.

Once your relative has moved in

• Ask for an itemised invoice each month, showing dates, not one line that just says "sundries".
• Agree in writing what the home may arrange without checking with you, for example a fortnightly shampoo and set, and what needs your agreement first.
• If the home holds spending money for your relative, ask how it is recorded and ask to see the record and receipts from time to time.
• If your relative has dementia and cannot say what they want, tell the home who should be consulted. If you hold a lasting power of attorney for property and financial affairs, you are entitled to see what is being charged.

Small regular treats matter. For many residents a weekly hair appointment is part of feeling like themselves, so the aim is a fair and predictable bill, not the lowest possible one.

What if a charge seems wrong or unfair?

Start informally. Ask the manager or the home's administrator to explain the charge and show where it appears in the price list or contract. Most problems end there, often with a refund.

If that does not settle it:

1. Use the home's formal complaints procedure, in writing, and keep copies.
2. Get consumer advice. The CMA's guide points residents and families to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06 and to local Trading Standards if a home may be breaking consumer law, for example by charging fees it never disclosed.
3. Involve the council if it funds or arranged the placement, because the home is working under the council's contract.
4. Go to the ombudsman. In England, Age UK's guide to complaining about a care home explains that both council-funded residents and self-funders can take an unresolved complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The Care Quality Commission does not investigate individual complaints, but you can tell it about your concerns. The route is different in the other nations. In Scotland, for example, the Care Inspectorate can investigate complaints about a care service. The home's complaints procedure should say who to go to next.

If significant money is involved, or you are being asked to sign a new contract, get independent advice before agreeing.

Frequently asked questions

Can a care home add a new extra charge after my relative has moved in?

Only in line with the contract. The CMA's guidance says the contract should explain clearly when fees can change and how changes are calculated, and that residents should usually get at least 28 days' notice. If you are unhappy with a change, the guidance says you should be able to leave without penalty.

Does my relative have to use the home's hairdresser or chiropodist?

No rule requires it, and most homes are relaxed about residents keeping their own. Ask the manager how visits should be booked and whether there is a suitable room. If the outside practitioner uses the title chiropodist or podiatrist, they must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Can the home take the Personal Expenses Allowance to cover care costs?

No. In England the statutory guidance says the allowance is for the resident to spend as they wish, and they should not be asked to put it towards the cost of meeting their care needs. Similar allowances exist in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If a home or council is pressing for it, ask them to put the request in writing and seek advice.

Should we be charged for staff going with Mum to hospital?

Many homes do charge self-funding residents for escorts, and the CMA uses this as its example of a fee that must be disclosed upfront. If it was never mentioned before she moved in, challenge it. If the council funds her place and she needs support to attend, ask her social worker whether this should be met as part of her assessed care.

Are continence pads an extra?

Not where the NHS has assessed the resident as needing them. Age UK's factsheet for England says the NHS should meet the cost of continence supplies a resident is assessed as requiring. If pads are appearing on the bill, ask the home whether a continence assessment has been requested.

Key takeaways

• Hairdressing, private chiropody, paid outings, newspapers and staff escorts are usually charged on top of the weekly fee.
• Consumer law applies to every UK care home. Extras must be disclosed before you commit, and changes usually need at least 28 days' notice.
• NHS foot care is free where a resident meets the local medical criteria. Routine nail cutting often is not covered.
• Council-funded residents keep a weekly personal allowance for these costs (£31.80 in England for 2026 to 2027). It is theirs to spend and should not go towards care.
• Ask for a written price list at the start and an itemised invoice every month.
• Question anything unclear with the manager first, then use the complaints procedure, Citizens Advice and, in England, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.