Summary
There is no single best care home software. The right system depends on your type of home, its size and your budget. This guide sets out what eight UK suppliers publish about price, contracts, trials and NHS assurance, plus Kiwi, which is our product. We checked every supplier fact on 17 October 2026. Terms change, so check with each supplier.
How we put this guide together
We included suppliers that sell a care-home record in England and that we judged care home buyers are most likely to come across. We researched ten suppliers in October 2026. We left out Florence, because it is a staffing and rota platform rather than a care record, and Cura Systems, a smaller supplier we have not yet written up. This is not a full list. The NHS Assured Solutions List names 23 assured systems, including Cura.
For each supplier we read its website, published terms, NHS Assured Solutions listing and, where one exists, its G-Cloud price list. We did not sign up, book demos or take quotes. So the prices here are what suppliers publish, not what you will be offered. Private quotes can be lower or higher.
"Not published" means we looked and could not find a figure. It does not mean the supplier hides anything. Many suppliers prefer to quote after a conversation.
Contracts, prices and listings change. Treat this as a starting point and confirm everything in writing before you sign.
How to choose care home software
Start with your home, not the supplier list. Our scoring sheet for comparing care home software goes into detail. In short:
1. Match the system to your type of home
A 60-bed nursing home needs clinical depth: wound care, NEWS2 and strong pharmacy links. A 6-bed learning disability home needs quick behaviour recording, easy-read plans and positive behaviour support. A system built for one can feel wrong in the other. See Kiwi's pages (our product) for learning disability, mental health, nursing and residential homes.
2. Decide whether NHS assurance matters to you
NHS England keeps an Assured Solutions List of digital social care records that meet its standards. Some homes need an assured system to use GP Connect, or because a funder asks for one. CareDocs notes that central government funding for digital records ended in 2025, but some local authorities still offer funding or support. If that applies to you, ask your local authority or ICB before you shortlist. Our explainer on digital social care records covers the background.
3. Look hard at medicines
Medicines are where the most serious errors happen. Check whether the eMAR is built in or comes from a partner, how PRN and controlled drugs work, and whether it links to your pharmacy. Our guide to what an eMAR is is a good start.
4. Check the devices your staff will use
Some carer apps run on Android devices only, or need a recent version. Some systems run in a browser. Ask which phones and tablets are supported, and whether the system works when the wifi drops.
5. Read the contract before the price
Look for the minimum term, auto-renewal, the notice period, price-rise clauses, set-up fees and what you get back if you leave. A low monthly price on a three-year term with a large set-up fee can cost more than it looks.
6. Try it on a real shift
Ask for a trial or a sandbox. Run it with nights, a weekend and an agency worker. A demo on a clean database tells you little.
7. Be wary of "CQC approved"
CQC does not run an approval scheme for care software, so be wary of any claim of "CQC approval". The honest claim is that a system helps you produce good evidence.
Best software for residential, nursing and specialist care homes
Residential homes. The test is whether carers actually finish the daily logs during the shift. Try any system on real shifts, including nights, before you sign. (Kiwi, our product: Kiwi for residential homes.)
Nursing homes. Look hardest at clinical depth and medicines: how the eMAR handles controlled drugs and PRN, whether it links to your pharmacy, and how it supports wound care and NEWS2. Kiwi has an eMAR with a controlled drugs register, but no pharmacy link (see the Kiwi entry below). (Kiwi, our product: Kiwi for nursing homes.)
Learning disability, mental health and supported living. Check how the system records positive behaviour support plans, ABC charts, mental capacity assessments and best-interest decisions, and whether it produces easy-read documents. (Kiwi, our product: learning disability, mental health, supported living.)
At a glance
Checked 17 October 2026. Prices exclude VAT unless stated. "G-Cloud" means the UK government's public-sector catalogue; private quotes may differ.
| Supplier | How it is priced | Price on its own website? | Contract terms we found | Free trial | On NHS Assured Solutions List? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access Group (Care & Clinical, Care Planning, Point of Care) | Per bed per month, plus set-up | No (price on application). G-Cloud 15 list prices exist for Access Point of Care | 36-month initial term, renews for 12 months, at least 90 days' notice | None advertised | Yes: Access Care and Clinical and Access Care Planning are listed. Ask which product is assured for your setting |
| Care Control Systems | Not stated. One published example | No. One blog example (Dec 2024) | Not published | Announced, not yet available (waiting list) | Yes |
| Care Vision | Per user plus modules, plus implementation | No | "No long-term contracts"; full refund within four weeks of signing up | 1-week demo account | Yes |
| CareDocs | Tiered packages, by users or by service user | No | Not published | Not advertised | Yes (listed July 2026) |
| Log my Care | Per active service user | Partly. Starter tier is free | Self-serve: monthly rolling, 30 days' notice. Sales-led: renews for 12 months | Free Starter tier | Yes |
| Nourish Care | Per bed per week (G-Cloud) | No. G-Cloud 15 list prices exist | Renews for 12 months; notice at least 30 days before expiry | None on G-Cloud | Yes |
| OneTouch Health | Per active staff user per month (G-Cloud) | No. G-Cloud 15 maximum prices exist | Template: 3-year initial term, renews for 12 months | None on G-Cloud | Yes |
| Person Centred Software (PCS) | "Priced on the beds you manage" | No | Billed annually in advance; renews for one-year terms unless 90 days' notice | None advertised | Yes (since June 2021) |
| Kiwi (our product) | Per home per month | Yes: £179.95 up to 30 beds, £229.95 for 31+ | Monthly: cancel any time, no notice period. Annual: renews for 12 months unless cancelled before renewal | 30 days. Card taken at sign-up, nothing charged until day 31; billing then starts automatically unless you cancel | No |
Kiwi doesn't charge UK VAT (it's supplied from outside the UK). If your organisation is VAT-registered you may need to account for VAT under the reverse charge; check with your accountant.
The main options
Access Group: Care & Clinical, Care Planning and Point of Care
May suit: larger providers and groups that want care records, eMAR and rota from one large supplier, with links to HR and payroll tools.
What we found:
- The website price is on application, with a "Price Match Promise".
- G-Cloud 15 lists Access Point of Care per registered bed per month. For a home in the 25–100 bed band the rate is £10.83. The price list adds a platform fee, a customer success plan and one-off set-up packages. The G-Cloud price is for Access Point of Care. See our price guide for worked figures at different home sizes.
- Core Terms: a 36-month initial term, then 12-month renewals, with at least 90 days' notice.
- Access's 2024 G-Cloud service description says its eMAR, Access Medication Management, is integrated with the British National Formulary (BNF) and works offline.
- ISO 27001 certified (G-Cloud 15 listing).
Strengths: breadth across care, workforce and finance, and the backing of a large software group.
Worth knowing: Access Care and Clinical and Access Care Planning are both on the NHS list. Ask which product is assured for your setting.
Care Control Systems
May suit: homes that want rota, HR, CRM and invoicing in the same system as care records and eMAR.
What we found:
- No price list. The one published example is £700 a month ex VAT for a 50-bed home, in a December 2024 blog. This may be out of date; ask for a current quote.
- Set-up is £499.99, or £999 when migrating from another supplier (same blog).
- Care Control has announced a 7-day free trial; when we checked it was not yet live, with a waiting list.
- NHS Assured. Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO 27001 shown on its website.
Strengths: one of the widest native module sets we saw: care records, eMAR, rota, HR, CRM, invoicing and support for payroll preparation. Its mobile app can work offline.
Worth knowing: some items are priced as extras, such as the CRM bundle and the NHS network connection (HSCN). Ask for a full quote.
Care Vision
May suit: residential, nursing, learning disability and mental health homes that want a broad system and already use Android devices.
What we found:
- No published price. The model is per user plus chosen modules, with an initial implementation cost. The monthly subscription starts 30 days after go-live.
- "No long-term contracts", and a full refund within four weeks of signing up.
- A demo account for a week after a demonstration.
- NHS Assured. DSPT "Standards exceeded".
Strengths: care plans, eMAR, rota, HR, accounts, chef and housekeeping modules in one system, with a NEWS2 chart. Care Vision says it has its own care homes.
Worth knowing: its carer app runs on Android (Android 10 or above for your own devices, per its FAQ). Check your devices.
CareDocs
May suit: residential and nursing homes that want a highly customisable, NHS-assured care record and are happy to use a separate eMAR.
What we found:
- No published price. Its pricing page lists four options (Launch, Enhance, Empower and Transform). CareDocs says pricing depends on users, admin users and storage, or on service users.
- Contract length and notice are not published.
- NHS Assured since July 2026. ISO 27001 certified (CareDocs announced this in August 2026). DSPT "Standards exceeded". DCB0129 clinical safety.
- Medication runs through a partner, eMARx. Staff and rota data come from RoundCare.
Strengths: unlimited customisation of assessments, care plans and templates, included as standard (CareDocs says); emotion and energy mapping on notes; offline recording in its Companion app; and a long history in residential care.
Worth knowing: CareDocs says its older Local and Cloud products are supported for existing customers but are no longer sold or developed. We cover this in our CareDocs alternative guide.
Log my Care
May suit: very small services, and learning disability, autism and supported living providers.
What we found:
- Starter is free for small sites. The pricing page says fewer than 10 service users; the help centre says up to 10.
- Its help centre says the cost is based on each active service user. Pro and Outstanding prices were not shown on its pricing page when we checked.
- Self-serve contracts roll monthly with 30 days' notice. Sales-led contracts renew for 12 months.
- eMAR is a paid add-on. Positive behaviour support plans sit on the top Outstanding tier.
- NHS Assured.
Strengths: a genuine free entry tier, an open API, and a well-rated app (4.6 from about 3,000 ratings on the UK App Store when we checked).
Worth knowing: if you support fewer than 10 people, its free tier is hard to beat on price. Kiwi will cost you more.
Nourish Care
May suit: groups and multi-setting providers that want an established platform with analytics and many partner integrations.
What we found:
- No price on the website. G-Cloud 15 lists Better Care, the core record, at £3.00 per bed per week, with a 5% premium for paying monthly. Safety, Confidence and Transparency are separate modules.
- Standard terms: renews for 12 months unless notice is given at least 30 days before expiry; yearly rise of 5% or CPI, whichever is higher.
- Care-home eMAR currently comes through partners such as Camascope. In June 2026 Nourish announced it was building its own eMAR, with a Q4 2026 target. When we checked on 17 October 2026 it had not launched. Ask Nourish for the current status.
- NHS Assured. ISO 27001 certified. DSPT "Standards exceeded".
Strengths: strong assurance, an AI-supported care-plan quality module (Confidence), and a wide partner network.
Worth knowing: Better Care is billed on registered capacity, not occupancy.
OneTouch Health
May suit: providers running both home care and residential services, who want workforce tools in the same platform.
What we found:
- G-Cloud 15 maximum price: £15 per active staff user per month for the full platform, £6.50 for a single module, and £1,500 for standard implementation.
- Its subscription template sets a 3-year initial term with 12-month renewals.
- NHS Assured. ISO 27001 and ISO 9001. DSPT "Standards exceeded".
Strengths: a broad platform including payroll, recruitment and eLearning, and published G-Cloud prices.
Worth knowing: price follows staff numbers, not beds. It serves home care as well as residential care.
Person Centred Software (PCS)
May suit: larger residential and nursing homes and groups that want deep clinical recording and NHS integration.
What we found:
- No published price. "Priced on the beds you manage."
- Its standard agreement (25 June 2026): billed annually in advance; subscriptions renew for one-year terms unless notice is given at least 90 days before the end; yearly rises of no more than the greater of 9% or RPI plus 1%.
- NHS Assured since June 2021. ISO 27001 certified since August 2023. DSPT "Standards exceeded".
- eMAR is PCS eMAR by Camascope, which links with over 4,000 UK pharmacies (Camascope). Camascope's FAQ says it supports barcode scanning and offline recording. PCS says ATLAS eMAR is no longer offered to new customers and will be retired by the end of March 2027.
Strengths: a large, long-established care-home customer base, NHS assurance since 2021, and GP Connect, which PCS says brings verified NHS information into PCS Care.
Worth knowing: if you use ATLAS today, see our guide on ATLAS eMAR retiring.
Kiwi (our product)
May suit: small residential, learning disability, mental health and supported living homes up to 30 beds, and small groups, that want a published price and monthly terms.
Price and terms
Kiwi: £179.95 per home per month up to 30 beds, £229.95 for 31 beds or more, as of 17 October 2026. Every module included. Free set-up. Monthly plans: cancel any time, no notice period. Annual plans renew for 12 months unless cancelled before renewal. 30-day free trial: your card is taken at sign-up, nothing is charged until day 31, and billing then starts automatically unless you cancel. Kiwi doesn't charge UK VAT (it's supplied from outside the UK); if your organisation is VAT-registered you may need to account for VAT under the reverse charge; check with your accountant.
- Annual fees are not refunded part-way through a year.
- Free set-up: we send you a list of what we can import for you, then load it.
- 20%, 25% or 30% off your Kiwi subscription for 3, 4 or 5 homes (Kiwi Rota isn't included). 10% off if you pay annually.
What it does:
- eMAR with PRN protocols, and a controlled drugs register with a witness on every dose and a running balance.
- Health Action Plans and Person-Centred Plans, ABC charts and behaviour recording, and a Hospital Passport.
- BMI and weight change worked out automatically from the weights you record.
- HR records and invoicing.
- A web app that runs in any browser.
- Cyber Essentials certified. ISO 27001 is in progress; we are not certified.
- Built by S Hashmi, who spent 15 years running care homes.
What Kiwi does not do (yet):
- Kiwi is not on the NHS Assured Solutions List and does not offer GP Connect.
- No pharmacy link or barcode scanning in the eMAR.
- No payroll. Rota is available as Kiwi Rota, an optional add-on (£69 per home per month).
- Waterlow scores are not calculated automatically.
- No offline mode in the web app. You need a connection. Offline recording is coming with the Kiwi Care iPhone and iPad app (coming soon).
- No relatives' app yet. The Kiwi Family app is coming soon.
Worth knowing: if NHS assurance, GP Connect, pharmacy integration or offline recording are must-haves, one of the suppliers above will suit you better today. If a published price, monthly terms and strong behaviour support matter most, see our pricing or compare Kiwi with typical care software.
Questions to ask every supplier
Ask for written answers. Keep them with your shortlist.
- What is the total cost over three years, including set-up, training, modules, devices and price rises?
- Is the price per bed, per resident, per staff user, per hour or per home? Is it billed on capacity or occupancy?
- What is the minimum term? Does it auto-renew? How much notice do I give, and how?
- How much can the price rise each year, and is there a cap?
- Is the eMAR built in or from a partner? How do controlled drugs work?
- Which devices are supported? Does it work offline?
- Is the system on the NHS Assured Solutions List for my type of home?
- Can my staff use it on a real shift before I sign?
- What do I get back if I leave, in what format, and how fast?
- What does support look like at 9pm on a Sunday?
Our guide to switching without losing records covers what to do once you have chosen.
Frequently asked
What is the best care home software in the UK?
There's no single best system for every home. The right one depends on your type of care, your size, your budget and how your staff work. Compare suppliers on the full cost per home over three years, contract length and notice, what is included, how medicines are handled and how easily carers record on shift. This guide compares eight UK suppliers and Kiwi, using each supplier's website and terms, G-Cloud price lists and the NHS Assured Solutions List. Kiwi is our product, and we say so wherever it appears.
Which care home software is on the NHS Assured Solutions List?
When we checked on 17 October 2026, the list named 23 assured systems. Access (Care and Clinical, and Care Planning), Care Control, Care Vision, CareDocs, Log my Care, Nourish, OneTouch and PCS were all listed. Kiwi is not listed. Check the current list at adultsocialcare.standards.nhs.uk, as it changes, and ask each supplier which settings it is assured for.
Which care home software suppliers publish their prices?
Few publish a full price on their own website. Nourish, Access and OneTouch publish public-sector list prices on G-Cloud. Log my Care publishes a free Starter tier. Kiwi publishes £179.95 per home per month up to 30 beds and £229.95 for 31 beds or more, with no UK VAT charged (VAT-registered organisations may need to account for VAT under the reverse charge).
Does CQC approve care home software?
CQC does not run an approval scheme for care software. A good system helps you produce clear evidence for inspection, but be wary of any supplier claiming CQC approval.
Can I try care home software before I buy?
Some suppliers offer trials and many do not. When we checked, Log my Care had a free tier, Care Vision a one-week demo account, and Care Control had announced a 7-day trial that was not yet live. Kiwi offers 30 days free: your card is taken at sign-up and nothing is charged until day 31. If you don't cancel, billing starts automatically on day 31.
Is Kiwi on the NHS Assured Solutions List?
No. Kiwi is not NHS Assured and does not offer GP Connect. Kiwi is Cyber Essentials certified, and ISO 27001 is in progress but not yet certified.
Sources (checked 17 October 2026)
- NHS Assured Solutions List
- DSPT status, Care Management Systems Ltd (CareDocs)
- DSPT status, Nourish Care Systems Ltd
- DSPT status, Person Centred Software Ltd
- DSPT status, Care Vision
- DSPT status, Signis Ltd (t/a OneTouch Health)
- Pricing page
- G-Cloud 15 listing, Access Point of Care
- G-Cloud 15 pricing document (19 Aug 2026)
- G-Cloud 15 service definition (ISO 27001)
- G-Cloud 14 service definition (2024; BNF and offline)
- Core Terms (v2, 16 Sep 2026)
- Care management software page
- Pricing example blog (16 Dec 2024)
- Trial waiting list
- Homepage (modules, NHS Assured, certifications)
- ISO 27001 certificate
- Offline working FAQ
- Extras price list (CRM bundle, NHS connectivity)
- Pricing page
- FAQs
- Refund wording
- Homepage (modules)
- Pricing page
- Product information page (packages, pricing basis, customisation, Companion app, older products)
- ISO 27001 announcement (10 Aug 2026)
- DCB0129 announcement (22 Jul 2026)
- Assured status and funding (22 Jul 2026)
- Partners (eMARx; "can remain with dedicated systems")
- RoundCare
- Emotion and energy mapping
- Pricing page
- Help centre, cost
- Self-serve terms (24 Sep 2026)
- Terms of Service, sales-led (24 Sep 2026)
- eMAR add-on
- Integrations (open API)
- App Store listing
- G-Cloud 15 listing, Better Care (ISO 27001, no free trial)
- G-Cloud 15 pricing document (29 Jan 2026)
- Standard terms (April 2026)
- eMAR announcement, LaingBuisson News (June 2026)
- Camascope partnership
- G-Cloud 15 listing (ISO 27001, no free trial)
- G-Cloud 15 pricing document (30 Jan 2026)
- G-Cloud 15 terms and conditions template (Dec 2025)
- Homepage (sectors, certifications, payroll, recruitment, eLearning)
- PCS Care (pricing wording, GP Connect)
- PCS About (timeline, ISO 27001, NHS assurance)
- PCS Master Services Agreement (25 Jun 2026)
- ATLAS page
- Camascope FAQs (pharmacies, barcode, offline)
- Pricing
- Terms
Trade marks. Access, Care Control, Care Vision, CareDocs, Log my Care, Nourish, OneTouch, Person Centred Software, ATLAS eMAR, Camascope, eMARx, RoundCare, Florence and Cura are trade marks of their respective owners. They are named only to identify their products. Kiwi™ is not affiliated with any of them. Facts checked 17 October 2026; terms change, so check with each supplier.
