In short and in plain language
Some families want to switch their care provider. They search in a different way from people who are new to care.
A page about switching meets them where they are. It answers their questions before they call.
The article explains what you can write on this page. For example, about costs and a handover without a gap.
The form asks for the date they would like to switch. It does not ask about illnesses.
The page stays factual and names no other services. We build a page like this for you.
Someone who wants to switch home care provider searches differently from someone who needs help for the first time. Care is already running, a contract exists, and there is usually a reason: visiting times that no longer fit, a move to another district, a greater need after a hospital stay or simply the feeling that something is no longer right. The relatives who then look for a new service in the evening have three questions in mind: Am I allowed to give notice at all, what does the switch cost, and who looks after my mother in the week in between? A website with nothing but a general contact page answers none of them. A dedicated switching page answers all three before anyone picks up the phone, and it ends in an enquiry that already contains the preferred date for the handover.
Key takeaways
- People who switch are an audience of their own with a search term of their own: they often search for "switch care service" together with their town instead of just "care service". A dedicated page meets them exactly there.
- The care contract can be terminated by the person in need of care at any time without observing a notice period (Section 120 subsection 2 SGB XI). The page says so plainly and names the order: settle the start date first, then give notice.
- Costs come before the contract: the care service generally informs the person in writing about the expected costs before the contract is concluded (Section 120 subsection 3 sentence 2 SGB XI). The page announces this estimate instead of quoting prices.
- The form asks for the preferred switching date and for what the call back needs, but for no diagnosis. Health data enjoys special protection (Art. 9 subsection 1 GDPR).
- One switching page per catchment area, neutral in tone: no statements about other services, because anyone who disparages or denigrates a competitor acts unfairly (Section 4 no. 1 UWG).
People who switch are an audience of their own
Home care is not a niche market. At the end of 2023, 1.1 million (Federal Statistical Office) people in need of care living in private households were looked after together with or entirely by outpatient care and support services. Compared with the previous survey their number rose by 5.1 % (Federal Statistical Office), which is 54,000 more people. Overall, 86 % (Federal Statistical Office) of all people in need of care were cared for at home. On the other side, the care statistics counted 15,549 (Federal Statistical Office) outpatient care services on the reference date in December 2023. Anyone looking for a service has a choice in many regions, even if free capacity can be scarce, and the law expressly places that choice in the hands of those affected: people in need of care can choose between facilities and services of different providers (Section 2 subsection 2 SGB XI).
That choice creates a group that a typical services page does not address directly: people who already receive care and want to change their provider. Their search looks different from a first enquiry. They often type "switch care service" and the name of their town, sometimes "new care service wanted" or "cancel care service". They already know the terms care level, benefits in kind and service package, because they have been through a first contract. What they do not know are the rules for leaving and how the transition works in practice. A general page that starts from zero and explains what a care level is loses these readers quickly. How general enquiry handling is structured is covered in the article More enquiries through the care website; this one is about the special case of switching.
First enquiry
Someone needs help for the first time, often after being discharged from hospital. The questions revolve around care level, application and benefits. The right page explains the basics and leads to a consultation.
Switching enquiry
Care is running, a contract exists. The questions are about notice, costs and transition. The right page assumes basic knowledge and leads to an appointment for the switch.
Additional provider
Needs have grown and the current service does not cover them. What helps here is the note that the care contract has to take services from several providers into account (Section 120 subsection 3 sentence 3 SGB XI).
Giving notice: at any time and without a notice period
The first worry is a legal one, and the answer is shorter than many relatives expect. The care contract between care service and person in need of care exists from the first care visit at the latest: when that visit begins, the approved service takes on the obligation to provide care towards the person in need of care as well (Section 120 subsection 1 SGB XI). For the end there is a simple rule: the care contract can be terminated by the person in need of care at any time without observing a notice period (Section 120 subsection 2 SGB XI). Put as a number, that is a notice period of 0 days, and the sentence does not require a reason either.
For the switching page this means two things. First, it may state this rule, with its source and without exaggeration. A sentence such as "The care contract can be terminated by the person in need of care at any time without notice" removes a worry without advertising. Second, it is not legal advice. Whether further agreements exist in an individual case, for example on private additional services outside long-term care insurance, is something the page cannot know. The honest note therefore reads: the statutory rule applies to the care contract under Book XI of the Social Code; for questions about other contracts the care fund or a care advice service can help. Termination without notice also has a flip side that the page should address openly: anyone who gives notice at once, before the new service has confirmed the start, risks a gap in care. The order is therefore the most important sentence on the whole page.
What the switching page does not promise
Costs: the estimate comes first
The second worry is money, and here too the law gives the care service a duty that works well as a building block of the page. The care service has to inform the person in need of care, before the contract is concluded and with every significant change, generally in writing about the expected costs (Section 120 subsection 3 sentence 2 SGB XI). The contract itself has to describe separately at least the type, content and scope of the services, including the fees agreed with the funding bodies for each service or each service package (Section 120 subsection 3 sentence 1 SGB XI). For the switching page this results in a clear building block: it announces that there will be a written cost estimate before the switch and explains what it is made up of. How a calculation can be shown on the page is described in the article Care cost calculator on the website.
Three further rules prevent misunderstandings. The care service claims the fee for home care assistance directly from the responsible care fund (Section 120 subsection 4 sentence 1 SGB XI); for the share the care fund covers, no invoice goes to the family. If the services called off exceed the maximum amount set by the care fund, the service may not charge more for the excess than the fee agreed with the funding bodies (Section 120 subsection 4 sentence 2 SGB XI). And anyone who wants to compare the prices of several services finds them in the service and price comparison list, which the state associations of the care funds compile, update once a quarter and publish on a website of their own (Section 7 subsection 3 sentence 2 SGB XI). A switching page that points to this list shows that the service is not afraid of the comparison.
- The note on the estimate. Before the contract there is a written overview of the expected costs, based on the first visit and not on a flat rate.
- The components of the invoice. Service packages, travel, the care fund's share, the personal contribution. No euro amounts without date and conditions; an explanation of the terms is enough.
- The billing route. The service bills the care fund's share directly with the fund (Section 120 subsection 4 sentence 1 SGB XI), the family only receives the invoice for the remainder.
- The comparison. One sentence on the service and price comparison list of the state associations of the care funds (Section 7 subsection 3 sentence 2 SGB XI), without advertising for or against others.
- Later changes. If needs change, there is another cost notification (Section 120 subsection 3 sentence 2 SGB XI). That removes the fear of surprises.
Handover without a gap in care
The third worry weighs heaviest: who provides care when the old service no longer comes and the new one has not started yet? The answer lies in the order, and the page should describe it exactly like that. First the family contacts the new service and names a preferred date. Then comes a first visit at home, in which the new service records the need, looks through the documents and prepares a cost estimate. Only when the start date is fixed in writing does the person in need of care terminate the existing contract, effective the day before the new service's first visit. Because the termination has no notice period (Section 120 subsection 2 SGB XI), the transition can be planned to the day. With doctor-prescribed medical care there is one more step, because the prescription has to go to the new service; what needs attention is clarified in the first visit. How this part can be explained clearly is shown in the article Explaining doctor-prescribed home nursing care on the website.
Information is part of the handover too. The care documentation of the previous service contains what the new service should know for a good start: care plan, particularities, agreements. Whether and how it is passed on is governed by contract, professional confidentiality and data protection; the page does not need to resolve that. It can, however, point to a right that every data subject has: the controller provides a copy of the personal data undergoing processing (Art. 15 subsection 3 GDPR). The controller informs about the action taken on such a request without undue delay and in any event within one month of receipt of the request (Art. 12 subsection 3 GDPR), although the regulation allows an extension in justified cases. For planning this means: anyone who wants a copy for the new service makes the request early and not on the last day of care.
The most important sentence on the page
The process in four steps
Four steps fit on one screen and are easy to take in on a phone as well, provided they are worded concisely. The table shows who acts in which step and what the page says about it. It is deliberately built so that relatives know what comes next at every step and the service promises nothing it cannot promise before the first visit.
| Step | Relatives | New care service | What the page says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enquiry | send the form with a preferred date or call | calls back in the chosen time slot | which details are needed and which are not |
| First visit | have the assessment notice, list of services and prescription ready | records the need at home | how the conversation runs and a checklist to take along |
| Cost estimate | check the written overview | informs about the expected costs before the contract is concluded (Section 120 subsection 3 sentence 2 SGB XI) | that the estimate comes first and what it consists of |
| Start and notice | terminate the existing contract effective the day before the start (Section 120 subsection 2 SGB XI) | begins with the first visit, from which point the care contract applies at the latest (Section 120 subsection 1 SGB XI) | the order: start date first, then notice |
The first step decides whether the other three happen. Anyone searching in the evening usually cannot reach the office any more; a form or a choice of call-back time lowers the threshold. How appointment booking for consultations can be structured is described in the article Online booking for care consultations, and how we implement it technically is on the page Appointment booking for care services. What matters is that the call back comes in the time slot the family chose. A call in the morning rarely reaches a daughter who is at work.
The checklist for relatives
The checklist is the part of the switching page that relatives can take with them: printed, as a screenshot or forwarded to siblings. It shortens the first visit because the documents are ready, and it shows that the service knows the process without having to claim so. Each item begins with the object and says in one sentence what it is needed for. What other content relatives look for on a care website is summarised in the article Content for relatives on the care website.
- Care level assessment notice. It shows which services the care fund covers and is the basis of the cost estimate.
- Overview of current services. Which visits on which days, which service packages, which additional services. A copy of the existing care contract helps to name them.
- Medical prescription. If medical treatment care is needed, such as giving medication or changing dressings, the current prescription belongs here.
- Medication plan and contact to the GP practice. Both make the handover in the first days easier.
- Preferred date with some leeway. A preferred date and a period in which the switch would also fit. That makes it easier to find a date that suits both sides.
- Prepare the notice, do not send it. The letter to the existing service is ready and only goes out once the start date is fixed.
- Copy of one's own data. Anyone who wants documents from the existing service requests a copy in good time (Art. 15 subsection 3 GDPR).
- Keys and access. Who has a key, is there a key safe, and how does the new service get into the house?
The form with a preferred date
The form is the goal of the page, and it differs from a general contact enquiry in one field: the preferred date for the switch. This field tells the service how urgent the enquiry is, and it tells the family that its schedule is taken seriously. Everything else follows the principle of data minimisation: personal data must be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which it is processed (Art. 5 subsection 1 letter c GDPR). A call back needs a name, a phone number, the town and a time slot. It does not need a diagnosis, and a diagnosis does not belong in a free-text field either, because processing health data is prohibited in principle unless one of the exceptions applies (Art. 9 subsection 1 GDPR). What to watch for with forms in care is covered in the article Privacy in care forms.
Preferred date
A date field with the note that the date is confirmed in the first visit. If wanted, a second field for leeway so the service can plan.
Call-back time slot
Morning, afternoon or evening. The family chooses when it can be reached, and the service calls in exactly that slot.
Town or district
So the service can see at once whether the address lies within its round. The full address only follows in the conversation.
Below the submit button sits the privacy notice, which at the time of collection names, among other things, the name and contact details of the controller (Art. 13 subsection 1 letter a GDPR). After submission there is no empty thank-you page but a confirmation that describes the next step: a call back in the chosen time slot, then a proposed date for the first visit, and the note not to terminate the existing contract yet. How we handle enquiries involving health data technically is answered in the FAQ How do you handle enquiries involving health data?, and the basics are summarised on the page Privacy for care service websites.
One landing page per catchment area
Anyone searching for "switch care service" often adds their town. The search engine then shows pages that match that town, and an outpatient service is bound to its area of rounds anyway. Even the service and price comparison list that the care fund sends on request is tailored to the catchment area of the applicant (Section 7 subsection 3 sentence 1 SGB XI). One switching page per catchment area is therefore not a trick but an honest answer to the question of whether the service comes there. How local discoverability works for care services is described in the article Local SEO for care services; how we implement it is on the page Local SEO for care providers. How many location pages make sense is answered in the FAQ Do I need separate pages for multiple locations?, and which regions we serve is shown in the overview of regions.
- Places by name. Districts and neighbouring municipalities within the area of rounds appear in the text and not only on a map.
- Own introduction, shared core. Process, cost block and checklist are the same on all location pages; introduction, travel routes and contact person are specific to each place. Pages that differ only in the place name help nobody.
- Honest capacity. If an area is full at the moment, the page says so and offers a waiting list. What that can look like is shown in the article Waiting list instead of a refusal.
- One form, one destination. The form on each location page carries the place as a hidden field so the enquiry lands with the right team.
Neutral in tone, no side swipes
It is tempting to reach people who switch through their frustration with the existing service: "Unhappy with your care service?" sounds like a catchy headline. It is not. First, it assumes that the switch happens out of dissatisfaction, when a move, greater needs or different visiting times can just as well be the reason. Second, it brings the service close to disparaging others, and anyone who disparages or denigrates the distinguishing marks, goods, services, activities or business circumstances of a competitor acts unfairly (Section 4 no. 1 UWG). Third, care staff of other services read the page too, and some of them are tomorrow's applicants. A factual tone therefore protects in three ways. The table shows typical wordings and their factual alternative.
| Instead of | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Unhappy with your care service? | Switching care service: how the transition works | The reason stays open, the page speaks to every switch |
| Everything runs better with us | What to expect from us: process, costs, contact person | Describes one's own offer, not that of others |
| We take over immediately | After the first visit we will give you a start date | No commitment before the need is known |
| Give notice today | Give notice only once the start date is fixed | Protects against a gap in care |
What can be measured
A switching page is an entry point of its own, and it deserves figures of its own. The form therefore carries a marker that identifies the enquiry as a switching enquiry without collecting further data. After a few weeks it is then possible to say how many enquiries came through the switching page, how many of them led to a first visit and how many to a contract. Which metrics matter for a care website is described in the article Measuring care website metrics.
- Enquiries through the switching page. Counted separately from general contact enquiries, per location page if there are several areas.
- Share with a preferred date. How many enquiries carry a date? If it is often missing, a clearer label for the field is worthwhile.
- Time to call back. Measured from receipt to the first conversation. People who want to switch often have a schedule.
- First visits and contracts. How many enquiries lead to a first visit, how many to a care contract?
A switching page is not a big project. It consists of a headline with the search term, three answers to three worries, a process, a checklist and a form with one additional field. What sets it apart from an ordinary services page is its attitude: it takes seriously people who already experience care and want to change something, and it answers their questions before they are asked. How we build websites for outpatient services, including entry pages like this, is on the page Website for home care services.
Sources and statutes
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