Overview
All people in England receiving Adult Social Care services should expect to pay for their care and support. You should expect to pay towards the cost of support services unless your assets, savings, and income are very low.
Care and support is not a free service like the NHS. The Care Act 2014 provides a single legal framework and sets out a clear approach to charging for care and support. The Act gives the Council the power to charge for care and support, but the Council cannot charge for services which the regulations say must always be free, for example;
- intermediate care, including reablement, which must be provided free of charge for up to 6 weeks
- community equipment (aids and minor adaptations). Aids must be provided free of charge whether provided to meet or prevent/delay needs. A minor adaptation is one costing £1,000 or less
- care and support provided to people with Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease
- after-care services/support provided under section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983
- any service or part of service which the NHS is under a duty to provide. This includes Continuing Healthcare and the NHS contribution to Registered Nursing Care. You can find out more about eligibility for this here.
The Council have a Charging Policy for Adult Social Care services which provides more information on the Councils approach to charging, and this is reviewed annually. You can view the policy below.
You can also request a paper copy of this by contacting the Council on 0151 443 2600 or you can visit the following libraries across Knowsley and request a copy - Huyton, Halewood, Kirkby, Prescot and Stockbridge Village.
How does the Council decide if you need Adult Social Care services?
A social care needs assessment is the way we decide if you have needs that we can support you with. This is called being eligible for care and support. During the assessment we will have a conversation with you about what things you can do for yourself, what is important to you and what you want to achieve. We will share information with you before the assessment about the eligibility criteria for care and support, and we will share the outcome of the assessment with you too.
Following your social care needs assessment, and providing it is agreed that the Council will be arranging your care and support, the Council will contact you to arrange a financial assessment. This will be carried out by the Financial Assessment and Charging Team. The team will also provide advice and information on benefits you might be able to get to help with your living costs.
Your support will start when you need it. The financial assessment may take place after the support begins. You will be expected to pay from the day your care and support starts. Therefore, you may receive an initial bill where charges have been applied and backdated to the date the support started.
What happens when I am discharged from hospital with a package of care and support?
In Adult Social Care, the Council’s approach to hospital discharge is focused on supporting people to regain independence through personalised approaches to care and support which actively promote choice and control. It is also important, in order to support our hospitals to manage demand, that once you are deemed ‘ready for discharge’, you are discharged with the right support in place.
If you need a package of care and support after being in hospital, the Council will complete a social care needs assessment with you to help them understand what care and support you need. Some of the support you receive when leaving hospital may be free of charge during the period of assessment only. Once all assessments have been completed, you may be required to pay to the cost of any ongoing care and support.
If you are being discharged from hospital to a care home and your preferred choice is not immediately available, you will not be able to remain in the hospital and the hospital may enforce their 'No Choice Policy'. This means that where a move to a care home is needed to enable a discharge from hospital, you will be transferred to an appropriate care home until your home of choice becomes available. This is not a Council policy. If you have any concerns about your discharge arrangements, please speak to a member of staff on the ward.
When you are discharged the Council will contact you to arrange a financial assessment to work out how much you will pay for your care and support.