Paying for Adult Social Care

What services do I have to pay for?

You will be charged for most services arranged by the Council. Care provided in a residential or nursing home could include:

• Respite and short-term care – when you stay in a care home for no longer than eight weeks
• Residential and Nursing Care Home – when you move permanently into a care home
• Residential and Nursing Care Home – when you stay temporarily in a care home for up to 52 weeks

How will the amount I have to pay be calculated for Respite and short-term care?

If you have a period of respite or short-term care, and you do not have more than £23,250 in savings and investments, you will be charged a fixed amount for the respite or short-term care. The Council will not contact you to carry out a financial assessment, you will be advised during your Social Care Needs Assessment of the amount you will be required to pay.

The fixed amount used by the Council is set nationally by the government every year. This is because carrying out a full financial assessment would be disproportionate for short term or temporary care arrangements.

If you are having difficulty paying the fixed amount you can request a full financial assessment which will consider your income, savings and any ongoing expenses. You can request this during your social care needs assessment.

How will the amount I have to pay be calculated for longer term Residential or Nursing care?

If you remain in a care home for more than eight weeks, or move permanently into a care home, an assessor from the Financial Assessment and Charging Team will contact you to gather the following:

• Information about your income and savings
• Information about household costs you must pay, such as your mortgage or rent, and costs for Council Tax when you own your own home
• The financial assessment will ensure that you retain a basic level of income known as the Personal Expenses Allowance, this is to ensure you have money to spend on personal items, such as clothes and other items that are not part of your care

All of this information will be used to work out the maximum that you can be expected to pay. The Council will write to you to confirm the outcome and provide a copy of your financial assessment.

What happens if I own my own home?

If you are staying permanently in a care home, your property will usually be included in your financial assessment. However, there are some examples where a property may not be included:

• If your property has been continuously lived in by your spouse, civil partner, or partner
• If your property has been continuously lived in by a relative who is aged 60 or over
• If your property has been continuously lived in by a relative under the age of 60 who has a disability

The Council must not include the value of your main or only home for the first 12 weeks of permanent residential or nursing care.

If your property is included in the financial assessment, you may be eligible for a Deferred Payment Arrangement.

How do I pay?

You will receive an invoice from your care home advising that payment is now due and giving you options on how to make payment.

You may want to make payment to the home whilst waiting for your financial assessment to be carried out. This will prevent you receiving a backdated bill in the case of any delays. Should you wish to do this you can discuss paying a standard weekly contribution rate with the care home.

If you are having difficulty paying your bills, please discuss this with the care home as soon as possible. The care home will contact the Council to make them aware if necessary.

What is a Deferred Payment?

If you have been assessed as having to pay the full cost of your care, but you cannot pay the full amount because your money is tied up in property, the Council may accept your property as security. You will continue to pay a weekly contribution towards the cost of your care and support based on your income and savings only. The amount you cannot pay will be paid by the Council and a debt will build up, known as a deferred payment. This debt will then have to be paid at a later date, for example, when you sell your property. If you choose a deferred payment, it is important to note that interest and charges will apply.

More information will be provided during your financial assessment if you are eligible for a Deferred Payment.

Do I get a choice about which care home I live in?

If you're paying for your own care, you can choose which care home to live in. If you choose to live in an out of borough care home, whilst paying for your own care, you will usually become ordinarily resident in that area. This means that any future requests for support with funding your care and support needs should be made to the Council where the care home is situated.

If the Council are paying some or all of your care costs, you still have the right to choose your care home, provided that:

• the accommodation is suitable in relation to your assessed needs
• to do so would not cost the Council more than the amount they usually pay for accommodation of that type
• the accommodation is available
• the provider of the accommodation is willing to enter into a contract with the Council to provide the care on their terms and conditions

The Council must ensure at least one accommodation option is available and affordable.

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. You will be transferred to an appropriate care home until your home of choice becomes available.

What happens if there are additional costs or ‘top up’ payments?

In some cases, you may choose a care home that is more expensive than a care home that has been identified by the Council as able to meet your needs. Where you have chosen a care home that costs more, an arrangement will need to be made as to how the difference will be met. This is known as an additional cost or ‘top-up’ payment and is the difference between the cost of the care home identified by the Council and the cost of the care home you have chosen.

You may still be able to choose alternative options including an out of borough care home or a more expensive setting, where a top-up fee is required, however the top-up will need to be met by a third party, i.e., a friend or relative. There are some instances when a person can top up their own care home fees. This will be discussed, if applicable, during the financial assessment.