Help Funding My Care | Costs Around Care

The following guidance is drawn from a variety of sources, in particular the NHS and government websites, the Care Quality Commission and Age UK. A list of the charities and other organisations that can provide specialist advice is included at the end of the article. Healthcare Homes is not affiliated with any of these organisations or responsible for the information they might provide.

You can also contact your local authority for guidance on support available in your area or consult an independent financial adviser.

There’s a lot to think about and it is a good idea to get as much information and advice as you can.

*All figures contained in this article are correct at the time of publication (March 2023)

Getting started – Am I eligible for help with care and support?

Whether you are looking for care in your own home with visiting carers or live-in carers or thinking about making the move into a care home, your financial situation and needs will affect what help you might be entitled to with funding the cost of care.

Depending on your circumstances, you may be responsible for paying some or all of your care costs. It is also possible that the NHS or your local authority will cover some or all of the cost of your home care or care home stay

Healthcare Homes’ Care Solutions Advisors can help to point you in the right direction. Our advisors are unable to give financial advice or confirm what help your council or the NHS might assess that you are entitled to, but they can give you general information and direct you towards specialist sources of advice. Get in touch to find out more on 01206 646646. If you are viewing one of our homes the manager will be able to offer guidance, if you are seeking support at home our branch will be able to assist.

Accessing a Health and Social Care Needs Assessment

You can ask for a free health and social care needs assessment from your local Council.

This assessment will consider what your day-to-day life looks like to determine the type and frequency of any care or support that you may need and can be helpful for you and your family in making decisions. You should be supported to be involved in any discussions and choices about your care.

If your health and social care needs assessment concludes that you need care and support, the council will carry out a means test. This is an assessment of your financial situation, such as your income, savings and assets like property, to decide what if any, funding support you are entitled to. You will need to give the council access to information about your finances in order for this to happen.

How does your income and capital affect your funding?

The financial means test conducted by the local authority will calculate your income and capital – the value of your savings and assets – which will determine how much you should contribute towards the cost of your care.

Your capital	What you will likely have to pay
Over £23,250	You’re likely to need to pay the full cost of your care. This is known as self-funding.
Between £14,250 and £23,250	You will likely be expected to contribute from income that was included in the means test, such as pensions. You will also usually be treated as having an assumed, or ‘tariff’ income, which is calculated based on your capital between £14,250 and £23,250. The council will likely pay the remaining cost of your care.
Less than £14,250	You will not likely be expected to pay the ‘tariff’ income based on your capital, but you will usually be expected to pay from income included in the means test (as above). The council will likely pay the remaining cost of your care.

Will the means test include the value of my home?

It depends, and whilst we cannot advise on individual situations, your home will not usually be included if you receive care at home or go into a care home on a short-term basis. If you move into a care home permanently, it might not be included if your partner, or in some cases another relative, still lives there.

You can find out more about financial assessments here: NHS Social Care and Support Guide – Financial Assessment (Means Test)

Additional benefits that you may qualify for

You may be eligible to receive additional financial support in terms of benefits to help pay for your care. If you are under 65 years old and paying for live-in care you can be assessed for the Disability Living Allowance. This may make you eligible for payments between £22 to £140 per week.

If you are older than 65 years you may qualify for Attendance Allowance. The amount will be determined depending on the amount of help you need. You could receive between £55 to £82 per week.

‘Topping-up’ your Local Authority Funded Care

If the local authority assists with funding a care home place, they arrange the placement and contract on your behalf. You still have certain choices and will be involved in the care and support planning and decisions about where you want to live.

If you want to choose a more expensive care home than that suggested by the local authority or select a premium grade of room compared with the standard accommodation the local authority has agreed to fund, the local authority may require that a third-party top-up payment is made.

Because the financial assessments completed by your local authority will have already taken your financial situation into account, it is likely that a third party will need to pay any ‘top-up’ fee. This is usually a family member and covers the difference between the rate of your choice of accommodation and the rate the council has agreed to pay.

Am I entitled to NHS funding?

If you have long-term, complex health needs, you may qualify for ‘NHS Continuing Healthcare’ funding. This means the NHS will arrange and pay for your care. NHS funding is not means tested and your financial assets are not assessed, only your care and support needs.

If you are not deemed eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare but do require care from a registered nurse in a nursing home, you may be eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care (FNC). This means that the NHS will pay a contribution towards the cost of your registered nursing care.

This payment is made directly to the nursing home by the NHS. If you are assessed by the NHS as eligible for Funded Nursing Care (FNC), and are resident in one of our nursing homes as a self-funder under the Healthcare Homes Resident Contract of Admission, the weekly fee we charge you will be inclusive of this amount, and we will refund this amount to you when the NHS pay it to us.

Further information is available by following this link to the NHS website: NHS Social Care and Support Guide – NHS Continuing Healthcare

How to find out more information

Get in touch with us

Our Care Solutions Advisors are available to help. We are unable to give financial advice or confirm what help your council or the NHS might assess that you are entitled to, but our Advisors can give you general information and point you in the right direction. Get in touch on 01206 646646 to find out more.

You can also speak to an independent financial adviser or visit the following websites:

Age UK

Finding, choosing and funding a care home (ageuk.org.uk)

Care Quality Commission

Help & advice | Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)

Carehome.co.uk

Care Home Fees Advice For 2021/22- carehome.co.uk advice

Dementia Uk

Get support and advice for carers and people with dementia | Dementia UK

Money Advice Service

Free and impartial money advice, set up by government – Money Advice Service

Moneyhelper