Residential and nursing care

There are some exceptions but in general, everyone in residential care is responsible for paying their own care home fees unless:

• Your placement has been arranged and is provided under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
• You are placed temporarily in a care home funded by the
• You qualify for full NHS Continuing Health Care If your circumstances change your eligibility for Continuing Health Care Funding can be cancelled. If this happens you will be responsible for paying your care home fees from the date the funding is cancelled

How much will it cost to live in residential care?

The cost depends on:

• The care home you choose and how much the care home charges for their services
• Whether or not you qualify for any financial assistance from us

You are liable to pay all of your care costs yourself from the date of your admission, unless you qualify for any financial assistance. The financial assessment will determine if you would be eligible for any financial assistance from us and how much you will have to pay.

The amount you will have to pay is based upon an assessment of your income and capital. The capital limits for assessment purposes will be:

• Lower Capital Limit £14,250
• Upper Capital Limit £23,250*

*Please note that for benefit purposes (e.g. pension credit, income support) the capital limits are different.

What if I have capital and savings of more than £23,250?

If you have capital and savings (not including your home) of more than £23,250 you will pay the full cost of your care directly to the care home.

What if I have capital and savings of less than £23,250?

If you have savings under £23,250, it is likely that you will qualify for some financial assistance towards the cost of your care from us. From your capital or savings, you will need to pay a tariff income amount of £1 for every £250 you have above £14,250.

The amount you will have to pay is based on your weekly income (including pensions and benefits), and any savings/ investments between £14,250 and £23,250. We call the amount you pay your assessed charge.

Every person is treated individually for purposes of a financial assessment. This means that we will assess only the income and capital of the individual who is undergoing the financial assessment. This approach applies in all care settings. Jointly owned assets, income and expenses will be divided equally when assessing your finances; unless you inform us otherwise during the financial assessment or via email/letter and provide evidence as proof of your share.

For more information please see our Residential Charging policy.

What shall I do if my capital and savings have reduced to £23,250?

When your capital or savings have nearly reduced to £23,250, you should contact us for a financial assessment means test to see if you will be eligible for financial assistance. Do not delay in contacting us as any financial assistance you qualify for will only be backdated to the date you got in touch. You should get in touch 3 months before your savings and investments fall below £23,250. We call this a funding pick up request.

You must continue to pay all your care fees yourself until a full financial assessment is completed.

What information will I need to provide for my full financial assessment?

Examples of evidence required:·

Welfare Benefits

• Recent benefit award letters from the DWP or up-to-date bank statements showing details of these payments.

Occupational / Private Pensions

• Letters from works pensions or annuity providers including any draw-down arrangements you may have made to access pension funds early. Evidence of pension payments made by you to your spouse (if )

Bank statements

• Transactional bank or building society statements or pass books for all accounts held covering the period of at least 12 months prior to the date you went into a care home up to the present day.

Investments

• Details of any shares, national savings products, bonds etc.

Property & Land

• Details of any property or land owned or previously owned, including your main or only home and any other income and investments.

How quickly do I need to provide the financial information needed?

As quickly as possible. You will be asked to provide all your information within a few weeks. If you do not provide the information required, we cannot complete a full financial assessment.

What happens if I do not provide the information?

If we do not receive the information requested, you will not qualify for financial assistance and you remain liable to pay all your care home fees yourself.

Where you do not provide the necessary information, we will notify you that you do not qualify for financial assistance and we will also notify your care home, as you will need to make arrangements to pay them directly for your care fees.

We will send you a bill for any fees paid on your behalf whilst you were waiting for your full financial assessment to be completed.

You must pay your care home directly for any ongoing care fees. We will tell you more about this when we contact you.