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Paying for Your Care

Paying for your care

Paying the full cost of care yourself - being a 'self-funder'

Even if you know you will have to pay for it yourself, if you need care in your own home or are considering moving into residential care, you still qualify for a social care assessment by the Adult and Community Services department. The assessment will make sure that your needs will be met. Also, if you expect your capital to fall below £23,000 as a result of paying for care, Adult and Community Services may then help you with the cost. (See below.) Ask Adult and Community Services for more information about this.

If you are getting home care in Bradford and paying for it yourself, STACS will get quotes from different providers to enable you to make an informed choice about the services you want. If you are moving into residential care, you may be entitled to some of the following financial assistance and support.

Twelve-week property disregard

This applies if you need long-term care and:

• your former home is included in your financial assessment;
• your other capital is less than £23,000 and your income is not enough to meet your care home fees.

Adult and Community Services will help with the cost during the first twelve weeks of permanent residential care, provided their assessment has shown that this is the kind of care you need. This is called the 'property disregard' period.

Deferred payment agreements

After the twelve-week property disregard period, Adult and Community Services may still be able to help you. They will charge any financial help they give against the value of your home. This means they will take back the amount they have paid once your property has been sold. However, they may limit how much they will pay. If you do not sell your property they will eventually take the money back from your estate.

It may affect your entitlement to Pension Credit if your property is not seen to be on the market and becomes treated as capital by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Attendance Allowance (from the Department for Work and Pensions for people aged 65 or over) This is a non-means-tested, non-taxable benefit from the DWP. It is paid at the lower rate of £47.10 a week if you need care by day or night, and at the higher rate of £70.35 a week if you need care during the day and night. Everyone who needs care can, and should, claim Attendance Allowance. If you are paying the full cost of residential care, with or without nursing care, you will be entitled to the higher rate. (If the council is paying any contribution to your care home fees, the Attendance Allowance payments will stop). Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is the equivalent benefit from the DWP for people under 65.

NHS Nursing Care Contribution

Whether you are a temporary or permanent resident, if you live in a care home that provides nursing care you may be entitled to NHS Nursing Care Contribution towards the cost. It is not means-tested and is currently £106.30 a week. This is paid directly to the home.

What if you run out of money?

If your capital is likely to reduce to £23,000 as a result of paying for care, you must tell the Adult and Community Services department well in advance that this is going to happen. They will usually be able to help with your care fees (provided your care needs assessment has shown that you need residential care). They will carry out a financial assessment to confirm the date from which your funds fell below £23,000, and the amount they, and you, will pay towards your care.

If the home you have chosen charges more than the local authority will pay, you must find someone to pay the difference - a 'top-up' payment. Whoever does this, whether a family member or a charity, they should understand that the cost could increase, and that they will have to pay the top-up for as long as necessary. Alternatively, you may have to find a cheaper home. Understanding your rights before moving into care is essential. There are a number of financial products and specialist companies who may be able to help.

What will you have to pay for your care?

Do you have more than £23,000 in capital and savings?

The value of your home is included in the assessment of your capital unless one of the following still lives there: Your partner (that is, your husband, wife or civil partner, or someone you live with as if they were your husband, wife or civil partner) or a relative who is over 60 or disabled or a child under 16 who you, or a former partner, are responsible for.

No...

Your local authority may contribute financially towards your care costs after they have carried out an assessment of your care needs.

How much?

You will need to ask the Adult and Community Services for a social care assessment. This will define your care needs and how they will be best met. Any care homes you consider must be able to meet these needs. Adult and Community services will also make an assessment of your financial situation. This determines how much they will pay and how much you will have to pay. Your choice of care home will be limited to those that accept your local authority's funding level. If you want to choose a more expensive home you would have to arrange for a third party - such as a family member or charity - to 'top-up' the difference. You are not allowed to do this yourself if your capital is below £23,000. (If you have capital between £14,000 and £23,000 you will pay £1 a week for every £250 you have above £14,000 in addition to your other income.

Yes...

Ask your local Adult and Community Services for an assessment. Any care homes you consider must be able to meet your assessed care needs.

If, apart from your property, your savings are less than £23,000, your local authority can help with your care costs for the first twelve weeks. After this time you can apply for a loan to help you.

Please contact your local authority for information on their contribution to care fees. It is important to seek advice before committing yourself.