Paying for care homes

Transcription

1 Choosing and paying for care Paying for care homes a guide to paying for residential or nursing home care Adult social care

2 About this booklet This booklet explains about the financial arrangements (who will pay the fees) if you need to move into a care home. This could be a residential care home that provides meals and personal care or a nursing home that also offers qualified 24 hour nursing care. You should note that the information in this booklet applies only to council funded care. If you are assessed as needing substantial ongoing nursing care in your own home or in a nursing home this is called NHS funded continuing healthcare and is provided free of charge. Here the nursing care assessment will be carried out by the continuing healthcare department of the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The social care assessment If you are thinking of moving into a care home you should ask for a free social care assessment of your needs. You can request an assessment by contacting our Access To Adult Social Care Team; contact details are listed on the back of this leaflet. As part of the assessment social care professionals will visit you in your home and talk with you and your family or carers about any difficulties you may be facing coping with living at home. This will help you to decide what kind of support best meets your needs. The social care assessment puts people at the very centre of the assessment process and focuses on the results you want to achieve and solutions that best fit your life. Our aim is always to keep you living independently in your own home for as long as possible. If, after exploring all other options with us, you decide that a care home is the only viable option for you, we will provide you with a financial assessment; this will help decide if you need to pay for the costs of your care home.

3 The financial assessment If you have been assessed by us as needing to move into a care home we will then arrange for a financial assessment to take place. We will visit you to talk about your financial situation and to work out if, or how much, you would have to contribute to your care home costs. The Department of Health sets an annual limit, called the upper capital limit ( 23,250 in 2015/16) based on your savings, investments and any capital which you have. If the value of all of these assets sits below this limit we will help with the costs of your care home. If they sit above this limit you will have to pay the full cost of your fees. We may however be able to help you in the short term while you sort things out. As part of the financial assessment you will be asked to provide details of your finances including: capital - such as bank, building society or post office savings accounts, national savings certificates, bonds, stocks and shares, plus the value of any property that you own; income - including state and occupational pensions, state benefits, annuities and any income from trust funds; your national insurance number. This information will help us to assess your financial situation and whether you fall above or below the upper capital limit. We will also advise you of any state benefits that you may be entitled to claim. If you don t want to provide details of your finances you don t have to. However, you will then need to pay the fees in full for any care home. Your charge Following a financial assessment we will write to you explaining if we can help to pay for your care home fees. If we cannot help you will be a self funder. A self funder is a person who pays the full cost of their care home fees themselves. We will explain how your charge has been worked out and what has been included. We will make sure that any contribution you have to make towards your care home fees is an amount that you can afford to pay. You will always be left with a sum of money to pay for personal items; this is called a personal allowance and is yours to spend or save as you wish.

4 Your property If you own your own home the value of this will normally be taken into account when calculating your contribution to your care home fees. It will however be ignored for the first twelve weeks after your move into a care home becomes permanent; this is known as the twelve week property disregard. This will give you time to think about the funding of your care home and the possible sale of your property. After the twelve week period the value of your home or the income from its sale will be included. If you are not able to sell your property immediately we can arrange to pay your care home fees and you would repay them to us at a later date. If you have a mortgage or own your own property jointly then only your share is included. If you don t wish to sell your home or want to postpone selling it you can ask to join our deferred payment scheme. This is where we pay for your care home fees in the form of a loan which is secured against your property and repaid when it is eventually sold. The value of your home is often also disregarded, meaning the property does not need to be sold, if it will continue to be occupied by your husband, wife or partner. Each person s circumstances are different however and each case will be considered individually. Self funding If we calculate that you need to pay for your care home fees yourself (as a self funder without any help from us) then you can make the arrangements with the care home of your choice directly. It is vital at this point that you think about how you will pay for your care home fees. Good financial advice and planning is crucial. We strongly recommend that you seek further advice on self funding your care from a reputable independent financial advisor. The Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) can help you find accredited financial advisers who understand these needs in later life. Their contact details can be found at the back of this booklet. We can provide you with a list of homes in the Dudley borough as well as those in neighbouring boroughs. We can also give you advice and guidance on choosing a home and support you in this process. You should note that once you have moved into a care home, when the value of your savings and assets eventually falls below the upper capital

5 limit we may then be able to help you with the fees, providing that you meet our eligibility criteria. You must make sure that you contact us in good time as your savings are being used up. We will then arrange to reassess your circumstances. Council funded care If we calculate that you qualify for council funded care (where the council pays for your care home fees) then we will write to you stating this and advising you of the type of care home that would most suit your needs. We will provide you with a list of homes that we will pay for. We are also happy to pay for care homes out of our borough. It is then your responsibility to visit the homes and decide which one most suits your needs. We can help check which homes have vacancies and will support you through the process. Once you have chosen a home we will help agree a date for you to move in and sort out the payment details. Dudley Council, like most councils, has a set of standard contract rates for people with different needs. That means there is a maximum weekly amount that we will pay for various types of residential home placements. You can only choose a home where the charge is higher than this if a relative, friend or other party agrees to pay the difference. This is referred to as a top up or a third party contribution. This top up cannot be paid for by you. Changes in circumstances If your circumstances change at any time you can ask for a revised assessment of your needs or of your financial situation. In addition, if we are paying your care home fees, we will review your situation each April. We will write to you asking for details of any changes to your income and capital. Other publications in this series Accessing adult social care Choosing a care home - a guide to choosing a residential or nursing care home Self funding your residential care - a guide to help with care charges for people paying for their residential or nursing home care

6 Useful contact details Age UK Offer advice and support with care home fees and funding. National advice line (Lines open 8am - 7pm) Age UK Dudley Unit 56A, Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Dudley DY5 1SR Dudley CCG Continuing Healthcare Dept., Tiled House, 200 Tiled House Lane, Dudley DY5 4LE Independent Age This independent organisation offers help and advice on all aspects of care funding. 18 Avonmore Road, London W14 8RR Tel or visit Firststop Care Advice Is an independent, free service providing information and advice about housing and care options in later life. It is led by the charity Elderly Accommodation Counsel (EAC) working in partnership with other national organisations. Tel or visit Financial advice Financial Conduct Authority The Financial Conduct Authority website has a range of advice and information on sourcing financial advice, including how to find and choose a suitable adviser, what to expect from them, the difference between independent and restricted advisers and charging options. All advisers should be accredited by the FCA. SOLLA Is a not-for-profit organisation which helps people to find trusted accredited financial advisers who understand financial needs in later life. PO Box 590, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 9EW Tel or visit

7 SAGA The Saga Care Funding Advice Service, provided by Just Retirement Solutions Limited, specialises in providing care funding advice for people who need to pay for their own care needs. There is a useful free guide to paying for care that can be viewed on the SAGA website or requested by post. Tel to speak to an adviser or visit Paying for Care Paying for Care is a not-for-profit organisation which includes advice on its website on paying for care as well as an online care fees calculator and a care cap calculator. The website also offers a search facility for local advisers - for SOLLA accredited advisers look for the red and purple flower logo by their name. Money Advice Service This service has been set up by the Government and provides a range of free and impartial money advice. The website includes a section on paying for care, a telephone number and web chat option for further free advice, and a link to the SOLLA website for those needing specialist independent advice. Other independent advice There are other information and advice organisations including: If you decide to speak to another organisation about your care, and specifically your finances, it is recommended that you search for an adviser in your area who is qualified to offer independent advice on all the financial products and services you re interested in, and who specialises in self-financing long-term care. For more information visit the Financial Conduct Authority website

8 Further information For further information please contact our access to adult social care helpline Telephone (Monday to Friday - 9am to 5pm) An emergency duty team is available on , at all other times Web accessteam.dachs@dudley.gov.uk Post Brierley Hill Health & Social Care Centre Venture Way, Brierley Hill DY5 1RU If you require any assistance with regards to this document or would like to request an interpreter, large print or audio version, please contact the equality and diversity unit on DACHS 03/15 The information in this booklet is correct at the time of print. In May 2011 the Law Commission recommended changes in legislation that will clarify who is entitled to adult social care support. Legislation will be introduced in 2012 to implement these recommendations. As a result the information contained may be subject to change.