Paying for Adult Social Care services in Leeds Financial information from April 2015
Introduction From April 2015 the way that care and support is provided is changing for the better. The Care Act 2014 is a new piece of legislation that is designed to put you in control, making it easier for you to make plans for your care and support now, and in the future. As well as other changes, the Care Act will make it easier for you to pay for your care by: bringing in a lifetime cap on care costs (coming into force in April 2016). from April 2015, introducing deferred payment agreements, meaning that people will not have to sell their homes in their lifetime to pay for care, as they have sometimes had to in the past. Offer you independent financial advice when you need it. Some services we provide are not free for everyone the amount you have to pay depends on how much you can afford. If you need to pay for your care, this leaflet will help you to understand some of the costs and options that are available to you. What is Adult Social Care? Adult Social Care is part of your local authority or the city council. They provide care and support to adults who require extra personal or practical help for them to live their lives and maintain their independence. 2
What do you mean by care and support? Care and support is the term used to describe the help some adults need to live as well as possible with any illness or disability they may have. It can include help with things like washing, dressing, eating, getting out and about and keeping in touch with friends or family. Which adults do you mean? Adults who may need extra care and support include: older people, people with learning disabilities, physically disabled people, people with mental health problems, drug and alcohol misusers, and carers. Does this sound like you or someone you know? Then please read on. How do I know if I can get support from Adult Social Care? For the first time, under the Care Act, there will be a national level of care and support needs that all councils will consider. To find out if you re eligible for support, you will need to contact us to request an assessment. Please call us on 0113 222 4401 An assessment is a discussion between you (or the person you look after if you are a carer) and a trained person either from the council or another organisation 3
that the council works with. You will talk about your care and support needs and the goals you want to achieve to maintain your wellbeing. If you have eligible needs, we will contact you to discuss what help might be available. This will be based on the information you gave us during your assessment. If you do not have needs that are eligible, we will give you information and advice about what care and support is available to help you locally in Leeds. This could be met by something going on in your local community or services organised by local charities or other support networks. If I need care and support, will I need to pay for it? Adult Social Care asks people to contribute, where they can afford to, towards the cost of their services. This is to help to provide and develop the services we offer to a high standard. Some services we provide are free, but the amount you have to pay depends on how much you can afford. We will help you work out how much you can afford. Firstly, we will carry out a free financial assessment with you - this service is open to anyone who needs it. Depending on your financial situation, you may have to pay for some services. Charges for services are different depending on whether they re nonresidential (in your own home) or residential (in a care home). These options are described over the page. 4
Non-residential care options What is non-residential care? Non-residential care is care that is provided in your own home to help you live as independently as possible. This could include special equipment to help you get out and about or around the house; meals delivered to your door or help with things like washing and dressing. If you have support at home, a member of the Financial Assessment and Benefits Team will visit you to work out how much you can afford to pay, so you will need to provide the visitor with full details of your financial position. How much is non-residential care? Charging for non-residential care is dependent on what service(s) you receive. See over page for a table of costs for our non-residential services This is done under the council s Charging Policy which is designed to make sure that you only pay what you can afford to. The visitor will also help you claim any benefits you may be entitled to. 5
Table of costs for our non-residential services Type of service Home care and supported living Housing support services Charge 13.80 per hour 18.50 per hour Day centres Older people Physical disabilities Learning disabilities 25.40 per day 44.50 per day 44.50 per day Transport Transport to service 5.40 per day Shared Lives sitting services Outreach daytime support Outreach waking night-time support Day support service 8.00 per hour 9.60 per hour 8.00 per hour Mental health services Day services group session Day services one-to-one Support 9.30 a session 18.50 per hour 6
Telecare services Telephone monitoring of Telecare pendant alarm* Mobile response service for Telecare pendant alarm* Telephone monitoring of Telecare pendant alarm with additional Telecare sensors Telephone monitoring of Telecare pendant alarm with additional Telecare sensors and GPS systems Mobile response service for Telecare From 01/04/2015 2.50 per week 0.50 per week 3.00 per week 9.00 per week 3.00 per week From 01/07/2015 2.60 per week 0.50 per week 3.10 per week 9.30 per week 3.10 per week * Telecare pendant alarm services are not financially assessed unless you receive them alongside other services. 7
Residential care What is residential care? Residential care is living in a residential setting or care home as opposed to living in your own home. If you re unable to live independently, even with extra support, you may need to consider residential care. There are various types of care homes; some provide personal care but no nursing care and some cater specifically for people of particular cultures or religions. Care homes are run by voluntary groups, private individuals and organisations, or by Leeds City Council Adult Social Care. How much is residential care? Charging for residential care depends on: The results of your assessment together with the results of your financial assessment. The type of care home you choose to live in. Over the page is some brief information on how we charge for different types of care homes. You can find a full list of care homes and their costs in the Leeds Care Homes Housing Options Directory available on www.leeds.gov.uk. To request a hard copy please contact the Council s Contact Centre on 0113 222 4401 8
Private and voluntary homes These homes charge according to the services and facilities they provide and their location, so the full cost of a place will vary from home to home. Council care homes The council care homes in Leeds have a maximum charge, which is based on the actual cost of living in the home. It is the most that anyone can be charged for a place. From 13 April 2015 the charge is 745.50 per week for all new placements ( 723.80 before 13 April 2015), and this figure is subject to change on an annual basis. The rate you would pay is based on an assessment of your income and capital assets, less your personal allowance of at least 24.90 per week ( 24.40 until 13 April 2015). What will I have to pay if my needs change? If you have recently been given a medical assessment which states you need to move from residential to nursing care, you will be moved to a suitable home where qualified nursing staff can look after you. Your contributions for nursing care will remain unchanged. There would be no increase in your contribution either if you were moving from an older person s residential home to a home that caters for people who need different care because they are elderly mentally infirm (EMI). Paying for my care How do I pay for care and support services? If you are in an independent residential or nursing home, you will pay your weekly assessed contribution to the home directly. They will inform you how to do this and how often. If you decide to live in a residential home provided by Leeds City Council, you can receive a bill every three months. Some people choose to pay their contribution directly to the home either weekly or monthly but you 9
decide which you prefer. For Home Care and Day Care, and meals provided, a bill will be sent to you, either monthly or three monthly depending on the amount you are assessed to pay. There is information on the back of your bill about how to pay. Personal budgets what are they? A personal budget is money that is allocated to you by Leeds City Council to pay for care and support needs identified within your support plan. Anyone, 18 or over, who is living in the community and entitled to social care support can have personal budget. Only you know what s best for you, so personal budgets are flexible and designed to fit people s individual circumstances. How much you want to be involved in managing your actual budget is up to you. I have a young family and really enjoy spending time with them. In the past it s been difficult. My personal budget has made it easier for me and my son to do things together which we couldn t do before. The personal budget has improved the quality of life for all my family. Direct payments what are they? A direct payment is the means in which you receive your personal budget. You decide who gives the care, and how and when they work with you. 10
You can receive a direct payment personally or by a suitable person on your behalf; a trust or service provider; Leeds City Council on your behalf; or a mixture of the above. For more information on personal budgets and direct payments, please see the Personal Budget Guide which you can find on www.leeds.gov.uk. Can I get help to pay for my care? Depending on your financial situation, you can get help to pay for your care. The amount you will be expected to contribute towards your care is related to how much you are financially assessed as being able to pay. If you have less than 23,250 in savings and investments you are likely to be entitled to financial help. The amount of financial help you get depends on your income including your retirement pension and works pension if you have one and exactly how much capital you have which includes money you may have in savings, shares, bonds etc. and the value of your assets such as property. The amount you pay will reduce as your capital reduces. If you have more than 23,250 in savings you will generally be expected to pay all costs yourself. However, it is still a good idea to talk to us if you only have slightly more than this amount. 11
Is there any financial help I can claim that is not means tested? If you are self-funding, Attendance Allowance is a nonmeans tested, non-taxable allowance paid at the lower rate of 55.10 per week ( 54.45 per week until 13 April 2015) for those needing care by day or night and at a higher rate of 82.30 per week ( 81.30 per week until 13 April 2015) for those needing care by day and night. Also, whether your stay is temporary or permanent, if you receive nursing care in a care home you may be entitled to an NHS Nursing Care Contribution towards registered nurse time costs. Currently this is 110.89 per week and applies to England only. Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland pay different amounts. Speak to your GP or local health centre to find out more. Deferred payment agreements What is a deferred payment agreement? Deferred payment agreements are arrangements with us that enable you to use the value of your home to fund care home costs without having to sell your house. We will help you to pay care home costs so you can then delay repaying us until a more convenient time or after you die. Who can get deferred payment agreements? Those applying for a deferred 12
payment agreement must not have a spouse or dependent living in their home and must not have more than 23,250 in savings and investments. This figure does not include the value of a property or pension pot. A deferred charge application form will be provided to you or your legal representative to complete and return. A leaflet will also be available giving more details. If your spouse or dependent lives in your house, but you would but otherwise qualify for a deferred payment agreement, other forms of support are available and you shouldn t have to sell your home. How does a deferred payment agreement work? We will pay care home bills and recoup the funds once the home is sold. Any funds left over after the sale of the property will be inherited by the homeowner s heirs. When are debts repaid? Debts are repaid when the home is sold; this can be after a person has died, however deferred payment agreements are flexible and people can sell their home and repay debts at any time they wish. Will I be charged to use this service? The Care Act 2014 permits the council to charge administration charges that reflect the actual cost of providing the deferred payment. The deferred payment scheme is intended to be run on a cost neutral basis. See over the page for a guide of these costs. 13
Fee description Fee cost Admin set up charge 68.00 Admin annual charge 34.00 Admin termination charge 58.00 Legal charges 350.00 Land registry charge Actual cost - between 40 910 depending upon house valuation Land search Actual cost - between 20 125 depending upon house valuation Independent property valuation Actual cost The loan will have interest charged on it in the same way a normal loan would be charged on money borrowed from a bank. The maximum interest rate that will be charged is fixed by the government. compounded on a four weekly basis, in line with our payment terms to providers. The interest will apply from the day you enter into the Deferred Payment Scheme. Currently the maximum rate to be charged is based on the cost of government borrowing, and will change on 1 January and 1 July every year. From April 2015 the local authority charge is 2.65%. This interest will be 14
Independent financial advice What is independent financial advice? These are independent organisations and services you can go to, to get financial advice. If we think you may benefit from independent financial advice, we will help you by referring you to services in Leeds. Find more services offering independent financial advice on the Leeds Directory - www.leedsdirectory.org or call their helpline on 0113 391 8333 Contact us: Visit our website www.leeds.gov.uk Call us on 0113 222 4401 Where can I go to get independent financial advice? There are lots of services both nationally and in Leeds that can give you independent financial advice. Here are some useful contacts: The Money Advice Service, set up by the Government give free and impartial money advice - www.moneyadviceservice.c o.uk. 15
Leeds City Council For general information about Adult Social Care telephone customer services on 0113 222 4401 or Textphone: 0113 222 4410 March 2015