How can I fund my care?
When a care home is needed to ensure a better quality of life for yourself or a loved one the talk of expense comes into conversion.
Thankfully there are a few options that can help with the issue and you can be eligible for financial help from your local authority or even from the NHS in certain situations.
Will the local authority pay for my care home fees?
The local authority can carry out a care needs assessment. The results of this can conclude they that you need care in a care home. Once this has been established they will carry out a means test to work out if you qualify for funding. They will do this by looking into your income and capital.
To begin this process you can get in touch with the adult social care department of your local council and ask for a care needs assessment.
There’s no charge for a care needs assessment and you’re entitled to one regardless of your income, savings or level of need.
To find your local authority you can visit the gov.uk website which lets you find who to contact.
NHS funding
In some cases you may qualify for NHS funding. If your needs are primarily health based, the NHS arrange and pay for your care under NHS continuing healthcare (NHS CHC). Being eligible for CHC will mean that your care home will be free. During your assessment the local authority may refer you to the NHS CHC if it appears that you will be eligible for NHS CHC.
However if you don’t qualify for NHS CHC but you still require nursing care the NHS may pay a contribution towards the cost of the nursing care. This is referred to NHS-funded nursing care (NHS FNC).
How could the level of finances affect how much I pay for my care?
When your local authority carries out there care need assessment and the outcome if you need a care home placement, they will then complete a means test to work out how much you will need to contribute to the cost of the care needed. This takes into consideration both your income and your capital, e.g. savings. Certain types of income, such as money that you may be entitled to due to a certain disability are ignored in this means test. This is also true for certain types of capital you may have. All other income and capital will be taken into consideration.
The value of your property may be included in this means test. However, in some circumstances, the local authority cannot include this in the means test.
Below is an example of how your capital and income can affect how much you pay for your care.
More help
If you have any questions about the information listed above, please speak to our Care Home Manager in the first instance. We always advise our residents and their families and friends to take independent financial and legal advice to help them to decide what will be financially suitable.
Using your Property to find your care
AgeUk offer a fact sheet talking you through how you can use your property you can find out more here: https://shorturl.at/bmrNO
Deferred payments
In some instances, deferred payments can be made you can read all about deferred payments and how they work from the Norfolk County Council: https://shorturl.at/bfDQ8
