Paying For Care

The good news is that when it comes to funding your care, there are several options. While not all of these may be available or appropriate, it is worth knowing what steps are involved as some of these can take time.

Even if it’s delivered by your Local Authority, care is not always free. Whether you are entitled to help paying for your care will depend on your personal financial circumstances. We can help you work out if you’re eligible for help with the cost of your care and offer solutions for funding the care you need. 

We’re here to help   0121 2001170 / 07810111714

Commonly asked questions about paying for care

How much does care cost?

Home Care: The cost of care at home will depend on where you live. 

Care Homes and Nursing Homes: The average cost of a residential care home in the UK ranges between £600 and £1,200 per week, or £2,400 and £4,800 per month, respectively. The provision of further nursing care makes this even more expensive, raising the price to over £800 a week. This equates to a total cost of up to £3,200 a month, or £41,600 a year.

24-Hour / Live-in Care: The annual cost of live-in care can range from £44,000 to £54,600 for 24-hour care in your own home. You have the option to use a live-in care agency or employ a carer yourself. We can help you source the right live-in carer or overnight care.

Direct Payments: 

Do Alpine Care accept them, what are they and who is eligible?

Alpine accepts Direct Payments and have a lot of experience with this method for individuals who are managing their own care and support requirements.

We can help and advise you along the way if you need it but, ultimately we will just be there for you, because it’s your life and your care. You will be able to decide which of your services you require for your lifestyle and manage your care and support according to your needs and wishes.

We have provided you with some information to help you make the decision that is the right one for you, but if you or your family wish to have an informal chat, just let us know, we could come to you or you could come and see us, it’s your choice. We recognise this is a ‘big’ decision to make so we will be there to help you if we can.

What are Direct Payments?

Direct payments are local council payments for individuals who would like to arrange and pay for their own care and support services instead of receiving them directly from Council. If you think you need care or support services, County Council’s Adult Social Care service will carry out an assessment of your needs.

Once the assessment has been carried out, there are three ways in which the services you need can be arranged:

  • Council can give you a Direct Payment so you can arrange your own services in the way in which you prefer; or
  • Council we can arrange the services for you; or a combination of the two.

For example, you can use the Direct Payment to:

  • Pay Alpine to provide you directly with services;
  • Employ your own staff;
  • Design your own service that fits your choices and needs;
  • Buy equipment that better fits your lifestyle;
  • Arrange your own respite care to offer you or your carer a break; or
  • A combination of any of these.

However, there are some rules. You must spend your Direct Payment on things that your assessment shows that you need. You can never use your Direct Payment to buy:

  • Services from the local authority
  • Long term residential care; or
  • Anything that does not meet your agreed needs.

Who is eligible?

If you already receive social services, Council is obliged to offer you the option of direct payments in place of the services you currently receive. (There are some limited circumstances where you are not given this choice and the council will be able to tell you about these.)

If you’re not receiving social services, to get direct payments you’ll need to contact your local council to ask them to assess your needs. Social services (and therefore direct payments) are normally available if you are:

  • An older person
  • Disabled and aged 16 or over
  • A parent or carer aged 16 or over (including people with parental responsibility for a disabled child)
  • Effect on other benefits

Direct payments are not a replacement of income and therefore do not affect any other benefits you may be getting.

How Much Does Elderly Care Cost?

 

Who pays for care?

In England, if you have more than £23,250 in savings you will be expected to pay for care yourself.

If your personal capital is below these thresholds (or falls below while you are receiving care), the local authority will pay for some or all of your care.

 

Do I have to sell my house to pay for a care home?

There are alternatives to selling your house to pay your care home fees. You might consider a Deferred Payment Agreement with your local authority or the Care and Home Inheritance Plan.

The first steps to find out how you can pay for your care are:

  1. Care Needs Assessment

Before you can do anything else, your local authority and a social worker (possibly someone you have already been in touch with) will carry out a Care Needs Assessment. During this assessment they identify what your care needs are and advise on the types of care that will meet these needs. This might be care at home or in a residential setting.

Sometimes there can be a long waiting list for an assessment from your local authority. In these cases, we can provide a care needs assessment to speed up the process of finding the right care and funding options.

  1. Local authority financial assessment 

Once your local authority has decided that care is needed, and that it is possible to provide that care, they’ll assess your finances. They will look at any income, savings, investments or property that you have (if your needs are for care at home, your primary residence will not be considered) to see what help you’re entitled to. This will have two possible outcomes:

  • You will be eligible for full or partial financial support from your local authority
  • You will not be eligible for any financial support from your local authority (also known as self-funding)

What is the self-funding threshold in England?

Paying for care at home: If you have assets and savings worth more than £23,250, you will not be entitled to financial support from your local authority.

Paying for residential care: If you have assets and savings worth more than £23,250 and/or you own your own property, you will not be entitled to financial support from your local authority.

Paying For Care Without Selling Your Home

We understand that how you pay for your care is a personal decision. Your current situation and your future plans will affect the way in which you choose to fund the care you want. For self-funders, there are many solutions available that do not involve selling your home.

At My Care My Home, we give whole-of-market care funding advice. Here are some solutions that are popular with our clients.

  • Personal Income & Savings

Your income from pensions and investments might cover your care costs. You could also use savings to pay for your care.

  • NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)

People with certain health needs can get care for free, arranged and funded by the NHS. This could be at home or in a residential setting depending on your needs. For example, paying care home fees for someone living with dementia.

  • The Care and Home Inheritance Plan

If you’re moving into a care home, you may be eligible for the Care and Home Inheritance Plan which will manage and rent your property over a number of years to cover your care home fees.

  • Equity Release

Freeing up some of the equity in your property leaves you with the option of paying for care while you remain in your own home.

  • Care Funding Plan

A care funding plan, also known as an immediate needs annuity, works by providing a guaranteed income for life to cover the costs of care.