While it is hard to make an informed choice of care, it is equally hard to understand home care costs and how to pay for the home care services that you need. We understand that in choosing to receive care at home, you get to stay close to your social circles and retain a high degree of independence and we also understand that all this is dependent on the ability to access the right level of care, and one that you can afford.
Exceptional Care At Home offers the required advice on the different financial options you can access to fund your care and support. With care packages designed based on your unique care needs, you pay only as agreed, without any added extras. We thus assess your needs and have a comprehensive and informed discussion to best help you decide.
We ensure cost-effectiveness and affordability in our costs while achieving exceptional performance. Whatever your need is, we will work with you to help your home care needs.
Please contact our friendly team on info@exceptionalcarethome.co.uk to discuss your requirements, so that we can give you a quote according to your requirements.
You will not be entitled to help with the cost of care from your local council if:
- You have savings worth more than £23,250
- You own your own property (this only applies if you’re moving into a care home)
You can ask your council for a financial assessment (means test) to check if you qualify for any help with costs. Read more about the financial assessment.
Alternatively, you can choose to pay for care yourself if you don’t want a financial assessment.
How to arrange your care as a self-funder
You can:
- Arrange and pay for care yourself without involving the council
- Ask the council to arrange and pay for your care (the council will then bill you, but not all councils offer this service and they may charge a fee)
Find out what care you need
Even if you choose to pay for your care, your council can do an assessment to check what care you might need. This is called a needs assessment.
For example, it’ll tell you whether you need home help from a paid carer for 2 hours a day or 2 hours a week and precisely what they should help you with.
The needs assessment is free and anyone can ask for one. Find out more about getting a needs assessment. You can also contact us at info@exceptionalcareathome.co.uk for e free needs assessment.
If you need care and support, the best place to start is your local authority. This is because your local authority may pay for some or all of your support if your needs meet the eligibility criteria and you have a limited ability to pay for the services yourself.
There are some services the local authority provides that it cannot charge for. But for many services, the local authority may carry out a financial assessment to see if you should pay for, or contribute to, the cost of your care services.
Local authorities are not required to charge for care services, but they must abide by legal guidance if they do.
If your local authority will pay for some or all of your care, you will be given a personal budget, and it could:
- Provide the care directly to you, either through its own staff or through an organisation it has contracted to do so,
- Give you direct payments that enable you to buy the services directly with money given to you by the local authority.
Find out if the local council will pay towards your care
The first step is for your council to do an assessment to check how much help you need. This is called a needs assessment.
The needs assessment is free and anyone can ask for one. Find out more about getting a needs assessment.
If you need care, the council will then do a financial assessment (means test) to work out what you will have to pay towards the cost of your care.
The means test works out if:
- the council pays the full cost of your care
- the council pays some of the cost and you pay the rest
- you pay for all of your care
The financial assessment is free. You don’t need to book it – it’ll be arranged for you after your needs assessment. Read more about the financial assessment.
How the council pays for and arranges your care
If the council is going to pay for your care, you’ll get a personal budget. The amount will be worked out when the council makes a care and support plan with you.
You can choose to get your personal budget in 3 ways, as:
- direct payment into your bank account each month for you to pay for your care – the council will usually ask for receipts to see you’re spending your money on care
- the council arranges and pays for your care for you
- a mixed personal budget – the council arranges some of your care and you arrange and pay for the rest with a personal budget
You can speak to someone for advice on personal budgets by calling the Disability Rights UK Helpline free on 0330 995 0404.
Your rights
If the council is arranging your care, you still have the right to decide how your personal budget is spent.
Home help
If you’re not happy with the type of paid home help the council suggests, you can look for services the council provides and ask them to change it if they can
What is a personal budget?
Your personal budget is the amount of money your local council pays towards any social care and support you need.
You will be given a personal budget to spend if your local council decides you are eligible for help with any social care and support you need. You can request an assessment from the council to establish your needs.
The amount of money in your personal budget is decided by your local council after a needs assessment to work out:
- What kind of care and support you need,
- How much it will cost,
- How much you’re able to afford yourself.
Choosing how to receive your personal budget
You can ask the council to either:
- Manage your personal budget for you,
- Pay the money to another organisation – such as a care provider
- Pay the money directly to you or someone you choose – this is known as a direct payment
You can also choose a combination of these options. For example, the council could arrange some of your care but send you the rest of the money. This is often called a mixed package or “mix and match”.
If the council manages your money
The money in your personal budget will be spent for you by the council. They will arrange all your care and support based on your agreed care plan.
They still need to check you’re happy with the care they’re arranging for you.
If your money is paid to another organisation
The organisation you choose, such as your care provider, will speak to the council and arrange the payments.
Sometimes other organisations charge you extra money to arrange payments from the council.
What are direct payments?
When your local council pays the money from your personal budget directly to you or someone you choose, this is known as a direct payment.
How direct payments work
If you choose direct payments, the council will send you the money in your personal budget by either:
- Paying it directly into a bank, Post Office, building society or National Savings and Investments account.
- Sending you a pre-paid card.
You can then choose how you spend the money on your own care and support, as long as it matches the care plan you’ve agreed with the council.
Signing a direct payment agreement
The council might ask you to sign a document called a direct payment agreement. This says:
- How the council want you to record your spending – for example, keeping receipts
- Your responsibilities as an employer – if you’re paying for a care worker.
If you spend direct payments on something that isn’t agreed in your care plan, the council could take the money back or end the direct payments.
The benefits of direct payments
Direct payments give you more flexibility over how your care and support is arranged and provided.
For example, you could choose to hire care workers or personal assistants who:
- Are always the same people and available when you need them.
- Speak the same language as you.
- Have experience working with your care needs.
- Are a specific person that has been recommended to you.
- Can help you get to shops or social events.
There are many ways you could choose to use the money. It’s your choice as long as you’re spending your personal budget on things that meet your agreed care plan.
Most councils will ask for evidence of how you’ve spent your money every 3 months.