Residential care
When we carry out a Care Needs Assessment with you, we will see if you can be supported to live safely in your own home. If not, we will give you advice on the options available.
If you’ve already considered all the help available and feel you cannot manage at home, you could also consider:
Following your assessment to determine the level of your needs. We’ll be able to provide you with information and advice and possibly suggest alternative ways to meet your needs. This could save you money.
If you’re still thinking of moving into residential care, care home fees vary depending on the area that you live in, the level of your care needs, the care home itself, plus your own personal financial circumstances. Nursing home fees are higher than standard residential care home fees, reflecting the higher level of care that is provided.
All residents have to pay for residential care, but the amount will be assessed according to your income and savings.
If we arrange for you to go into a residential or nursing care home, you will need to contribute to the cost.
The Government sets the rules for these charges.
You can complete an online financial assessment to see how much you may need to pay. The form may take up to 20 minutes.
We will work out how much you will pay from your income and capital. If you are admitted to a home permanently, we may include the value of your home.
| Savings | Contributions |
|---|---|
| Below £14,250 | We will not take these savings into account in the assessment |
| Between £14,250 and £23,250 | You will pay £1 for each £250 (or part of £250) above £14,250 |
| Above £23,250 | You will have to pay the full costs of your care, no matter what other income and disability costs you may have |
We will send you a letter explaining how much you will have to pay.
If you disagree with the assessment or if any of the details are incorrect, or have changed, please contact our Financial Assessments and Benefits Advice Team. The telephone number and the name of the person you should contact will be on your assessment letter.
You must inform the team of any changes to your income or capital while you are receiving care as any changes may affect what you pay.
We will send you a statement on a four-weekly basis (in arrears) detailing the weekly contribution and the date this is due for payment.
We will pay the care home in full. This fee is the amount paid to the care home and is made up of both the council’s contribution and your assessed contribution. This amount will be detailed on your individual placement agreement.
Owning a property
If you are admitted to a care home permanently and have property or other capital valued over £23,250, you will usually have to pay the full cost of your care, although sometimes the property will not be taken into account.
Your property might not be taken into account if one of the following people still lives in the property:
- your partner
- a member of your family who is aged 60 or over
- a member of your family who is aged under 16 and you are responsible for his/her care
- a member of your family who is ill or disabled (this means they are receiving or could be receiving a disability benefit)
We will ignore the value of your property if your stay in a care home is temporary and we’re expecting you to return home.
If you do enter permanent care, we will disregard the value of your home for up to 12 weeks. During this time, you will only pay a contribution towards the care based on your income and capital (excluding the value of your home). If you sell your home during these 12 weeks, you must inform our Financial Assessments and Benefits Advice Team as this will affect your contribution.
Self-funding
If you are paying the full cost of your care, you are known as a ‘self-funder’.
People are usually self-funders if:
- they choose not to approach the council for help, or
- they have had an assessment of need, but are not currently eligible for services, or
- they are eligible for services, but their savings are above the threshold of £23,250.
If you have been told that you do not currently meet the eligibility criteria for services or are simply arranging your own support, you can find a list of voluntary or independent organisations who provide services on the SearchOut Warwickshire directory. This means that you can choose and pay for the kind of services you feel you need.
Self-funders can still ask the council to assess their care and support needs. This will help you consider what care and support you want and will provide advice and information you may find helpful.
Self-funders can also request our help in making the arrangements for support in the community, although we may charge you for the cost of doing this.
If you are unable to make the support arrangements yourself, for example if you lack capacity, then we will make the arrangements for you and this is free of charge.
If there is a chance that you may not be able to continue funding your own care in the long-term, it is important to consider this at the start. It is advisable to have a care needs assessment to find out whether the council would assist you once your savings fall below the £23,250 threshold. We recommend you contact the council a few months before your savings fall below the threshold in case of any delays.
Third party contributions
If the care home costs more than we would normally pay, another person or organisation may agree to pay the difference between the actual cost and the usual amount we will pay. This is called a third-party contribution.
You cannot use your own resources to pay towards a third-party contribution, except in the following circumstances:
- you own a property, and it is being disregarded for up to 12 weeks for financial assessment purposes
- you own a property and have a deferred payment agreement with us.