Paying for residential care When a local authority provides or arranges your care services, you may be asked to contribute towards the cost of care at home or in a care home, depending on your personal circumstances. For information about paying for care at home, see page 24.
Until a full financial assessment is carried out, you can visit www.worcestershire.gov.uk and search ‘charges for care and support’. Here, you will find an online contribution calculator which will give an indication of your possible contribution.
Financial assessment To determine whether or not you will need to contribute towards the cost of your support, Worcestershire County Council will conduct a financial assessment. This will look at your capital, savings and income. Most people are likely to have to contribute something towards the cost of their care. The value of your home is included as part of your capital in this assessment if you are moving into residential care, except in limited circumstances. It is not included if you are receiving care in your own home. If you choose not to have a financial assessment, you will be responsible for paying the full cost of your care and support. If you have capital and savings of less than £23,250, you will be asked to contribute part of your income and Worcestershire County Council may meet the shortfall. If you have capital and savings between £14,250 and £23,250, you are likely to have to contribute towards the cost of your care. You may need to contribute part of your income, and a sliding scale operates
whereby you also contribute £1 for each £250 you have in capital and savings above the lower figure. If your capital and savings amount to more than £23,250, you will have to pay the full cost of your care yourself. However, you are still entitled to an assessment of your needs from us and you may be able to get some support with funding your care – see page 49. These figures may change during the lifetime of this Directory. If you are eligible for a financial contribution towards your support from us and you are moving into a care home or care home with nursing, you will be given a choice of homes that accept the fee level we would usually pay for someone with your needs. If the home you choose charges a fee in excess of our funding limit, you will need to find someone else to meet the additional amount. This is often referred to as a ‘third party payment’ or ‘top-up’ (explained further on page 50).
Running out of money If your capital and savings are likely to reduce to £23,250 through payment of care home fees, you must let Worcestershire County Council know well in advance. We must undertake an assessment of your circumstances before deciding if we will make a contribution. If you become eligible for our support with funding your care, and the home you are living in charges more than our fee levels, you must find someone to help pay the difference. This is known as a ‘top-up’ or ‘third party payment’ – see page 50
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for more information. If funds for a top-up are not available, you will need to find accommodation which can meet your needs at our fee level. Understanding your rights before moving into care is essential. There are a number of financial products and specialist companies that may be able to help. It is important to seek independent financial and legal advice before committing yourself to anything. See page 50 for more information.
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