Residential and Nursing Care
Introduction
If we arrange for you to go into Residential or Nursing Home Care you will be required to contribute to the cost. This explains how your contribution to the cost will be calculated.The Government have set down very detailed regulations and guidance for calculating the charges for Residential and Nursing Home Care, which we must follow.
What is a financial assessment?
Financial Assessment is the way that we work out how much you can afford to pay. If you do not want to give us the information you will be asked to sign a declaration agreeing to pay the full cost.
One of our Visiting Officer will arrange to visit you to collect information about your income and savings. You may have a member of your family or friend present if you would like or we will arrange for an independent Advocate to support you if you wish. Any information given will be treated in the strictest confidence.
We are very experienced and well trained and are there to help and guide you through the process. Please don’t be afraid to ask any questions on anything that you are not sure about.
In either case, a copy of the form will be sent to you when you are notified in writing of the charge that you will be required to pay.
All our staff carry identification with them so please check this before allowing anyone into your home.
What will we need to see?
It would be helpful if you could have the following information available for the Visiting Officer:Income
- Written proof of any state benefits due to you.
- Notification of private (occupational) pension.
Savings / Capital
- Building society books
- Bank statements
- Details of stocks and shares; TESSA; PEP; ISA etc
- Bonds such as pensioners, savings or income bonds
Home Expenses
- Rent / mortgage
- Council tax
- Water rates
- Buildings insurance
How much will I pay?
This is worked out from your weekly income and your capital which includes savings, and if you are admitted to a home permanently, the value of your home will usually be included.Income
You will be expected to use most of your income to pay for your care. Income includes state retirement pension, occupational or private pension and Pension Credit or Income Support (or other benefits). Out of your income you are able to keep a “Personal Allowance” which at the moment is £20.45 per week. This can be used to buy personal items such as sweets, toiletries, clothing etc. The Personal Allowance is set by the Department of Health in April each year. We will also help you to claim any state benefits that you are entitled to.Capital
Capital includes savings and any property you own.- If your capital is below £13,000 it will be ignored for financial assessment purposes.
- If you have capital between £13,000 and £21,500 we will need to take this into account. You will be required to pay £1 per week for every £250 of the capital between £13,000 and £21,500.
- If you have capital of over £21,500 you will pay the full cost charged by the home. This is the maximum charge and no matter how much you have you will not pay more than this.
What if I own Property?
If you are admitted to a home permanently, and have property and other capital valued at £21,500 or more you will usually have to pay the full charge.
Sometimes the property will not be taken into account but if it is you will probably need to sell it to pay for your care. It might not be taken into account if one of the following still live in the property:
- Your partner
- A member of your family who is aged 60 or over or is aged under 16 and is a child for whom you have responsibility to care for or is ill or disabled (this means they are receiving or could be receiving a disability benefit).
We also have discretion to ignore the value of the property where someone continues to live there and does not come under the above categories.
The value of your property will be ignored if your stay in a home is only temporary and it is expected that you will return home.
If you do need to sell the property to pay the full cost we have to ignore the value of your property for 12 weeks, starting from the date you enter the home permanently. During these 12 weeks you will only pay what the financial assessment shows you can afford from your income and savings.
If you do not want to sell the property during your lifetime there is a scheme called the Deferred Payments Scheme. A financial assessment will show what you can afford without the value of the property and we will wait for the rest until the property is sold. We will put a legal charge on your interest in the property and this means any sale cannot be completed until the debt to us is repaid.
If you are interested the Visiting Officer will explain this in more detail during the visit.
Will my family have to pay anything towards my stay in the home?
We will only be able to pay up to a certain limit each week. If you choose a home which charges more than this limit someone else must pay the extra.
This is known as a “third party top-up” and must come from a third party, for example, family members, charities or friends.
You will have been given a leaflet by your social worker called “Choice of Residential Accommodation and Third Party Top Ups” which explains this in detail and gives the special circumstances where you can top up the fees yourself.
What happens if I transfer my money or my house to someone else before I go into a home?
If we think that you have given away your assets to reduce the amount you pay for your Residential and Nursing Home Care such as money or a house we will assess the amount you have to pay as though you still have it.
If this happens and you are unable to pay your contribution then we have the power to recover the balance from the people to whom anything was transferred.
What happens if I am married?
The financial assessment will only be on your own income and assets and not those of your husband/ wife/partner.
However, the regulations state that a husband is liable to maintain his wife and vice versa, for example, where a wife receives only a small income and all other income/ assets are in the husband’s name, we would ask the husband to make a contribution towards his wife’s care.
We are not allowed to carry out a financial assessment on your partner and any contribution will be by negotiation.
If you receive a private or occupational pension you can choose to give half of it to your husband/wife partner who is still living at home.
How will I pay my charges?
The preferred method of payment is by Direct Debit.Alternatively, you will receive an account every 4 weeks, which can be paid in any of the following ways:
- At the Post Office/Payzone using a swipe card that we will provide.
- By returning the payment slip with a cheque to the address supplied.
- By Debit or Credit card (details will be provided on the account).
The Formal Charging Policy
If you would like a copy of our formal Charging Policy please contact us:Durham County Council
The Financial Assessment Team
Adult and Community Services
Green Lane
Spennymoor
DL16 6UG
Tel. 01388 424 204
The government's Charging for Residential Care Guide can be accessed on the Department of Health website.
Further Information
The government's Department of Health has arranged for a voluntary organisation to produce a Care Home Guide which explains all of your rights both in choosing a care home and once you are living in a care home. This can be obtained free from:Counsel and Care
Twyman House
16 Bonny Steet
London
NW1 9PG
Tel. 0845 3007585 (10.00am to 12noon & 2.00pm to 4.00pm (except Wednesday afternoons))
(Figures correct at January 2007)
