Needing care is not always something we can plan for, many of us hope to never have to think about needing additional care as we age or fall ill or frailer, but it can often become a necessity for us or our family and it’s understandable, we would want the best care in place.
Paying For Your Care
Decisions around care for yourself or loved ones can be complicated, so here in this article, we aim to clarify some important points related to paying for care. Public sources of payment may be available, depending on the needs of each individual person, so learning about the finer points around paying for care could save you time and money, as well as minimise stress and confusion.
At Bloom & Care we offer a minimum of twice daily care, over a 7 day period. This allows us to provide person centred, bespoke home care enabling our clients to feel they have a robust support system of care. It gives families and advocates the piece of mind that their loved ones are well supported daily in their home environment.
Social care v. health care: what’s the difference when paying for care?
In brief, health care is free, but social care is not. Health care is often described as the care needed to treat, manage, or prevent a disease, illness, injury or disability, while social care has more to do with activities around daily life and concerns like maintaining independence. Though the differences between these two approaches to care might seem clear, confusion can result because health care needs and social care needs often appear to overlap. After all, many aspects of social care are now being understood as ways to prevent many kinds of afflictions. For this reason, the overlapping of service descriptions is unhelpful, and the grey area can sometimes cause problems for people who see themselves as eligible for public funding. It might be a good idea to prioritise spending some time researching options and becoming as well informed as possible before committing to a process or care provider.
Using private funds to pay for care
More and more people receiving care are self-funded, and these individuals often supplement their savings with financial options like care funding plans, which are also known as Immediate Needs Annuity (INAs), deferred payment schemes, and equity release. To some, these options might feel daunting, as they often involve significant amounts of paperwork as well as the possibility of selling off parts of personal assets. Organisations like SOLLA, or the Society of Later Life Advisors, have been created to support individuals in need of guidance around these matters, and they are readily available to help you navigating important and complex financial matters.
State support for care
Funding from public sources might be available depending on a person’s medical situation and eligibility. Two sources of public funding exist: NHS Continuing Healthcare and local authority funding.
A person with complicated medical needs and/or a disability may meet the requirements for NHS Continuing Healthcare, which is tax-free NHS funding for health care; this funding will also cover the recipient’s social care. In these cases, a pre-assessment must be performed by a social worker or a representative from the NHS to determine if a full assessment is in order.
Applications to the local authority may also lead to contributions to paying for care. The first step here is to request a needs assessment and a care plan, either directly from the local authority or from a GP. These assessments do not cost anything, and they can sometimes be performed over the phone or even online. Depending on the outcome of the needs assessment, the local authority may decide to contribute in non-monetary ways; meals, transportation, modifications to the home, and special equipment are all examples of ways your local authority can be helpful. As well, a financial assessment that examines an individual’s assets, income, and capital may take place in order to find out if financial funding from the local authority is a possibility. If this funding is granted it can be paid directly to carers or delivered as a stipend to the individual to support the cost of services.
If your total savings and property assets are below £23,250, then you may be able to access local authority funding towards accommodation costs, personal care and nursing care.
If you have any questions or queries about paying for care, please do not hesitate to contact us, and we will be happy to assist you and offer our advice.
Our simple 4-step process makes it easy to get the care and support you or your loved one needs
-
Contact Us
Contact us, we will listen to your needs and discuss potential support options, and how we can support you or your loved one
-
Home Care Assessment
We will arrange a free face to face home care assessment with one of our friendly team, it won’t take long!
-
Support & Care Plan
We will create a tailored care and support plan that our Community Care Assistants’ will follow, it’s unique to your needs
-
Continuous Support
We will ensure you receive the highest quality compassionate care & adapt our care to your changing needs