Costing and Funding
You have a variety of funding options for your care. Your local authority will, free of charge assess your care needs, and if you are eligible you may be asked to make a contribution. Social Servicesis the main provider of support for people who have physical/mental disability and if you feel you need support contact Hull City Council on 01482 300300 or East Riding Council. They will then assess your ability.
As a guideline only, if you have more than £23.000 of capital (excluding your home) and have income of more than £150 pounds per week, you may be asked to contribute towards the cost of your care, this will be explained to you when you are assessed.
If you are eligible for support from Social Services you can choose to take the service as funding and provide your own support and care instead of it being provided from social services. This is called a Personal Budget. If you are funded by Social Services they will help in your home until you need more than 21 hours a week of care (depending on circumstances). Once you need more than 21 hours of care a week it will be more cost effective for the local authority to place you in a care home. You can of course top up your Social Service care package with private funds from family, from savings, or from equity release schemes. If you do look at “Financial Services” products to help with bespoke care, we strongly suggest you take Independent Financial Advice from an appropriately qualified person.
If Social Services decide to fund your care they will normally place it with a local agency. However you may be able to choose who provides your care through the system of “Individual Budgets”. These are local authority payments for people who have been assessed as needing help from social services, and who would like to arrange and pay for their own care and support services instead of receiving them directly from social services. If you already receive social services care your local authority is probably obliged to allow you to manage your own support or you may already be in receipt of a direct payment/ personal budget and wish to change how you use it. If so, you should contact your local social worker to discuss the options available. Alternatively, you may choose the option of an Individual Budget in place of the service you currently receive.
However in some circumstances you may be eligible for Continuing Health Care. Continuing Health Care is fully funded medical, nursing and personal care which may be provided in the individual’s own home. This is funded by the Primary Care Trust. The 21 hour per week cap does not apply to Continuing Care – but it is hard to get. Your social worker or health worker will assess your eligibility for this.