When You Need More Help

How much will I have to pay for personal care and support costs in extra care housing or at home?

You will normally need to have a means tested financial assessment which will determine how much you need to contribute towards the cost of your personal care and support.  The amount you will have to contribute is worked out using a national set of rules, and our ‘Contribution Policy for Non Residential support’.

As financial arrangements are complicated and can change, it is difficult to tell what amount you will contribute towards the cost of your personal care and support.

How can I get help with the amount of money I need to contribute towards my personal care and support costs?

Hartlepool Borough Council can only help with the amount of money that you are asked to contribute towards the cost of you r personal care and support if you provide details of all of your finance to the Child and Adult Services Department.

If you want us to help fund what you pay towards your personal care and support you must have a needs assessment.  We will only fund your care if we agree after your needs assessment that you need support in an extra care setting or at home.

After your needs assessment we will ask you to complete a financial assessment.  In this assessment we will ask you questions about your income, state benefits and savings.  We will use this information to decide how much you will contribute towards the cost of your personal care and support.

We can also arrange for you to have a welfare benefits check to make sure that you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to.

If you choose not to disclose full financial information you will need to pay for the cost of you personal care and support in full. 

How much will I have to pay to live in a Care Home?

You will always need to pay something towards the cost of your care home placement.  The amount you will have to pay is worked out using the same set of rules wherever you live in England.

As financial arrangements are complicated and can change, it is difficult to tell what the cost of care will be unless a financial assessment is carried out.

In Hartlepool, the Council decides a price which we think it is reasonable to pay for residential or nursing care.  This price depends on the type of care home you need.

If you are assessed as needing nursing care, the NHS will pay for the nursing care costs only.  You will still need to contribute towards the residential costs. 

Some residential or nursing care homes charge a price which is more than the price which the Council has decided is reasonable to pay for residential or nursing care.  If you decide to go into a residential or nursing care home where this is the case then a friend, relative or other person may have to pay the extra amount to meet the price which the care home charges.  This is often called a Third Party Contribution or top-up fee.  You cannot pay this amount from your own income.

How can I get help with the cost of residential or nursing care?

The Council can only provide help with the cost of your residential or nursing care if you cannot afford to pay the full cost of your care. 

If you want us to help fund your residential or nursing care you will need to have a needs assessment.  We will only fund your care if we agree after your needs assessment that you require residential or nursing care. 

After your needs assessment we will ask you to complete a financial assessment.  In this assessment we will ask you questions about income, state benefits and savings.  We will use this information to decide how much you need to pay towards the cost of your residential or nursing care.

If you have savings or investments of more than £23,250 then you will not be able to receive financial help with you care costs from us.  You will have to pay for your own residential or nursing care.

The value of your former home may be included as part of your financial assessment, 12 weeks following your admission into permanent residential or nursing care. 

The value of your former home should be disregarded if:

• Your spouse or partner live there, or
• Another relative who is either 60 years of age or receiving disability benefit live with you on a long-term basis before your move in to residential care.

The value of your home is ignored if you are admitted to a care home for a temporary stay.

If your property is taken in to account and you have other capital assets of less than £23,250 we will assist you under a ‘deferred payment agreement’.  This means we will pay towards your care on a loan basis and this money will need to be repaid when your property is sold later on.

You will always be left with a weekly amount for your own use.  This is called a Personal Allowance.  As of April 2014 the Personal Allowance is £24.40 per week.

Paying for you own residential or nursing care

Even if you plan to pay for your own residential or nursing care or think that you may not be able to receive financial help from us, you can still ask us for advice and a needs assessment.

If you choose to have a needs assessment it will help you to decide what kind of care will best meet your needs.  We may be able to tell you about other ways of meeting your needs other than residential or nursing care.  If you have a needs assessment we may be able to help you quicker if your savings or investments drop below £23,250 and you are able to get help from the Council with the cost of your residential or nursing care.

If you have a needs assessment we will also be able to provide you with advice and guidance and help you to deal with any concerns you might have about your residential and nursing care.

We can also arrange for you to have a welfare benefits check to make sure you are receiving all of the benefits you are entitled to.

For a guide to help you understand more about the way care works, what you need to think about and how much you may have to pay click here. ​​