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Finding and funding your own care

Advice on finding a care home, choosing to have care in your own home, paying for your care, what we can do to help you and using an advocate to support and represent you.

How we can support you

If you require care and support (whether you have savings and assets or not) it is your right to receive an assessment of your needs. You can request an assessment by contacting us directly or filling out this self assessment form.

If you pay the full costs of your care, you may have chosen:

  • not to approach adult social care for help
  • have been assessed but you are not currently eligible for social care services, or
  • although your needs show that you are eligible for services, your savings are above the current threshold

The current threshold set by the government is £23,250. This means, if you have £23,250 or over in capital, savings or assets, you may pay the full cost of your care and support needs.

The cost of care can vary depending on the type of service, choice of service provider and location.

If you are funding your own long-term care (in a care home or care at home) we strongly recommend you seek independent financial advice to:

  • explore all care funding options available to you
  • understand the financial impact of such options and choices.

This could mean you may not have to sell your home or use up your savings in order to fund your care.

You are still entitled to ask for an assessment of your care and support needs. We will work with you to assess your care needs and discuss how they can best be supported.

We can provide you with comprehensive advice, information and guidance about care and support services and provide you with details of other organisations that may be able to help you, for example, independent advocates and signposting to other local and national voluntary organisations such as Age UK and the Carers’ Support Centre.

Carers

Carers are recognised in law in the same way as those for whom they care. If you have a carer then they are entitled to a carer’s assessment to find out what support, information and advice they may need.

You can contact the Carers’ Support Centre who will be able to offer advice and information to support you in your caring role.

Review

If you ask us to assess your needs for care and support, at your request, we can review your needs on an annual basis (or sooner if needs or circumstances change).

Rehabilitation and reablement

You may be entitled to a short term service from our rehabilitation and reablement team, especially if you have had an injury or stay in hospital. This service will either be provided via a short stay at Sir John Mason House or within your own home helping your confidence and independence.

Telecare

Telecare is the name given to the electronic equipment which can support people to remain independent in their own homes.

Equipment can help someone feel safe and secure within their home. It also offers family and carers peace of mind and reassurance.

An alarm or sensor can be worn by the person or placed around the home. This enables the person to directly seek help or, when a sensor is automatically triggered, alerts a call centre or an on site carer that the person requires assistance.

How it works

When an individual triggers their alarm or an automatic sensor, it raises an alert. This will link directly to a 24 hour call centre.

The call centre staff will be able to offer advice and reassurance and contact someone who is an identified responder and/or the emergency services to visit the person to offer support.

Telecare can be purchased privately through the Care Call Service.

Equipment for daily living

You may find that some equipment you can buy yourself can help make life easier. AskSARA is an award-winning online self-help guide providing expert advice and information on products and equipment for older and disabled people. It provides impartial advice on equipment to help make daily living easier.

You can also get advice from North Lincolnshire’s Independent Living Service. They provide information, advice and guidance to enable you to remain independent in your own home – and to stay well and connected to your community.

Safeguarding vulnerable adults

If you suspect someone is being abused or neglected, or if you need help yourself, please contact us on 01724 297000.

We can provide advice, information and guidance about care and support services. We can also help you find independent advocates to support you to be involved in key processes such as assessment and care planning.

An advocate might:

  • Help you to access information that you need
  • Accompany you to meetings/interviews if you want them to
  • Assist you with correspondence such as letters or phone calls
  • Represent your views in situations where you don’t feel able to speak for yourself.

Advocacy services in North Lincolnshire are provided by POhWER.

You may be referred to Cloverleaf by a health or social care professional or community organisation you are in contact with.

You can also get in contact with POhWER yourself. Their services are free to all eligible adults. Email pohwer@pohwer.net or 0300 456 2370.

Those requiring more specialised forms of advocacy, such as support from an Independent Mental Health Advocate or Independent Mental Capacity Advocate cannot self refer. These types of advocates are appointed through a formal process and only in specific circumstances.

Support brokerage

A support broker is a person or organisation who can offer you advice and information on buying support, recruiting personal assistants and accessing services. The council can offer advice and information and can give you information about local support brokerage services or you can search online.

Funding your care

Long term care services provided by North Lincolnshire Council are not free and most people will have to pay something towards their care costs.

If you have been assessed as having eligible social care needs, you may be able to receive help towards your care costs if you meet certain financial criteria.

If you have complex health needs or you need primary health care, rather than social care, you may be eligible for NHS funded care.

Am I eligible for financial assistance?

If you receive care services from North Lincolnshire Council you may be eligible for financial assistance towards the cost of these services.

Financial help is means tested and depends on your income, savings and investments.

If you have over £23,250 in savings and investments, you will have to self-fund the full cost of your care services. Savings under £14,250 will not be taken into account when calculating how much you need to pay towards your care.

Do you take the value of my home into account?

We do not take the value of your home into consideration if you:

  • receive care services and still live in your own home
  • are in short-term or temporary residential care and intend to go back to your main home
  • enter residential care and have a dependent relative, such as a spouse, elderly relative or child under 18 who remains living in the home.

If you are entering residential care and have no dependents, then the value of your home may be included when determining whether you are eligible for financial assistance.

If you have more than one property, or hold land, the value of any property or land where you do not live will be included when determining your eligibility for financial assistance.

How do I apply for financial assistance?

You can complete an online application. If you have any difficulties, contact the Financial Support team on 01724 297000.

Deferred payments

If you arrange your own stay in a care home or nursing home, then you may be eligible for a deferred payment agreement. This agreement will allow you to use the value of your home to pay for your care home fees when you decide to sell it – or if you prefer, from your estate after your death. This means you do not have to sell your home prior to your care and support starting.

There may be administration and interest fees added to facilitate this process.

Deprivation of capital or assets

If you give away large sums of your savings to friends or relatives, or transfer your assets (e.g. your property) to put yourself in a more favourable position to get local authority funding for your care and support services, the local authority may be able to financially assess you as if you still have the savings or assets.

Statutory guidance allows the local authority to consider whether you have deprived yourself of a capital asset in order to either reduce your care and support costs, or approach the local authority for funding. If deprivation has occurred, the local authority will treat you as still possessing the capital asset. This is called Notional Capital.

Independent financial advice

It is important for you to get the right financial help and support so that you can make the right decisions based on your care needs. A financial advisor will be able to look at your circumstances and make sure that you are claiming all the benefits and allowances you may be entitled to.

Many independent financial advisers do charge either a fee or commission. Many also offer an initial free consultation. The Money Advice Service website has tips on planning ahead for a time when you can’t manage your own finances.

You can also get independent advice from:

  • The Society of Later Life Advisers: the society can help you find advice on how to make financial plans for care in your old age.
  • Age UK: has advice for older people and those planning for their later years.
  • Carers UK: a resource of advice for carers who need to help someone else.
  • Which? Later life care has a guide to financing care.
  • Citizens Advice Bureau: provide free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities.
  • The Money Advice Service website: set up by the government to provide free and impartial money advice information on a broad range of matters and has specific advice around paying for care. You can call the Money Advice Service on 0300 500 5000.

If you are considering arranging for people to come and provide care in your own home, we can help you to understand what kind of support would help by completing an assessment with you.

Home care, or domiciliary care, is support provided in the person’s own home to allow them to stay independent for as long as possible. A home carer is paid to carry out this service and so should not be confused with a voluntary carer, such as a family member.

Home care often includes tasks such as:

  • getting dressed
  • help to use the toilet
  • washing
  • preparing or eating food and drink
  • cleaning
  • laundry
  • getting out and about
  • taking part in social activities.

Accessing home care

There are several different ways of arranging home care:

  • Employ a personal assistant
  • Arrange your own care directly with a registered provider via the Care Quality Commission website
  • Contact us to arrange an assessment to identify if you are eligible for care and support or for some advice about choosing home care.

We can provide information about how to find local care providers or employing a personal assistant.

Personal assistant

A personal assistant is someone who is employed directly by a person who needs support to enable them to live their life as fully and independently as possible.

A personal assistant may provide support with many aspects of their employer’s life. For example providing personal care, and also assist the person to meet their friends, go to work and participate in community activities.

An online interactive toolkit to support you to employ a personal assistant is available from Skills for Care

The thought of going to live in a care home can be worrying time, whether for yourself or someone else. It is an important decision to make and one that we can help you with. Before you make your decision consider if there may be other options to living in a care home.

Many people employ a Personal Assistant or a Home Carer to provide care in their own home. It is important to make sure you have explored all your options before making the decision to move into a care home. If you need some help or advice you can contact us and we can help you explore your options to help you make a decision about what will be best for you.

Care homes

There are two main types of care home; residential care homes or nursing care homes.

  • Residential care homes can provide short term care (respite) or long term care and include accommodation, meals and personal care
  • Nursing homes have registered nurses on site who can provide help with more complex health needs.

Eligibility

If you do decide that a care home is your best option, you can request a care assessment to see if you are eligible for support from the council.

The assessment will establish if you meet the eligibility criteria for care and support. This is an opportunity to discuss with you what support you need and how best to arrange that support.

You may also be eligible with help towards your care home costs. Read more about paying to live in a care home.

It is always recommended that anybody who is going to be accessing social care should seek independent financial advice so they can get the most out of their assets and savings.

If you are not eligible for financial help, and you wish to fund your support yourself, you can choose any care home that meets your budget.

Finding a care home

A list of all registered care homes can be found on the Care Quality Commission website. Find a care home on the Care Quality Commission website.

Deciding on the right home

If you choose to live in a care home, when you, or anyone helping you, first contacts a care home they must give you certain key information. This should be clear, easy to understand and will help you to decide whether the home is one that you would wish to explore further. This will include:

  • their latest Care Quality Commission inspection report rating
  • whether they accept people who will be paying their own fees and also those whose fees will be paid for by the local authority, health and social care trust or NHS
  • staffing arrangements
  • any important terms and conditions that may apply, such as where the home requires you to prove that you can pay your own care or how fees might increase during your stay if you are paying for your own care
  • how much you will pay to stay in the home, including weekly fees and any other payments you may have to make, such as deposits
  • what services are included in the weekly fee and whether there are additional fees. For example, being accompanied to hospital appointments or optional extras, such as for hairdressing
  • a copy of their Residents Guide or information pack to be able to read at your leisure. This guide will tell you more about the home and what they offer.

You can also check to see if the care home is online and read any reviews people may have left.

Questions to consider when you visit the home:

  • If you are able, visit the home more than once and at different times of the day. A good care home should always be happy and encouraging for you to come in and have a look around
  • Have a chat with residents or family members who are there and ask them for their opinions and experiences of the home
  • Is the general atmosphere of the home friendly and inviting?
  • Are the staff friendly?
  • What are the transport links like to the home?
  • What sort of things happen in the community?
  • What activities does the home provide? This is important if you, or your family member, already have hobbies and interests and you want to continue to do those things when you move into a care home
  • How does the home welcome family and friends? Can they join you at meal times, for example?
  • Are you happy about the standard of meals the home provides?

You may need several visits before you make up your mind. This should not be a problem. It is a big decision to make.

Standards

For further information on care homes in North Lincolnshire, and the standards you have a right to expect from your care home, visit the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website. The CQC is an independent inspectorate for all health and social care in England. This includes care homes and home care services.

Information to help people choose, compare and comment on residential care homes and home care services is available on the NHS Choices website.  If you feel that your views about your future are not being considered, you can speak to an independent advocate who can help you to get your views heard.

Further sources of information

There are many sources of information that can help you choose the right home for you. You can get further advice and assistance to help you choose a care home from a range of other websites such as:

If you are unable to find the information you are looking for, or if you would prefer to speak to someone about low level health and wellbeing needs, please contact Scunthorpe Central on 01724 860161.

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What is Live Well North Lincolnshire?

Live Well North Lincolnshire is an online information hub that provides information on a range of organisations, support groups, community groups, events, and activities that are available across the county.

With hundreds of services listed, Live Well is a wealth of information at your fingertips.

Further information:

Contact

01724 297000