Paying for care at home

If you're not eligible for the council to contribute to your care costs, you'll have to pay for it yourself. Here is some information issued by the NHS and links to specific NHS pages or government pages to help you gather the information you may need.

Depending on your circumstances, your local council may contribute to the cost of home care or you may have to pay for it yourself.

If your needs assessment recommends care at home, you may get help with the cost from the council.

What you'll contribute depends on your income and savings. The council will work this out in a financial assessment.

If the council is paying for some or all of your care, they must give you a care and support plan.

This sets out what your needs are, how they will be met, and your personal budget (the amount the council thinks your care should cost).

You can choose to receive your personal budget as a direct payment each month. This gives you the control to engage someone you wish. There are responsibilities as an employer in some circumstances, so please see the direct payments page for more information on this. If you have a direct payment or a personal budget allocated to you, you may find this link to NHS information helpful.

Read more about when the council might pay for your care

As the information available is constantly changing, it is a good idea to research the latest information available via these established websites:

Apply for an assessment by Social Services.Gov website link

Criteria using a DST (decision support tool) for the assessment of CHD (Continuing Healthcare Decision)

About PHB’s (Personal Healthcare Budgets)

Citizens Advice information on Direct Payments

Apply for Direct Payments (DP)

Alzheimer’s Association - information for care needs assessments

AGE UK -  link to their assessment information

Benefits that can help you with care at home

Check if you're eligible for benefits.

Some, such as Attendance Allowance and Personal Independence Payments, are not means tested and they can help you meet the costs of care at home.

These links take you to NHS pages so you can find out how to apply for:

• benefits for under-65s

• benefits for over-65s

Currently, in England, if you receive care in your own home, your means test may not consider the value of your property towards your calculation of your payment you will need to make towards your care*

This is a very important consideration when looking at types of care and what fits your circumstances.

Regardless of finances, you can still ask the council to arrange your care and support. It is likely that if you have adequate financial resources, you may need to pay for your care.