Funding Care – Myth busting!

THERE are many myths surrounding the sourcing and costs of long-term care. Here, Ben Selby, owner of award winning and CQC Rated Outstanding home care provider, Right at Home South Cheshire, puts the record straight.

Myth 1: it's free!

Care isn't free and it's easy to confuse healthcare services (which are free of charge via the NHS) and social care services, eligibility for which is means-tested by your local authority. This means if you have income or wealth, you may be asked to contribute or pay in full for services.

In England, if you have more than £23,250 in savings or assets (including your property if no-one else lives there), you will usually have to pay the full cost for social care fees.

If you have less than £23,250, or your spouse or another dependent still lives in your home, you may qualify for council-funded social care. The rules setting out how these payments work are set nationally by the Government, and there is potential for this to change under a new Labour Government.

Before any person is means-tested, they should first be considered for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding. It's only if they are not eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding that their money should even be discussed. However, this sometimes happens the wrong way round with people being asked about their money from the outset.

Myth 2: it's not worth applying for free NHS Continuing Healthcare funding because it only covers specialist needs and doesn't apply to people with dementia.

This is false. So many people have been led to believe that it’s not worth applying for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding. For example, it is not unusual for funding to be denied on the basis that forms of dementia like Alzheimer's disease aren't considered a 'primary health need', which is not always the case. This kind of free funding is about your day-to-day health and related care needs, whatever the underlying diagnosis.

If funding has been denied and you disagree, you will need to present your case effectively and against the criteria within something called the Decision Support Tool (used to assess eligibility). To lodge an appeal against an NHS decision to refuse you Continuing Healthcare, you would also be well-advised to quote relevant case history and case law where successful appeals have been made in the past. This is why professional advice is important.

Myth 3: if I run out of money because I have had to pay for my social care, the State will pick up the cost.

False! The amount the local authority pays towards the cost of one's care is often lower than the actual cost of delivery and therefore a 'top-up' amount may be necessary to pay for the care of your choosing. If top-up money is not available and you run out of money, you will then have to rely fully on the State to pay for your care. At this point, you could find yourself with restricted and little choice of where you receive care from or in the future (i.e. receive care in an environment that the Local Authority chooses for you, at a level it deems to meet your needs that may not be what you feel you need or want).

Contact details:

Name: Ben Selby

Job title: Managing Director

Contact number: 07725892266

Email address: ben.selby@rightathome.co.uk and marketing@rightathome.co.uk

About Right at Home UK:

Right at Home UK is a national homecare franchise with a growing network of 80+ locally owned and operated offices across England, Scotland and Wales. It is the most highly rated national homecare agency on the UK’s leading independent review site homecare.co.uk, with a 9.8/10 rating and more than 3,000 reviews.** 

Internationally, Right at Home is one of the world’s most trusted homecare providers. Through our global network of over 700 locally owned and operated offices, we deliver person-centred support to tens of thousands of people every day, enabling them to continue living happily and independently in their own homes.

Right at Home UK provides care services to adults over the age of 18. Primary services are focused on supporting Clients with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and the elderly. We are committed to making a difference every day by maintaining dignity and well-being for those we support.

When providing support, we place great emphasis on the emotional well-being of our Clients and importantly, their families. We promote minimum one-hour visits with regular CareGivers, allowing our team to really get to know their Clients. Something as small as sharing a cup of tea and having a chat can make a huge difference to a person’s state of mind, reducing the significant problem of loneliness in the elderly.

Our services are highly personalised, yet flexible to meet the needs of the people we support. We can provide support on a short-term or long-term basis ranging from an hourly daily visit through to 24-hour live-in care, seven days a week.

Our homecare services include, but are not limited to: