Paying for help at home

This guidance sets out the charging arrangements for non-residential care in Lambeth.

Services you may be charged for

• domiciliary care (receiving care at home)
• going to a day centre or community group
• receiving direct payments
• receiving respite care
• supported living
• Blitz Cleans

Services which are non-chargeable

• assessments – needs assessment; financial assessment; carer’s assessment
• reablement service for up to six weeks after hospital discharge
• equipment or home adaptations less than £1,000
• any service which the NHS has a duty to provide

How we work out if you will be charged for your care

We will calculate your personal budget

This is the total amount of money we allocate to pay for your care, which has been worked out based on your needs assessment.

We will then carry out a financial assessment

We will do this by asking you to fill in and return a financial assessment form. The amount you are charged will depend on the information you give us on this form. If you fail to provide the required information we will charge you the full amount for your care. The answers you give to questions about your pensions, earnings, benefits, savings; and essential costs such as rent, council tax and water rates will be used to assess if the council will contribute to the cost of your care.

How we assess your answers

We will assess if the council will contribute to the cost of your care based, on the answers you give to questions about your:

• pensions
• earnings
• benefits
• savings
• essential costs such as rent, council tax and water rates

 

How we assess your assets

If you have assets above £23,250, the council will not make a contribution to your care until your assessed capital falls below this level. Contact should be made with the council at least two months before the value of your capital is expected to fall below this threshold so a full financial assessment can be undertaken.

If you have assets less than £14,250, it will be disregarded and only your income will be taken into account.

If the value of your assets falls between £14,250 and £23,250, you will be required to contribute to the cost of your care from an assessed tariff income based on your savings as well as from your income

For every £250, or part of, of capital you have above £14,250, you will contribute £1 per week to the cost of your care.

Example case

Margaret has capital of £18,100, which is £3,850 above the lower capital limit of £14,250. Dividing £3,850 by £250 equals £16, meaning that Margaret will contribute £16 per week to her care in addition to any assessed contribution from her income.

What we will deduct

We’ll then deduct any allowable expenses (such as rent or mortgage payments) and any protected income (such as the Minimum Income Guarantee which is the allowance made in the financial assessment for ordinary living costs) from your weekly income. The remaining figure is your assessed charge (the figure you have been assessed as being able to pay towards your care).

If we find out that you have purposefully disposed of your capital so as to pay less for your care, the council can still charge you the full amount for your care.

Paying for your care

You will never be asked to pay more than your assessed charge for your care, but you may pay less.

You will pay the:

• assessed charge, if the weekly cost of care outlined in your personal budget is more than the amount of your assessed charge
• lesser charge if the weekly cost of care outlined in your personal budget is less than your assessed charge

Example case

If your assessed charge is calculated to be £40.50 per week and the weekly cost of your care is £100 then you will pay £40.50 per week towards your care. If your assessed charge is £134 per week and your weekly cost of care is £73 then you will pay £73.

Exemptions from paying charges

You will be exempt from paying charges if:

• you are receiving aftercare services under section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983
• you are a sufferer of Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease

Benefits advice

If you need assistance to ensure you are receiving the full benefits you are entitled to, you can seek independent advice from:

• AgeUK (if you are aged 55 or over) on 020 7346 6800
• Brixton Advice Centre on 020 7733 7554

Care charges advice

For independent advice on care charges, you can contact:

• AgeUK on Freephone 0800 169 6565
• Independent Age on Freephone 0800 319 6789
• The Money Advice Service on Freephone 0800 138 7777