Guide to Arranging Care
Arranging care for your loved one can be a daunting task. Rest assured, we will simplify the process for you and take you through all the steps helping you understand how best to achieve the right outcome for your tailored care package.
Our experienced team can also advise on what funding maybe available to you from the local authority and what benefits you maybe able to claim for which can help toward the cost of care.
Step 1: Initial Assessment
We follow up on your enquiry and arrange to meet at a time convenient to you to carry out a risk assessment of your home and understand your specific care requirements.
Step 2: Care Planning
We create a care plan, including time preferences, meal preferences, activity preferences and carer preferences. Once approved, the care plan is placed in your care folder for reference by the carers.
Step 3: Commence Care
Your service begins and your regular carer(s) attend your home to provide your person centred care and take you out into the community as required. Daily logs recorded in folder capturing summary of care visit and any medication taken.
Step 4: QA & Review
Regular spot checks carried out by management, phone reviews carried out by office staff and 6 monthly in person reviews carried out at your home to understand whether your needs have changed and the car plan needs to be amended accordingly.
There are many options for funding long-term care and they can often be complicated to understand. So if you or a loved one need to pay for care, it’s important to know the facts.
How much will you need to pay for long-term care?
NHS continuing healthcare
Local authority funding for long-term care
Self-funding your long-term care
Claim the benefits you’re entitled to
How much will you need to pay for long-term care?
People often have to make quick and difficult decisions about their own or a loved one’s care needs. Thinking about the options in advance will help in the long run. This all depends on your health and mobility, what level of help and support you need, the value of your savings, assets and income, and what local authority or NHS funding you might be entitled to. You could end up paying for all of it, some of it or nothing at all.
NHS continuing healthcare
If you have a disability or complex medical problem, you might qualify for free NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) if you’re an adult, or free NHS continuing care (CC) if you’re under 18. You’re more likely to qualify if you have mostly healthcare needs rather than social care needs. In other words you need a nurse or medical attention rather than a carer.
Not many people know about it, so it’s important to find out if you’re eligible and get an assessment.
Local authority funding for long-term care
Your local council may be able to help you with the costs of a care in your own home by providing carers, support for carers, equipment and specialist services. Exactly how much funding you receive will depend on your individual needs (based on a care needs assessment) and how much you can afford to pay towards the costs of care yourself (based on a financial assessment)
Your local authority or trust can arrange care services for you or you can choose to receive direct payments and organise things yourself.
Self-funding your long-term care
Fortunately, if you need care in your own home its value is not counted. This is also the case if you move into a care home, but your partner or another dependent, elderly or frail relative continue to live in your own home. Depending on your circumstances you might not qualify for funding from the NHS or your local authority. Even if you do, the amount you receive might not be enough to completely cover your care costs either at home or in a care home.
If this happens you’ll need to think about how you’re going to top up any contributions, or if you have to pay for it all yourself.
Claim the benefits you’re entitled to
Even if you have to pay for care you may still be entitled to claim some benefits. These two benefits aren’t means tested, so you could get them if your health needs aren’t great enough regardless of your income and savings:
Attendance Allowance, if you have reached state pension age ; Personal Independence Payment (which is replacing Disability Living Allowance), if you are aged 16 or over but under state pension age – Disability Living allowance, for a person aged under 16 (or you are older but your claim started some time ago).
There are other benefits that you may also be able to claim depending on your circumstances.
Useful Contacts
https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/socialcare
https://www.harrow.gov.uk/adult-social-care
https://www.harrow.gov.uk/childrens-social-care
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/
https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/
https://www.carersuk.org/
https://www.payingforcare.org/
https://societyoflaterlifeadvisers.co.uk/About