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Paying for Care

KatieBat
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My Father was diagnosed with Myelodysplasia in 2019, however never we never knew until he was hospitalised in September. He has been in a Hospital in Edinburgh since and now we have been asked my East Lothian council to find him Care/Nursing home as he is apparently to leave the hospital but he is not well enough to go home as he lives alone and needs care. I live in London so unable to assist. My Father has some savings of i believe 50,000 and i am unsure of how first of all we are able to access this if he needs to pay for care. he doesn't want to use his life saving for care and wants to either go home or stay in the hospital. My Father has never had any treatment for this cancer, he's still not accepting treatment. We have no idea how to proceed, we don't feel we have been given any advise of how or what to do. We cannot apply for Power of Attorney as my Father seems quite confused and not sure he would fully understand that. 

  • Dear KatieBat,

    I am sorry to hear about your dad’s situation.

    I understand that it can be very confusing understanding the system around care and care costs. I have included below some information that I hope you find helpful.

     

    Paying for care

     

    Each local authority will carry out a care and support needs assessment to find out what help is needed. They will also carry out an assessment of the person’s finances to determine what costs will need to be met by them and which will be met by the local authority.

     

    Any costs met by the local authority will be done on a means tested basis, which means they will consider how much money the person has and the type of care/support they need. The services provided by the local authority include things like home care services, home help and places in care homes.

     

    Each local authority is slightly different when it comes to what type of costs they will cover. Also, the amount of assets a person can have before paying community care costs is different depending on where they live in the UK. It’s important to contact the social services team in the local authority in order to have this properly assessed and get clarification.

     

    Moneyhelper has some useful information on how paying for care works and if someone might qualify for this. Please have a look at the following links below for further information.

    Do I qualify for local council funding for care costs? | MoneyHelper

    Direct payments - arranging and paying for care | MoneyHelper

    Means tests for help with care costs - how they work | MoneyHelper

     

    Also, for further information please visit:

     

    www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/guide/practicalsupport/Pages/Financialhelpwithsupport.aspx

     

     

    For people living in Scotland, the following website may help:

     

    https://careinfoscotland.scot/

     

    Paying for care and deprivation of assets

    The local authority will consider any money a person has when assessing how much help they will provide towards care fees. If a person gives away money knowing they are likely to be required to pay for care fees, this may be seen as deliberate and any money or asset that is given away may still be counted in this assessment.

    For more information on deprivation of assets and care costs please visit Age UK on the link below:

    Deprivation of Assets | Age UK

    If someone is unhappy about how care fees have been assessed, they can complain to their local authority in the first instance.  If they aren’t happy with the outcome of a complaint, or if they haven’t responded within a reasonable time (usually within 12 weeks), they can then complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman who will investigate the complaint:

    https://www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint

     

    NHS Continued Care

    If someone has complex healthcare needs and requires mostly healthcare support, they might be eligible for NHS Continued Care.

     

    NHS Continued Care is provided and funded by the NHS, so there’s no charge for this type of care.

     

    To qualify for NHS Continued Care the person would need to be assessed as having a ‘primary health need’

     

    To find out more about NHS Continued Care, who is eligible and how to apply visit: 

    https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/Pages/nhs-continuing-care.aspx

     

    Just so you’re aware, the Financial Guidance Service can provide information and guidance on all aspects of your personal  finances to help you make informed decisions on:

    Pensions and Retirement

    Questions about insurance policies

    Mortgages and money management

    Arranging wills and trusts to protect your family

    General financial planning questions

     

    If you wish to discuss any of the above, you can call the support line on 0808 808 0000. The financial guidance team is available by selecting Option 1, Option 2and then Option 1 again. We are available Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm.

     

     

    Kind Regards,

     

    Wendy

     

     

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