Can I reduce my savings and investments to lower the contributions towards my care?

No. If you reduce your savings and investments on purpose, for example, by buying a new car for your relatives or by giving them money or your house, we will take account of the value of these things in the financial assessment. If you cannot pay towards the cost of your care and you have reduced your savings and investments on purpose, the person you gave the money to or who you bought something for will have to pay us.

Can I claim any state benefits?

If you are going into a residential or nursing home permanently, you may be entitled to claim Universal Credit, ‘new style’ Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit, as if you were living in your own home.

If we are paying for part of the cost of your care, the Department for Work and Pensions will suspend any Attendance Allowance you receive, or the daily living part of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), four weeks after you move into residential care.

They should pay Attendance Allowance or the daily living part of PIP at the higher rate if you:

• are paying for your care yourself in an independent home;
• have entered into a deferred payment agreement; or
• are paying the full cost of your care.

Can I pay for more expensive care and accommodation? 

If you are paying for all of your care yourself you can choose whichever home you prefer.

If we are contributing to the cost of your care, it may be possible for you to pay for more expensive accommodation if you own your own home and we do not count its value in our assessment for 12 weeks, or you have a deferred payment agreement with us. We will decide whether to allow this based on evidence that you (or someone else on your behalf) are able to repay the amount due.

If you do not fall into either of these categories, you will not be able to pay for more expensive care and accommodation unless someone else, such as a relative, can contribute towards the cost.

Who can contribute to the cost of more expensive care and accommodation?

You can choose more expensive care and accommodation than we have assessed that you need or can afford if someone else, for example, a friend, relative, or charity, is willing to pay the difference. Please ask the social care worker for more details.

What happens if I pay for my own choice of home and I then need financial help?

If you make your own arrangements for care and you are not able to pay the fees in the future, we may not be able to pay for your choice of home if it costs more than the level of care we assess that you need. We will tell you what our fee levels are. Please contact us six months before your investments and savings reduce to below £23,250. We will refer you to a welfare benefits adviser for an initial review. Our Adults’ CarePoint contact details are on the 'Contact us' page. You should talk to the manager of the residential or care home about what will happen if we need to pay for your care.

You may find it useful to read the answer to ‘Who can contribute to the cost of more expensive care and accommodation?’ above to help you plan what to do.

What if I only need to stay in a residential or nursing home for a short time?

If you have an emergency, or you or your carer need a break, you may need to stay in a residential or nursing home for a short time. If you have more than £23,250 in savings and investments (not including the value of your main or only home), you will have to pay the full cost of your stay. If you do not have this amount, you will have to pay a weekly charge for stays of up to eight weeks. Your social care worker or benefits adviser will tell you how much this will be. If you do not think you can afford the charge, you can ask us for a financial assessment. If you stay for more than eight weeks at any one time, we will need to carry out a full financial assessment to work out what you should pay for the rest of your stay. See ‘How do you work out what I should pay towards my care?’.