Wherever possible, care and support will help you to continue living independently in your own home. Some people go into a care home, often at a time of crisis, because they are not aware of the care and support that is available in the community. We advise you to get information about the options that are available to you. You can find information and advice on our West Sussex Connect to Support website. You can also contact our Adults’ CarePoint for information. Please see our contact details on the 'Contact us' page.
If you have high-level needs and your condition is complex and perhaps changes regularly, it may be that receiving care in a residential or nursing home is the right option for you. You can go to a care home for a short stay when you leave hospital, for respite care (to give your carers a break from caring) or for long-term care.
If you need to stay in a residential or nursing home, it is important to make sure this is the right choice for you and that you understand how much the care home may cost .
How we decide who can get help to pay for care in a residential or nursing home
If we agree you need care in a residential or nursing home, you may be entitled to receive financial help from us. The amount we will ask you to contribute towards the residential or nursing home’s fees is based on how much you can reasonably afford to pay. Even if you do not need financial support from us, and would like to arrange and pay for your own care in a residential or nursing home, you can still ask a social care worker for advice.
For more information about how we work out how much you will have to pay towards the cost of your care, and when we would take the value of your home into account when working this out, please see our leaflet ‘Choosing and paying towards care in a residential or nursing home’. Please visit our website at westsussex.gov.uk and search under ‘Adults’ social care publications’, or contact our Adults’ CarePoint and ask for a copy. Please see our contact details on the 'Contact us' page.
If you are paying a care home’s fees yourself
If you are paying the care home’s fees from your own savings and investments, we strongly advise you to get advice from an independent financial adviser who specialises in long-term care.
We want you to choose the best solutions to meet your needs. The Carewise care funding scheme can help you do this.
Carewise provides information and advice about the care and support options that are available to you, and the most cost-effective ways of paying for care. Carewise is a partnership between us, Age UK West Sussex, Brighton and Hove, The Society of Later Life Advisers, West Sussex Partners in Care and a panel of local independent financial advisers.
The independent financial advisers specialise in providing later-life financial advice to help people afford the best-quality care at home or in the care home of their choice. They are independent of us and they offer advice from across the whole financial market.
Age UK West Sussex, Brighton and Hove provides information and advice about a wide range of issues which affect people in later life, including a free money advice service.
Carewise aims to help you make the right choice about your care and support. Please see the 'Useful contacts' page for Carewise’s contact details.
You can of course get advice from other financial advisers if you prefer.
The West Sussex Care Guide provides useful information and advice about your care and support options and choosing the right type of care for you. It also lists all the registered care homes and care providers in your area. Please visit westsussex.gov.uk/careguide or contact our Adults’ CarePoint and ask for a copy. Please see our contact details on the 'Contact us' page.
We would also recommend reading our leaflet, ‘Choosing and paying towards care in a residential or nursing home’ and talking to us before making any final decisions. You can find the leaflet by visiting our website at westsussex.gov.uk and searching under ‘Adults’ social care publications’, or you can contact our Adults’ CarePoint and ask for a copy. Please see our contact details on the 'Contact us' page.