Social Care Funding
Social care funding
At HCare Group, we know through our experience in helping many families to plan long-term care, that the cost of care is a significant consideration. Whilst many families will be faced with having to finance their own care (known as self-funding care), some will be entitled to funding for care at home.
In England social care funding is accessed through your local authority and healthcare funding (NHS Continuing Healthcare) is accessed through Clinical Commissioning Groups’ (CCGs). A healthcare need relates to the treatment, control or prevention of a disease, illness, injury or disability and the after care of a person living with these conditions.
Social care funding in England is means tested and a person’s ability to access CCG funding depends on the severity of their health condition.
In Scotland however, both social care funding and nursing care funding is accessed through your local authority and is free to those who are assessed as needing it.
Here we explore what social care funding is in England and Scotland, factors that affect your eligibility for funding and how you can access funding.
Social care funding in England
In England, adult social care funding is allocated by your local authority and is means tested. Means testing is the method by which your financial eligibility to receive funding for your care is assessed. It takes into consideration any regular income you may receive and any capital assets you own. This includes savings, investment and property.
Eligibility for social care funding in England will be impacted by your capital (savings and property), as described below:
Your capitalWhat you will need to pay Over £23,250You must pay the full cost of your care. Between £14,250-£23,250The local authority will fund part of your care, and you will be expected to pay the rest of the fees. Less than £14,250This will not be included in the means test and the local authority will provide full social care funding.
Your home will not be counted as an asset if it remains occupied by:
Your partner or spouse
A close relative who is either over the age of sixty or incapacitated
A relative younger than sixteen whom you are legally obliged to support
An ex-partner if they are deemed a single parent.
How can I access social care funding in England?
There are a series of steps involved in securing social care funding.
You initially need to discuss your care needs with your local GP or health consultant. If the GP feels that you could be eligible for funding to meet your care needs, they will recommend you contact the adult social services department of your local authority.
The social services team will then arrange for an assessment of your care needs and will request a GP report to feed into this process.
They will produce a detailed report based upon your care and health needs.
A financial assessment (means test) will be undertaken to determine your ability to pay the cost of the care you need. Savings, income and assets are all considered in the process.
Depending upon your means test and how it aligns with national social funding thresholds, you will be deemed eligible either for full or part social care funding, or ineligible for any financial assistance from the local authority.
