NHS Responsible For Care Home Fees Or Not?

*This is a collaborative post.

If the time has come whereby you need to think about moving a loved one into a care home, you will have a lot of different things that need to be considered. Firstly, you need to decide between home care and moving into a care home. If you have determined that the latter is going to be the best choice, you then need to think about what care home to choose and you need to consider funding. It seems sad that at such a monumental moment like this money comes into play. However, the reality is that care homes cost money, and so you need to think about how this is going to be funded. With that in mind, below, we are going to shed further light on whether the NHS fund care homes or whether you will need to fund this yourself. 

Finances are always a consideration when thinking of moving yourself or a loved one into one of the nursing homes. With so much uncertainty in the air over the NHS, you are probably wondering; will they pay for my care home fees? When it comes to residential care, most people need to pay something towards their care. However, the amount depends on how much money you have, what your needs are and also the level of support you require because of this. 

Essentially, you are means-tested. But what about when it comes to nursing care? Well, not to worry – this can end up fully funded. While it still requires an assessment by NHS staff and social workers to determine if you qualify for this funding, it is not means-tested – unlike residential care. Plus, you can often find your medication and prescriptions are funded. You can get registered now online for this, rather than waiting around for decisions on a care home for you or your loved one. 

By having access to Funded Nursing Care, this means that you don’t have to worry about feeling as if you are a financial burden on your family. And, for family, this means that your loved one can receive care and support without the stresses of trying to work out how you’ll manage to pay the bills. Additionally, the NHS can also provide some types of equipment that are needed to enable better nursing care – again, this will be assessed. There’s also no need to worry about setting up the bills too; if you’re looking at care homes, you can rest assured that the NHS will pay funding directly to the nursing home.

Further Details On Care Homes And Their Cost

When considering a move to a care home, it can be worrying, as you try to figure out how you will afford the move and be able to keep up with the required payments. So let us detail some of the considerations for care homes when it comes to getting support.

Firstly, it is worth remembering that you can get financial support for any care home that you are considering. If you’re looking at residential care, you can get support to go towards the cost of any care homes in your area if you don’t have much money. Instead of having big debts, your income will be funnelled towards the cost of the care home; however, you will still receive a small amount of money each week to spend on any personal expenses – such as magazines, newspapers and such like. 

If you’re above that minimum threshold and do have a decent sized income and savings, you will be expected to pay a bit more from your savings. If you are receiving a good income or have property in your name, then do expect to make significant contributions to your care. When it comes to nursing homes, this is different. If you or your loved one are assessed as needing nursing care, then the NHS will cover the cost of the care – so you, and your loved one, will still be able to retain savings and any other income you may receive.

It is also worth remembering that your local authorities can offer you advice on everything to do with payments and finance. It may be worth contacting care homes to inquire about their costs so you can work out how to get the best quality care for your loved one. 

All in all, how much you pay does depend on your current income. We hope the information in this blog has helped you.