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Self-Funding Care: What You Need to Know

The simple truth is that in most cases you don’t need to be particularly wealthy before you become responsible for funding your own care. It is wise for everybody to think about this eventuality in advance and have a plan for how care would be funded if necessary.

If you have assets (including your home, savings, shares etc) and income (including pensions and benefits) worth more than £23,250 you will be a self-funder and expected to pay for all of your care. In the case of residential care this can be several thousand pounds per month.

If your assets fall below this level, and you have been formally assessed as needing care, the local authority will become responsible for funding some of your care. If your assets fall below £14,250 the local authority will be responsible for funding all of your care.

The above thresholds apply to England. Different values apply for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

You should also bear in mind that the contributions from local authorities may not cover the full costs of your preferred care home.

Exceptions

If your spouse or civil partner will continue living in your property after you go into residential care the property will not be counted among your assets. The property value may also not be counted if the home remains occupied by a close relative over the age of 60, a dependent child or a relative who is disabled or incapacitated.

Deferred Payment

For many people their home is their single largest asset and will ultimately fund their care. Local authorities are obliged to offer deferred payment. This means that they will take over immediate responsibility for funding care and then recover the cost when your property is sold, which may be after your death.

Some people choose to use an equity release scheme or to use the value of their home to fund an insurance or endowment scheme to pay for their care. You should always take professional financial advice before choosing these options.

Care Cost Cap

From 2020 the total amount any individual is expected to pay towards their care will be capped. The precise arrangements are not clear but the figure being discussed is £72,000. However, this only covers ‘defined care’ and not accommodation or living costs. Costs incurred before the cap is implemented will also not count. The implementation of the cap may make little practical difference for many people.

There are not many opportunities to limit your liability for care costs. You cannot simply give your assets away, for example. But it can reduce a great deal of anxiety if you know what your options are and have thought through what you are going to do.

We recommend you take professional advice from a specialist law firm if you are thinking about self-funding your care.

 

Flipping Good Fun at Sherborne House

Residents at Sherborne House Care Home tucked into over 30 pancakes to celebrate Shrove Tuesday earlier this month.

Toppings were plentiful and included Golden Syrup, Chocolate and Fresh Fruit. The favourite one was however, traditional Lemon and Sugar.

Country Songs bring joy to Sherborne House

Residents and staff enjoyed a sing-along when ‘Country Dave’ performed some much loved Country and Western songs at Sherborne House recently.

Dave will be visiting again soon and was a big hit with residents and staff!

Continuity is critical to long term sustainability of the care sector

In December 2017 the CQC published an interim report based on system reviews of health and care services for older people in six areas. It won’t surprise anyone that the picture that emerges is one of a fragmented service with people working very hard to make things work, in spite of systems and conflicting priorities that don’t always help them.

If and when we implement better systems for assessing care needs and transferring people between health and care providers, the question remains about whether this will be enough. With current funding levels and arrangements will we ever see a joined-up service that consistently delivers on continuity of care?

Right now, continuity of communication, never mind care, can be an issue. Throughout the care service we see short term funding, short term or zero hours contracts, and a workforce with a high turnover of staff. These conditions are largely economically-driven and not ones in which a joined-up service will flourish.

Better software tools are helping. It is becoming easier to capture complex care needs, broker the necessary care packages and ensure full details of the service user and their needs flow through the system.

Disconnects can, however, still occur when the funding for initial care packages runs out. The process of re-assessing needs and brokering suitable care can still take too long. And without long-term funding it is hard for care providers to deliver long-term continuity.

We know that what people want most of all is to see a familiar face. Continuity of care is a very human issue. If funding is interrupted, the familiar care worker may have to be reallocated or may finish the short-term contract they were employed on. If we want to ensure continuity of care, we need continuity of funding.

Funding continuity will help ensure that service users never feel they are telling their story ‘over and over’ to different people and wondering whether anyone ever talks to each other.

The care workforce makes a fantastic effort and achieves so much in difficult circumstances. We need greater certainty over future funding to guarantee that this dedicated support will always be available when we need it.

Employees of the Month – January

We are delighted to reveal our Employees of the Month for January for each of our care homes. Each month, care home managers at Sherborne House, Steepleton Manor and Weymouth Care Home will hand pick team members who demonstrate a passion for their role and go above and beyond to provide excellent standard of care and support to residents.

Our Employees of the Month for January are:

Steepleton Manor

Gina Atmore

Congratulations to Gina Atmore, who is Employee of the Month for January at Steepleton Manor.  Gina always goes above and beyond the duties of her job and creates a happy atmosphere within the Manor. Always smiling and outstandingly dedicated, she is a great asset to the team.

Sherborne House

Sam Austin

Congratulations to Samantha Austin who has been nominated as Employee of the Month for January at Sherborne House. Sam is an amazing carer who is 100% resident focused. Sam has also completed her NVQ Level 2. Well done Sam, your progress is brilliant!

Weymouth Care Home 

Chelsi Murphy

Congratulations to Chelsi Murphy who wins Employee of the Month at Weymouth Care Home.

Apart from being super cheerful, she works extremely hard and is always on hand to support junior colleagues. The residents also love Chelsi.

Many congratulations to all of our Employees of the Month!

Dignity Action Day Balloon Release

Residents and staff at Sherborne House Care Home released thirty balloons on 1st February to celebrate Dignity Action Day.

The annual event is marked every year at Sherborne House in Yeovil.

Dignity Action Day gives everyone the opportunity to contribute to upholding people’s rights to dignity and provide a truly memorable day for people receiving care. Dignity Action Day aims to ensure people who use care services are treated as individuals and are given choice, control and a sense of purpose in their daily lives.

After the balloon release, residents enjoyed a high tea and music by Yeovil Ukuleles.

Caroline Sharp, Manager at Sherborne House said, “We all look forward to Dignity Action Day and raising awareness not just for our own residents but for everyone who uses care services”.

Some recent day to day activities