Paying for Care

If you have been assessed as needing care and support, at home, in the community, or in a residential home, we will see if you qualify for help to pay for services.

This page will help you understand the ways you can pay for care and possible financial help such as deferred payments, NHS Continuing Health Care Funding (CHC), NHS Nursing Care Contribution and personal budgets.
 

Working out how much you pay

What you pay will depend on the care and support you need, who provides it and how often you need help.
 
During a financial assessment the Client Finance Team will look at your savings, household costs and benefits and work out how much, if anything, you will have to pay towards the costs.  
 
We will see if you have savings:

• Above £23,250, this means you will pay the full costs of your care and support. You will be referred to as a self-funder.
• Under £23,250, this means you will probably have to pay something towards the cost of your care and a means test will be required.

We encourage you to take part in a financial assessment to see the best way to pay for the care you need. However, if you do not want to share your financial details with us, you must pay the full cost of your care and support. 

Find our Charging Policy 2024-2027 here.
 

What information you will need

Before you begin to complete the financial assessment form, you will need:
 

• Copies of your most recent bank statements (3 months).
• Your National Insurance number.
• Details of any income, assets, and pension payments you receive.
• Details of essential expenditure, such as rent, mortgage, council tax and disability related expenditures.
• If you are completing this form on behalf of someone else, you will need to know their personal details (this includes their address and contact details) and their consent to contact us on their behalf.

 

What we will consider

As part of your financial assessment, we will look at how much income you're receiving from:

• Disability or other benefits.
• Pensions (including any Occupational Pensions)
• Savings, ISAs, Premium Bonds, or other investments.
• Earnings.

We'll also consider other capital assets you may have, including the value of your home (if you are moving into residential care), second properties, holiday homes, businesses etc.
 

Deferred Payment Agreements (DPA)

The Care Act 2014 introduced a national Deferred Payment Agreement (DPA) to support the payment of your residential care costs. A Deferred Payment Agreement assists when you are unable to pay for your residential care as your capital is tied up in property. A legal charge is placed on the property to protect the Council’s interest for payment of your care fees.
 
You will still need to use most of your income to pay care home fees. We will pay part of the fees that you cannot afford until you sell your home.

If eligible, we will help to pay your care home bills on your behalf. You can delay repaying us until you choose to sell your home, or until after your death.

Interest will be charged on the amount owed and there may be a fee for setting up this arrangement. This is to cover the costs we incur in setting up your deferred payment agreement.

You should be eligible for a DPA if:
 

• You are receiving care in a care home, or you are going to move into one soon.
• You own your home, unless your partner or other qualifying relatives are living in the property.   
• You have savings and investments of less than £23,250 (not including the value of your home).

We can refuse an application if:

• A legal charge cannot be placed on your property to safeguard the Council’s interest, for example having unregistered property or an unpaid mortgage.
• You do not have the mental capacity to agree, or have someone properly authorised (for example, with legal power of attorney or a court appointed deputy) who can represent you.
• You do not accept our terms and conditions.

Who doesn’t pay for care

In some cases, you will not need to have a financial assessment and you won't have to pay towards your care and support.

You will not have to pay if you:

• receive support from Intermediate Care or Reablement Services, for example if you have a short period of care to help you after a stay in hospital.
• Are receiving care and support under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 2007.
• Are receiving care and support under Continuing Health Care (CHC) funding by the NHS.
• Have needs which can be met by equipment or a minor adaptation, to help you to continue living at home.

 

Changes to your financial situation

You’ll need to tell us if there are any changes to your expenses, income or savings as we may need to do another assessment.

If you don't inform us of changes in your circumstances, it could mean that you incur charges.

If your savings drop below £23,250 you may wish to contact us again for a further assessment.

If you don’t agree with how much you are being asked to pay, firstly please contact the Client Finance Service who will be able to explain how your contributions are calculated and reassess the calculation if necessary.

If, after speaking with the Client Finance Service, you are still not satisfied, you can make a formal complaint.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

How will you take my savings into account?
When we work out how much you must pay, we do not count the first £14,250 of your savings.

For every £250, or part of, you have between £14,250 and £23,250, we add £1 a week to your income. This is called tariff income and does not reflect the actual interest you get from your savings, which is ignored when calculating your income. If your savings are more than £23,250, you will be charged the full cost of your care.

The examples below show how this is worked-out:
 
Example 1
You have £14,500 savings. We ignore the first £14,250. This leaves £250.
We add £1 to your weekly income.
 
Example 2
You have £14,750 savings. We ignore the first £14,250. This leaves £500
We add £2 to your weekly income.
 
Can I give away my savings or investments?
You must not give away your assets, such as cash, shares or property, in an attempt to avoid paying all or part of the charges. If you do this, we can assess you as if you still have these assets.
 
How will I find out how much I must pay?
The Client Finance Service will send you a letter that tells you how much you are required to contribute towards your package of care. The letter will also tell you how your weekly contribution has been calculated.

Do you take my partners income into account?
 The Care Act 2014 is clear that we have no power to assess couples or civil partners according to their joint resources and each person must be treated individually.
If income is received jointly then we will see this as being an equal share for your financial assessment unless there is information provided that confirms a defined share.

 

Contact the Client Finance Service 

Client Finance Service 
PO Box 304 
Ashton-u-Lyne 
OL6 0GA 

0161 342 3220 

adultservicesfinance@tameside.gov.uk
 

NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding (CHC)

Some people with long-term complex health needs qualify for free social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS. This is known as NHS continuing healthcare.
 
To be eligible you must be assessed by healthcare professionals and your needs and support package will be reviewed regularly.

 

 

 

NHS Nursing Care Contribution  

NHS-funded nursing care is when the NHS pays for the nursing care component of nursing fees. The NHS pays a flat rate towards the cost of this nursing care.
 
Eligibility for NHS funded nursing care in a care home should not be considered until you are assessed as not being eligible for CHC funding and that a place in a nursing home is the best option for you.

 

 

Personal Health Budgets

A personal health budget uses NHS funding to create an individually agreed personalised care and support plan that offers you a greater choice and flexibility over how your assessed health and wellbeing needs are met.

If you are eligible, you will be given a personal health budget, and the amount of money in your personal budget is decided by us after a needs assessment to work out:

• What kind of care and support you need.
• How much it will cost.
• How much you're able to afford yourself.

The amount of money in your personal budget can be spent in one of three ways:

1. A managed account: the local authority manages your personal budget in line with your wishes as agreed in the care plan. They look after the money, make arrangements for your care and support, and pay fees out of your personal budget.
2. An account managed by a third party: Similar to a managed account, except a third party manages your personal budget.
3. Direct payments: Are an alternative to other Adult Social Care Services care provisions. You are given the personal budget money to spend yourself on meeting your needs, in line with your care plan, in the way that suits you best.

 

Charging Policy 

 

 

Getting Independent Financial Advice

We recommend that you always get independent financial advice.

When appointing a financial adviser, you should consider:

• If they are suitably qualified and experienced to provide advice on the topic you need. Sometimes it might make sense to speak to a specialist in a certain field.
• The cost and what is included in this.
• If the payment for services is through a standard fees structure, a commission-based, or a mixture of both. Before you enter into an agreement, you should fully understand and be comfortable with the payment process