What are the charges for social care services?
This page provides details of all social care services charges, including home care services; services supplied in an extra care scheme; and services supplied in a care home.
You will have to pay for some social care services but other services may be free or at a reduced cost, depending on your financial circumstances. There are occasions when we may provide intensive support for you in your own home, perhaps following a period spent in hospital. In such circumstances the service may be provided free of charge for a limited period of time. You will always be asked to pay for: - Meals you receive at home, in luncheon clubs or in day care; and
- Transport to and from day care, if this is provided.
The information on this page covers the following topics and questions:
Paying for services in the community, including extra care schemes
How do we work out how much you will have to pay? To work out how much you will need to contribute to the cost of your care the County Council will carry out a financial assessment. We will ask you to give us details of your financial circumstances including details of your income, outgoings and capital. Examples of these are given below. Income
This could be your: - state retirement pension;
- private pensions;
- disability and some other benefits; or
- interest from investments
It does not include any earned income such as wages. Outgoings
This is money going out such as rent, mortgage, council tax and water rates. When we carry out your financial assessment we will need to see evidence of these costs. Capital
The capital we look at is the money that you have. This could be: - in the bank;
- in the building society;
- shares; or
- investments
It does not include the value of your home. We will then use these details to work out your assessable income, and the amount of money that you may have to pay for services. The assessable income is the amount you have left after taking away your outgoings and any disability related costs. We will only take account of 90 per cent of that amount as being available to pay towards services. When looking at your capital, we may apply the same discretion which is used when completing an assessment for residential care services, as outlined in section six of the Department of Health 'Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide (CRAG)' document. The financial assessment will be completed by a benefits and assessments officer, who will contact you to arrange to visit you at home on a date and time which is convenient. You can arrange for someone to be with you when the assessment is completed if you want to. Does everyone have to pay for their services? In most cases we will provide you with a short period of intense care and support in your own home first and this initial service will be free of charge. During this period of time we will also consider providing you with specialist equipment, for example, a Lifeline service, if you do not already have one and this will also be free of charge initially. We are able to provide this short period of intense care and support as a free service from April 2012 as we are now working more closely with our health service colleagues to help people to recover more quickly, for example after a period in hospital or after suffering a serious illness. This revised service offers far greater support towards health needs in addition to supporting social care and independence and it is without charge to reflect the community's entitlement to free healthcare. After the first few weeks, we will then review your care and support and we will then discuss with you whether or not you need further long-term services. Where long-term social care support is required, you will be asked to undergo a means tested financial assessment to determine how much you may be asked to contribute towards these services. Subsequently, as a general guide, you will not have to pay anything for your care or housing support costs if you have an income that is less than the basic level of income support plus 25 per cent. These amounts are agreed each year by central government. What if you have savings? If you have savings below £14,250 (for the financial year 2013-14), they are not taken into account when working out your charge for services. If you have savings over £14,250, these will be taken into account when working out your charge for services. These figures will also change every year. What else do we look at when working out your charges? Disability related costs
When the financial assessment is completed, we will also talk to you about any additional expenses that you may have as a direct result of your illness or disability. We will ask you to provide evidence of the additional expenses, for example receipts. These expenses may then be taken into account when we work out how much you have available to pay towards your services. How much will you pay? Everyone will be asked to pay for some of the services we provide. Meals taken at a day centre or luncheon club will be charged at £3.10 for a set meal (£2.30 for the main course and 80p for the dessert). Transport to and from a day centre will cost £2.40 per day. The personal laundry service, where available, will cost £4.30 per load. The amount you pay for other support services will be calculated from your financial assessment. The assessment will take account of the actual cost for providing the service. You will be asked to pay the full cost of providing the service if: - your capital is over £23,250 (for the financial year 2013-14);
- you decide not to tell us about your financial circumstances; or
- you refuse to sign the financial assessment form
If your capital is less than £23,250 we will look at: - your assessable income;
- the level of service you receive;
- any capital that you have over £14,250; and
- any disability related costs
If you are a couple we will assess you jointly, using both you and your partner's income and savings, and as an individual, using only your income and savings. We will look at the results for both of these assessments. The amount you will be asked to pay for your services will be based on the assessment that suits your household the best. If you have any questions about this please ask the benefits and assessments officer who completes the financial assessment or contact your local benefits, assessments and charging team. Contact details can be found below. Whatever your circumstances are, we will not ask you to pay more than the cost of actually providing the services. We will tell you how much your service charge is when we arrange it for you, based on the type of services being received. What if you disagree with the amount we ask you to pay? If you are unhappy with the financial assessment, please contact your local benefits, assessments and charging team. Contact details can be found below. What happens if your financial circumstances or care needs change? If your financial circumstances, care needs or housing support needs change please contact your social care assessor/coordinator so that we can arrange to reassess how much you pay. If there is a change to your charges, our benefits, assessments and charging team will tell you. If your financial circumstances change and you don't tell us, we may backdate your charges to the date of that change. A change in financial circumstances could mean a sudden increase in capital, sale of a property or a welfare benefits award that you have not told us about. In the case of Supporting People services (housing related support services) your landlord or service provider will tell you. What if you don't receive services for a while? You will only pay for services you receive. If you do not receive any services for a while, for example, if you are in hospital, then you do not pay. What if you cannot afford to pay? If you think that you cannot afford to pay, please contact your social care assessor/coordinator straight away. They will talk with you about why you cannot pay your charge. How can you pay? We will send you an invoice every four weeks for the services you receive. Charges are usually six weeks behind. This is because we need to wait for information from your provider regarding the services you have received and then work out your charge. We will print the dates of the care you are being charged for on your invoice. You can arrange to pay by standing order or direct debit. Further details about how to make this arrangement will be sent to you with your first invoice. Please note that if we have agreed to provide you with a Direct Payment to purchase your own care and support in the community, you will be expected to pay your weekly contribution into the appropriate bank account. This amount is also calculated as part of the financial assessment process. We will help you to make this arrangement. Supporting People services If you receive long-term housing related support services, for example a warden service or Lifeline (not personal care services) under Supporting People, we will only carry out a financial assessment if you do not receive housing benefit, council tax benefit or pension credit (guarantee credit). If you receive housing benefit on your rent you will not have to pay for your services. If you get Supporting People services, you will have agreed to pay a fixed weekly charge when you moved in or signed up to the service. If the financial assessment says that you must pay part or all of this charge, you will have to pay it from the time you started getting the service. If your financial circumstances or housing support needs change, please contact your social care assessor/coordinator so that we can reassess how much you pay. If there is a change to your charge, your landlord or service provider will tell you. If you don't receive services for a period of time you will normally continue to pay until you give up your tenancy, or end the service. If you think that you cannot afford to pay, please contact your service provider or your social care assessor/coordinator if you have one, straight away. For more information and contact details, see the supported and sheltered housing (Supporting People) page.
Paying for care in a residential or nursing home
If you are thinking about moving into a care home, please talk it through with us first. We may be able to help you make a decision. How will your care be paid for? Part of your accommodation and your care costs may be paid by the County Council. The cost of the nursing element of your care is the responsibility of the local NHS. We will work out how much you will be asked to contribute, based on your income, including any welfare benefits and any capital you have. We calculate this amount using the Department of Health 'Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide (CRAG)' document. You will be left with a weekly personal expenses allowance. This amount is set by central government each year. We will also complete an assessment if you are going into a care home just for a short period. What about welfare benefits? If you are entitled to claim pension credit this will be on the same basis as if you were living in your own home. If you are not entitled to financial help from health and adult services, you should claim attendance allowance to help you meet the cost of paying for your care. We can help you with this. How will we work out your contribution? We will need to ask you about your income and any capital that you have. This information will be treated confidentially. We will then work out your contribution according to Government rules contained in the Department of Health 'Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide (CRAG)' document. You may wish to get independent advice about your finances. Income
We will take into account welfare benefits, pensions, earnings and any other income such as from rents or from a trust or other sources. Capital
The capital we look at is the money or assets you have. This could be: - property (such as a house);
- land;
- national savings certificates;
- premium bonds;
- stocks and shares;
- savings held in cash or in a bank account;
- unit trusts; and
- trust funds
Particular rules apply to investment bonds and if you hold such investments you are advised to seek advice from an independent financial adviser on how they will be taken into account. If we have reason to believe you have disposed of any capital to reduce the amount you will be charged, we may take this capital into account as if you still owned it. The first £14,250 (for the financial year 2013-14) in value of any capital that you have is disregarded. For every £250 or part of £250 that you have over £14,250, £1 will be taken into account as weekly income. This will be added to your normal income in order to work out how much you will be asked to pay. If you have capital worth £23,250 (for the financial year 2013-14) or more you will be required to pay the full charge for your accommodation. Property
In some circumstances a property you own will not be included in the assessment. If you are a part owner of a property different rules may apply to the value when taken into account in the financial assessment. There may be other circumstances and we will discuss these with you as part of your financial assessment. In calculating your charges the value of your property may also be disregarded for the first 12 weeks following the start of your permanent residential or nursing care. If you make your own arrangements to move into a care home, but are unable to pay the full charge until your house is sold, you may be able to get pension credit and other benefits while it is up for sale. The County Council also operates a scheme which will allow you to keep your property after that initial 12 week period, with part of the charges you will be expected to pay being deferred (these charges are based on the value of the property). This will mean that a legal charge will be placed on your property. Please ask your social care assessor/coordinator to discuss these matters with you in more detail. They may also suggest you get independent financial advice. What will you be left with for yourself? You will be left with a personal expenses allowance to spend as you wish on personal items such as clothes. The amount is determined by the Government and is £23.90 a week for the financial year 2013-14. What difference will there be if you decide on a local authority home rather than a private home? There is no difference in the way that the cost to you is worked out, however, the full cost may be different. In private care homes it will depend on the care and services being provided. We will pay our contribution towards the private care home's fees, direct to the proprietor and you will pay your contribution direct to the proprietor each week. What if your financial circumstances change? We expect you to tell us if your financial circumstances change at any time. Each year we will reassess the amount that you are due to pay. We will also take into account changes to benefit and pension levels each year. If you are receiving pension credit you will have to let the Department for Work and Pensions know of any change in your finances. What if you have some extra support from another person? We are happy for you to receive extra financial assistance from someone other than your spouse. We will not count that support as part of your income provided that you use it: - to pay for something extra that the local authority would not provide; or
- to enable you to choose a more expensive care home than we would normally pay for
What if you make your own arrangements and move into a private care home, then your capital falls below £23,250? If you are already living in a care home and your capital falls below £23,250 (for the financial year 2013-14) ask us to arrange for a care manager to assess your care needs. If you wish to stay in the same home and we agree that the level of care provided meets your needs, then we may help with the cost. If you are living in a home which charges more for your care than the County Council normally pays and you wish to stay there, you may arrange for a relative or friend to pay the difference in price. This called a 3rd Party Top Up payment and it must be paid as part of an agreement between the person paying this additional amount and the proprietor. This amount cannot be paid out of your own capital or income.
What happens next?
After we have carried out a financial assessment we will give you a written explanation about how we have worked out what you need to pay for help at home or for residential care. Your social care assessor/coordinator will be able to answer any questions you may have. Are you satisfied with our help? We want you to be satisfied with our help, and need you to tell us what we're doing well and where we could do things better. Please use the compliments, complaints, comments and concerns (adult social care) details below to send us your comments on our services and your suggestions for the future. More information about social care charges For more information about social care charges, contact your local benefits assessment and charging team using the details below. Central area (Hambleton, Richmond and Selby)
Benefits, assessments and charging team manager
White Rose House,
Thurston Road,
Northallerton
DL6 2NA Tel: 01609 533840 East area (Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale)
Benefits, assessments and charging team manager
North Yorkshire House,
442-444 Scalby Road,
Scarborough
YO12 6EE Tel: 01609 534648 West area (Harrogate, Ripon and Craven)
Benefits, assessments and charging team manager
Jesmond House,
31/33 Victoria Avenue,
Harrogate
HG1 5QE Tel: 01609 535203 Guide to the care options available to you North Yorkshire County Council's health and adult services is here to support you in exploring the care options available to you and finding the most appropriate service to meet your needs. If you think you may need some form of care and support, see the paying for my own care - what are my options? page for a guide to the options available.
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Customer services centre (social care enquiries)
Full contact details for the customer services centre, including how to call in personally, can be found below.
social.care@northyorks.gov.uk
Tel: 0845 034 9410
Fax: 01609 532009
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Compliments, complaints, comments and concerns (adult social care)
Help us get it right. Please tell us your views about adult social care services provided by North Yorkshire County Council. Your comments can help us to improve our services and plan for the future.
social.complaints@northyorks.g...
Tel: 01609 532638
Fax: 01609 532025
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