Charges for community based care services including homecare

The council charges for care and support services and most people will pay some money towards the cost of their care.

We work out how much you will pay by carrying out a financial assessment. We call the amount that you pay your ‘client contribution’.

We will tell you the maximum weekly amount you'll need to pay towards your care. You must give full and accurate details of your finances so a fair charge for services can be made.

Community services requiring a financial assessment include:

• Home Care
• Reablement after 6 weeks
• Day Care
• Direct Payments
• Community Support/Outreach services
• Money Management
• Adaptations over £1,000
• Shared Lives accommodation
• Supported Accommodation

You can choose not to have a financial assessment, but you will pay the full cost of care yourself.

Paying the full cost of care

If you’re assessed to pay the full cost of your care, you can still ask the council to help set up care under the council’s contract. You’ll receive invoices directly from the care agency.

Note: there is a £336 charge for the initial set-up and an ongoing fee, currently £105 per year.

If you have savings over £23,250, you will pay the full cost for your care services. If you're already paying for care with savings soon to fall below £23,250, you can ask for a needs assessment.

If you're eligible for care and have savings less than £23,250, you may have to pay a charge equal to part, or all of the care costs. This will depend on your circumstances and applies from the provision start date.

Making your own arrangements

If you have savings over £23,250 and would prefer to arrange care yourself, approved care and support services can be found on the Care Choices website.

For advice on employing a personal assistant, send an email to ilsbrightonandhove@peopleplus.co.uk

We consider the following when working out how much you will pay:

• The level and type of care you need - your assessed needs for care
• Your capital - such as savings, premium bonds, trust funds. Total capital between £14,250 and £23,250 is included in the calculation. Some capital is disregarded, such as personal injury trusts
• Investments and Property - The value of your main residence will not be taken into account. If you own or have a share in any other property, the value will usually be counted towards your total savings and investments
• Your income from pensions and benefits - almost all income is considered as part of your financial assessment, including most state benefits. We disregard employment earnings, Mobility Allowance and war pensions
• Housing costs - we will include certain housing costs, like rent, council tax, and water rates
• Disability costs - We will ask you to list any expenditure that particularly relates to your disability, and this will be assessed when calculating the amount of your charge. You may be required to provide evidence of this expenditure. We call this disability-related expenses
• A set living allowance of £229 per week (£175 per week for one of a couple)

Assessment for couples

You will be assessed on your own resources, including 50% of joint accounts and any beneficial interest in savings held by your partner or other persons. If there is evidence of a different percentage share, this will be considered.

Where state benefits are paid at the couple rate, consideration is given to both partners’ financial position. Assessments will usually reference all income, savings and expenditure of the household, and half of a couple’s eligible household expenditure will usually be allowed.

Taking all the above into consideration, we will use the information you provide to calculate your contribution. You will receive written confirmation of the charge you have been assessed to pay.

If payments are not made, the council may use its powers under the Care Act to recover debt.

The council also reserves the right to check any information given by making further enquiries, for example with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The council has a duty to protect public funds and may use any information provided for the prevention and detection of fraud.

Welfare benefits check

You may be entitled to extra state benefits to help with care costs, even if you have savings. We can help with these claims. You can find out if you are receiving the right benefits on the government website.

Other charges

In addition to your assessed charge, there are separate fixed charges for:

• Council funded transport at £4.90 per return journey

Council Services

In certain circumstances the council provides services. How much you pay for these services is dependent on the outcome of your financial assessment.

• Council managed home care is charged at £32 per hour for each carer
• Council managed day care is charged at £48 per day

Homecare and other community support

In most cases, the council’s Central Collections Team will send you a bill monthly, in arrears. However, some home care agencies will invoice you directly themselves.

Direct Payments

If you receive Direct Payments to fund care, you will have your assessed charge deducted from your payments. You will need to sign a contract agreeing to pay the charge into your direct payment account.

You can use this online calculator as a guide to estimate how much you’ll need to pay.

Financial assessments are normally reviewed each year to take account of increases in benefits and any other changes in your financial circumstances.

If you feel your charge has been incorrectly calculated, you have the right to appeal. Send details of your appeal to the address below. If you feel the decision is still wrong the matter will be dealt with through the council’s complaints procedure. You will be notified of any decision in writing.

For further information, or if you need this information in a different format or language, contact:

Community Financial Assessment Team, Adult Social Care, 2nd Floor, Bartholomew House, Bartholomew Square, Brighton, BN1 1JE.

Telephone: 01273 295 662

Email: ASC.NonResidential@brighton-hove.gov.uk