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Paying for Home Care and other non-residential services

May 2011

Following an assessment of your care needs, Wakefield Council's Family Services can arrange services which will help you to remain at home. This page helps explain our charging policy for Home Care, Support Services and other Non-residential Services. It will answer some of the questions you may have about how we calculate your charge.

Please note that if you have savings/investments above £23,250 the following will automatically apply:

  • Home Care and other non residential services
    £10.45 per hour up to a maximum of £402 per week
  • Day Care only
    £6.00 per session up to a maximum of £402 per week
  • Combination of above services
    £10.45 per hour plus £6.00 per session for day care up to a maximum of £402 per week

Q1 What are the current charges for Home Care, Support Services and other Non-Residential Services?
Q2 How do you work out how much someone must pay for their Home Care, Support Services and other Non-Residential Services (including Day Services)?
Q3 How do you work out how much I can reasonably afford to pay?
Q4 What if I do not want to give you my financial details?
Q5 Do you need to know about my partner’s financial details?
Q6 Is there a way in which you can check to see if I am receiving all the benefits I am entitled to?
Q7 What are the living costs used in calculating my charge?
Q8 Do you take all my income and savings into account?
Q9 How do I pay my charge?
Q10 Will my charge change?
Q11 What if I think the calculation of my charge is wrong?
Q12 Where can I get further information?
Q What are the current charges for Home Care, Support Services and other Non-Residential Services?
A

One of the following will apply to you:

No charge
No charge will apply where the financial details you have provided us with show that your weekly income is very low and that you have limited savings.

Example
If you are under the qualifying age for receipt of Pension Guarantee Credit, and your weekly income is less than £120.44 and you have savings of less than £14,250, you will not pay a charge. If you have reached the qualifying age for receipt of Pension Guarantee Credit, and your weekly income is less than £171.69 and you have savings of less than £14,250, you will not make a contribution. The qualifying age for the receipt of Pension Guarantee Credit is changing to incorporate the alignment of pension age for men and women. Between 2010 and 2020 the qualifying age for receipt of a State Pension for women will be increased from 60 to 65 to bring it into line with men. Please see the Direct.Gov website "Changes to Pension age" to see how this affects you.

Variable Charge - £6.00 per session for day care and/or £10.45 per hour, but no more per week than you can reasonably afford to pay.
This charge will apply where the financial details you have provided us with show that your total income is above income support or pension credit rates and your capital is below £23,250.

Maximum Charge - £6.00 per session for day care and/or £10.45 per hour up to a maximum of £402.00 per week.
This charge will apply when the value of your savings/investments is above £23,250 or your financial details show us that you can afford to pay the maximum.
Q How do you work out how much someone must pay for their Home Care, Support Services and other Non-Residential Services (including Day Services)?
A Our system for charging for Home Care, Support Services and other Non Residential Services is based on a person’s ability to pay. It will depend on how much money you receive each week. In order for us to be able to work out how much you can reasonably afford to pay, you will be asked to provide us with details of your finances.

Your Social Worker/Care Co-ordinator will arrange for an advisor to come and help you to complete a financial circumstances form.
Q How do you work out how much I can reasonably afford to pay?
A Firstly
With the help of an advisor we will ask you to complete a financial assessment form setting out all your financial details.

Secondly
We calculate your disposable income. This is the amount of money you have left over from your weekly income after deducting certain living expenses and any disability related costs that you may have.

Thirdly
We calculate a maximum amount that you will be charged each week based on your disposable income. This figure is then rounded down to the nearest whole pound

Example
If, after deducting certain living costs from your income, you were left with £19.00 disposable income, your maximum weekly charge, irrespective of the number of hours service you receive each week, would be: £19.00

Cost of one hour of home care/support service = £10.45 (based on the hourly rate)
Cost of 3 hours or more of home care/support service = £19 (based on your maximum charge)
Q What if I do not want to give you my financial details?
A If you do not wish to disclose your financial details then you can choose to pay the standard charge of £10.45 per hour,up to a maximum of £402.00 per week, by simply completing the declaration on your financial assessment form.
Q Do you need to know about my partner’s financial details?
A No, but it could be beneficial to you.
We do not require you to provide financial information about your partner. Your charge will be worked out only on your financial details.

Note: any bank savings or assets in joint names will be divided equally between you and your partner on a 50/50 basis.

If, however, you feel that you are unable to pay the charge because of your partner’s financial circumstances, you may voluntarily provide us with the full details of your partner’s finances. They can then be included in the financial assessment.
Q Is there a way in which you can check to see if I am receiving all the benefits I am entitled to?
A When the Welfare Rights and Assessment Advisor visits you they will check to make sure you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to in order to increase your weekly income. To enable them to do this for you, you must provide them with full details of your finances (and your partner's if applicable). They will assist you in claiming for all the benefits you are entitled to. If you are one of a couple or have a partner, we would need both parties details to do this.

We aim to claim an extra £3.5 million in unclaimed benefits during the financial year 2011/12.
Q What are the living costs used in calculating my charge?
A Provided your savings and investments are less than £23,250, the living costs below are deducted from the weekly income you receive to calculate your disposable income.
  • An automatic allowance of £20 per week for disability related expenditure. If you spend more than this it may be possible for these additional costs to be taken into account
  • Your actual housing costs
  • Existing personal financial agreements if the item or service is a disability related expense.
  • The cost of other care services – as long as the agency providing the care is a registered agency and the care is part of your care plan.
Q Do you take all my income and savings into account?
A Whilst we need to know your income and savings to accurately work out your charge, the following types of income and savings will be ignored when calculating your Home Care, Support Services and other Non-Residential Services charge:
  • Mobility component of Disability Living Allowance
  • War Widows Special payments
  • The first £10.00 of a War Disability pension on War Widows Pension
  • Tariff income on savings/investments of less than £14,250
  • Payments from the Independent Living Fund
  • Savings Credit
Q How do I pay my charge?
A

We will inform you in writing how much your weekly charge will be. You will then need to use the Council’s Community Services Payment Card to make your weekly payment. We do not send you an invoice. You are expected to pay each week. This card can be used at any Post Office. You can also opt to pay by direct debit. For further details please ask the Advisor who visits or telephone 01924 307717.

We will send you a monthly statement showing how much you have paid and how much you may still owe.

If you receive day services in either the Independent Sector or the Council’s Resource Centres or Day Centres, your charge for this will also be included on the statement. Meals and Transport charges are also included on your statement.

Please note that charges for meals and transport for day services are paid in addition to your assessed contribution. The current charge is £3.20 for a meal and £1.00 per journey for transport.

Please note: for the moment, you CANNOT use your Community Services Payment Card to pay for any care provided on a short stay or respite basis in one of the Council's Resource Centres. A separate account will be issued for this.
Q Will my charge change?
A Your charge will be reviewed periodically and you will be informed, in writing, before a change is made. In the meantime, should your financial circumstances change, you must inform us and we will arrange to recalculate your charge.
Q What if I think the calculation of my charge is wrong?
A

If you think our assessment of your charge is incorrect, you can appeal by writing to the following address:

Wakefield Council
Family Services
Team Leader - Personalisation & Assessments
PO Box 190
Wakefield
WF1 1ZE
Q Where can I get further information?
A

If you require any further help or information with regard to the charge you might be expected to pay, then please contact:

Family Services
Personalisation & Assessment Team
PO Box 190
Wakefield
WF1 1ZE
Telephone Helpline: 01924 307317

Someone will be happy to help