Care home fees & financial assessments

The majority of people when they enter permanent residential care are described as ‘self-funders’ meaning they fund 100% of their care placement.

However, when their assets fall to £23,250 the Local Authority has a duty to step in and assist with those care home fees. The Local Authority will need to carry out a care needs assessment and a financial assessment to decide how much you will need to contribute and whether your current care placement is suitable.

There is always a risk, following these assessments, that the Local Authority will decide you or your loved one needs to move to an alternative care placement. This is normally due to the care home’s fees being too high and the Local Authority not being able to meet the level of funding required. Usually in this situation the Local Authority will find an alternative care placement they are able to fund.

However, it is important to ensure that the care planning for any individual has been done correctly. All care planning should be person-centred and must meet the needs of the person while also considering their wishes and feelings.

In addition to this, the Local Authority should not set arbitrary upper limits on costs that they are willing to pay as this does not support the person-centred approach to care planning for an individual. Each decision must be made based on the individual’s circumstances and the chosen option must deliver the best outcome for the individual.

If you do not feel that the outcome of the assessment is the best option for you or that the assessments were not completed with you or your loved one’s best interests in mind then you can ask for the decision to be reconsidered.

If you would like assistance with requesting a reconsideration of their decision, we have an experienced team who would be able to assist. Speak to our team on 0800 088 6004 for more details.