Care home cost confusion!

Mrs_Hughes · 12 May 2013 at 1:39PM

Hello, can anyone help with my confusion. My dad has been in a care home for three years and up till recently was self funding (we had to sell the family home to do this). He has been assessed and the local council have agreed to fund him now. However I have been asked by his care home to pay a top up fee? I am very confused because as far as I was aware the local council are now paying his care home costs so why the top up?
I have tried to contact Age UK but just keep getting the answer phone message saying all lines are busy. Can anyone help or advise please, it would be appreciated. Thank you.

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elsien · 12 May 2013 at 1:43PM

I think they pay up to a certain rate, depending on the LA. Are the fees for your dad's home higher than this? If they are, you may be in the unfortunate position where the fees are topped up by a third party such as family, or he may have to consider a cheaper home.
You probably need expert advice to check he's getting everything he's entitled to, so persevere with age concern. And go back to social services to check what the weekly maximum fee is.

zzzLazyDaisy · 12 May 2013 at 3:19PM

What it means is that the council are making a contribution up to the maximum allowed by your local authority, but your dad is in a more expensive care home, so there is a gap between what the council pays and what the home charges. This is not unusual, and indeed was the case with my mother-in-law when she was alive.

But your Dad will still have savings from the sale of the house as even with £14,250 the LA will pay the full LA amount and up to £23,250 they will make a sliding scale contribution. So your dad can continue to pay the top-up from his savings for the time being.

Mojisola · 12 May 2013 at 3:21PM

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

But your Dad will still have savings from the sale of the house as even with £14,250 the LA will pay the full LA amount and up to £23,250 they will make a sliding scale contribution. So your dad can continue to pay the top-up from his savings for the time being.

Our council doesn't allow this. If the person is being funded by the council, they are not allowed to use their own money to make up the difference in the weekly cost. It has to be done by a third party.

Mrs_Hughes · 12 May 2013 at 3:49PM

Thanks for the replys. All that makes sense and I have been told that my dad can't pay the top up fees but there is something else that does not seem right. I have been told by the local authority that, although they are paying the maximum amount to the care home (i think this is about £400 a week) they will be reviewing dads income (he gets a state and a private pension)and they will take ALL of that off him and leave him with £20 something pounds a week "pocket money".
This leaves me baffled. So the care home costs about £800 a week; local authority pay £400 a week to the care home (this being the maximum amount they will pay; then they (local authority) are going to take approx £350 a week off dad. So where does the £350 go???

Mojisola · 12 May 2013 at 3:52PM

Mrs_Hughes wrote: »

I have been told by the local authority that, although they are paying the maximum amount to the care home (i think this is about £400 a week) they will be reviewing dads income (he gets a state and a private pension)and they will take ALL of that off him and leave hime with £20 something pounds a week "pocket money".

This leaves me baffled. So the care home costs about £800 a week; local authority pay £400 a week to the care home (this being the maximum amount they will pay; then they (local authority) are going to take approx £350 a week off dad. So where does the £350 go???

The LA isn't paying £400. They take all the resident's income except for the pocket money and make up any shortfall to their specified amount so, in your Dad's case, they will be paying £50+.

Mrs_Hughes · 12 May 2013 at 5:01PM

Mojisola wrote: »

The LA isn't paying £400. They take all the resident's income except for the pocket money and make up any shortfall to their specified amount so, in your Dad's case, they will be paying £50+.

Ok, thanks. I understand now, i think?.

pmlindyloo · 12 May 2013 at 5:32PM

Mojisola wrote: »

The LA isn't paying £400. They take all the resident's income except for the pocket money and make up any shortfall to their specified amount so, in your Dad's case, they will be paying £50+.

This isn't what happens usually (at least in our authority)

Care Home fees = £800 per month.

LA (contract to Care home) pays £400 per month

Dad pays all his pensions except for £25 ish per week to Care Home (the amount is worked out by Local Authority)

So care home receives local authority money + dad's pensions (minus his personal allowances) + any top up from family member.

Both dad and family member paying the top up fee are invoiced by the care home for their amount. This can be paid by DD to the care home.

You should receive written confirmation from the LA detailing your dad's contribution and the family member's contribution.

Mojisola · 12 May 2013 at 6:27PM

pmlindyloo wrote: »

This isn't what happens usually (at least in our authority)

Care Home fees = £800 per month.

LA (contract to Care home) pays £400 per month

Dad pays all his pensions except for £25 ish per week to Care Home (the amount is worked out by Local Authority)

So care home receives local authority money + dad's pensions (minus his personal allowances) + any top up from family member.

Both dad and family member paying the top up fee are invoiced by the care home for their amount. This can be paid by DD to the care home.

How would this work if the resident was in a home that charged the LA rate? Would he/she be able to keep all their pensions as spending money?

Mojisola · 12 May 2013 at 6:34PM

https://www.yourlifeyourchoice.org.uk/media/66767/web%20ch3-v2%20paying%20care%20home%20fees%20feb%202012.pdf

We do need to set a limit on the weekly amounts the Council pays towards your care in a residential and nursing home due to our limited resources.
We have to set a maximum price on the weekly amounts which we have agreed to pay to homes for residential or nursing care. These levels are set by the Council every year. This maximum price includes any contribution you might be paying yourself.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS10_Paying_for_permanent_residential_care_fcs.pdf?dtrk=true
Example 1 on Page 26.

Mrs_Hughes · 12 May 2013 at 6:41PM

pmlindyloo wrote: »

This isn't what happens usually (at least in our authority)

Care Home fees = £800 per month.

LA (contract to Care home) pays £400 per month

Dad pays all his pensions except for £25 ish per week to Care Home (the amount is worked out by Local Authority)

So care home receives local authority money + dad's pensions (minus his personal allowances) + any top up from family member.

Both dad and family member paying the top up fee are invoiced by the care home for their amount. This can be paid by DD to the care home.

You should receive written confirmation from the LA detailing your dad's contribution and the family member's contribution.

Thank you for the reply. Whilst I understand what you are saying, this can't be the case because I have already been asked the top up fee from the home. At this point in time the home do not know the total of my dads income so how do they know they will require a top up fee? Or do they just ask for them anyway in the hope that the families won't query them?

Care home cost confusion!

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