Care Home - moving to another area

GiJo

If a resident of a care home (where the fees are paid by Social Services)wants to move to another part of the country (to be close to a relative), who would pay the care home fees in the "new" area?

Bambywamby

Social Service funds come from the local authority so when the person moves to a new area they will be assigned a new Social Service Department in that area and they will sort out the new funding with that local authority.

X X

Savvy_Sue

Bambywamby wrote: »

Social Service funds come from the local authority so when the person moves to a new area they will be assigned a new Social Service Department in that area and they will sort out the new funding with that local authority.

I'm just wondering - and I expect the OP is too - whether the local authority HAS to take up responsibility for someone who has chosen to move into their area. I know, for example, that if you move to our area and want to get council housing you have to demonstrate a 'local connection', which could include moving nearer family to get support from them.

It would be worth asking social services in both places at an early stage, IYSWIM. Where the person is now might be very supportive and helpful - after all, it's one less person to pay for - but getting assessment and help in the 'new' area might take a little longer.

Morglin

Age Concern will probably have more info:

http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/information_line.asp

Lin

GiJo

Thanks for all your replies. I guess questions need to be asked of both areas then. The Age Concern website looks a good port of call too.

tracy1_2

you may find that the present ss area will fund, BUT only up to their area limit - but this charge may be higher in your area therefore a top up by a third party (you!) will be necessary. if it is lower then yippee dee. - going through this process at present and evn 12 miles up the road to us is considereda different catchment area. speak to the care manager - its the clients right to ask these sort of questions - don't worry.

GiJo

tracy1 wrote: »

you may find that the present ss area will fund, BUT only up to their area limit - but this charge may be higher in your area therefore a top up by a third party (you!) will be necessary. if it is lower then yippee dee. - going through this process at present and evn 12 miles up the road to us is considereda different catchment area. speak to the care manager - its the clients right to ask these sort of questions - don't worry.

We're just going to start the process so thought I'd ask here first to see if anybody could give us a bit of an insight. I was imagining we might be in the situation where the current authority would refuse to fund for a care home outside their area (approx 100 miles) and the area where the person in question wanted to go (to be close to a daughter) didn't want to know either.

Savvy_Sue

That's precisely what I'd worry about too. And you're right, it's definitely worth knowing what each local authority SHOULD be doing in order to meet its legal requirements, because budgets being what they are, if you DON'T know they may well try not to meet those obligations ...

Good luck!

maisiegirl

Hi,
I work a care home up north and we had a lady move up to us from cormwall,
the cornish authority paid her fees but only up to their maximum.Luckily no top-up was needed

GiJo

Thanks Savvy_sue. We're hoping the process will be as "painless" as possible, fingers crossed.

Maisiegirl, I hope we're lucky enough to get the same situation.

bestpud

My friend has moved her dad from his home town to hers and it is his original local authority that pay for his care, not the new one. She has had to fight hard to get all that he is entitled to though - it certainly wasn't an easy move to organise.