Care Home financial assessment

tigerspill

Hi,

I am not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but thought it might be the place with most knowledge on the subject.

Sadly, my mum is having to go into full time care.  She will be self funding and has the finances to support this for 5+ years.

Looking down the line when she may need financial support when her funds drop below the £23k.  I believe that a financial assessment will be carried out.
What I am not clear about is when this assessment happens.  Does it happen now at this stage, or later on when her assets drop and she needs help with the funding?

Thabks
 

Keep_pedalling

With the ability to self fund for well over the average time people spend in care homes, a financial assessment will only be required if you go through the LA to find a care home. You have the option of going direct to a home of your / her choice, although private care homes will want to see evidence that she can pay the fees.

scoot65

Assuming the care home placement was made via the local authority:
It needs to happen when her funds become close to £23k level and she'll then be needing assistance with funding the care home costs.

Keep an eye on her funds and when they become close to the £23k level, contact the local authority Social Services Dept. to inform  / remind them that a financial assessment will be required. This will allow the Social Services Financial Assessment Team time to allocate  a financial assessment referral to one of the financial assessment officers on the team to complete an assessment before funds drop below the £23k level.

If the care home placement has been a private arrangement between yourselves and a care home, once the funds drop to the level where the local authority can become involved with funding the care, the local authority will complete a full care needs assessment as well as doing the financial assessment. The care needs assessment is to confirm to the local authority that a person's needs are being met appropriately within the care home. 
      

Albermarle

f the care home placement has been a private arrangement between yourselves and a care home, once the funds drop to the level where the local authority can become involved with funding the care, the local authority will complete a full care needs assessment as well as doing the financial assessment. The care needs assessment is to confirm to the local authority that a person's needs are being met appropriately within the care home. 

I understood ( but it is not my area) that it was best to get the care needs assessment done by social services at the beginning, even if you were planning to fund yourself. I think this was to make sure you were 'on their books' . Also you might receive some good advice generally if the person doing the assessment was suitably experienced.

tigerspill

Albermarle said:

f the care home placement has been a private arrangement between yourselves and a care home, once the funds drop to the level where the local authority can become involved with funding the care, the local authority will complete a full care needs assessment as well as doing the financial assessment. The care needs assessment is to confirm to the local authority that a person's needs are being met appropriately within the care home. 

I understood ( but it is not my area) that it was best to get the care needs assessment done by social services at the beginning, even if you were planning to fund yourself. I think this was to make sure you were 'on their books' . Also you might receive some good advice generally if the person doing the assessment was suitably experienced.

The current situation is that my mum is actually in hospital (following a fall).  The social worker in hospital has carried out the needs assessment and recommends residential (rather than nursing) care.  The care home has accepted this and that they can offer the care needed.

scoot65

Albermarle said:

f the care home placement has been a private arrangement between yourselves and a care home, once the funds drop to the level where the local authority can become involved with funding the care, the local authority will complete a full care needs assessment as well as doing the financial assessment. The care needs assessment is to confirm to the local authority that a person's needs are being met appropriately within the care home. 

I understood ( but it is not my area) that it was best to get the care needs assessment done by social services at the beginning, even if you were planning to fund yourself. I think this was to make sure you were 'on their books' . Also you might receive some good advice generally if the person doing the assessment was suitably experienced.

Yes, that could also be a good option.
The case would be closed to Social Services once the person was confirmed to be a self-funder (as Social Services / Local Authority would have no further involvement) but at least the needs assessment would be in the Social Services system. Once the funds dropped towards the £23k point and Social Services had been informed, the case would be re-opened and allocated to a Social Worker for a review / re-assessment of the person's care needs and the financial assessment would be done by a finance officer.  

scoot65

tigerspill said:

Albermarle said:

f the care home placement has been a private arrangement between yourselves and a care home, once the funds drop to the level where the local authority can become involved with funding the care, the local authority will complete a full care needs assessment as well as doing the financial assessment. The care needs assessment is to confirm to the local authority that a person's needs are being met appropriately within the care home. 

I understood ( but it is not my area) that it was best to get the care needs assessment done by social services at the beginning, even if you were planning to fund yourself. I think this was to make sure you were 'on their books' . Also you might receive some good advice generally if the person doing the assessment was suitably experienced.

The current situation is that my mum is actually in hospital (following a fall).  The social worker in hospital has carried out the needs assessment and recommends residential (rather than nursing) care.  The care home has accepted this and that they can offer the care needed.

That's good as it means that your Mum's current care needs assessment is in the Social Services / Local Authority system. As your Mum's going to be a self-funder for a few years her case will be closed by Social Services and then it will be re-opened once they have been informed by yourself or the care home manger if you wish, that her funds are approaching the £23k level. This will trigger a care needs review / re-assessment and the financial assessment.

       

HillsideRetired

contact LA well in advance of hitting the 23k threshold , they are slower than a slow thing .. to sort these things ,

Hal17

Can I add a comment and thank everyone for their replies to the original post. My father is in exactly the same situation and the replies have been extremely helpful.

OldMusicGuy

You might want to look into an immediate care needs annuity. This may help fund care for longer than 5 years depending on your mum's circumstances. We did this recently for my Father in Law.

wjr4

Make sure she claims Attendance Allowance!