Healthcare is the prevention, treatment or management of illnesses, both mental and physical, through services offered by medical and health professionals.
Social care, however, is a broad term covering a wide range of services provided by local authorities and the independent sector that help people with activities of daily living, such as washing, dressing, feeding and shopping.
If an older person needs financial help funding their future care, contact the local social services department to arrange an assessment.
Generally, people are expected to pay privately for care if they have more than the “upper threshold” in savings/assets. This figure varies across the UK:
| | Upper Threshold |
| England | £23,250 |
| Scotland | £24,750 |
| Wales | £23,250 |
| Northern Ireland | £23,250 |
The value of property is usually included in the financial assessment for care but there are exceptions, such as if there is a partner or other dependent who will continue to live there.
There are further differences across the UK. Provided Social Services agree that care is needed the following applies:
Scotland
England & Wales – care at home
Northern Ireland – care at home
“Lower thresholds” also exist in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If people have less than this 'lower threshold' in savings/assets, Social Services will, broadly speaking, pay the full amount of care costs, up to each Local Authority's set limit. Although beware, many care homes charge more than these Local Authority set limits and people will first have to use the majority of any income they have, such as their pension, to pay towards care costs before Social Services start paying.
If people's assets/savings are between these upper and lower thresholds, Social Services will make part payment towards care on a sliding scale until the lower threshold has been reached.
| | Lower Threshold |
| England | £14,250 |
| Scotland | £15,250 |
| Northern Ireland | £14,250 |
Wales has just one threshold (£23,250).
Where social services assess that care is required and the individual qualifies for state funding, the sum the local authority will pay depends on the care required and the care setting needed. It is worth noting that funding varies from authority to authority.
With regard to residential care, there should be a choice of homes that accept local authority funding. If the home you prefer costs more than the local authority funding allows, a third party top-up may be needed. It is worth bearing in mind that funding is not restricted to within the local authority’s boundaries.
Finding the right care is vital, so do remember that expert advice can be very helpful if the search for care is proving difficult.
Where an individual is assessed as a self-funder, they may still be entitled to various allowances, such as:
-
attendance Allowance
-
twelve week property disregard
-
NHS-funded nursing care
-
NHS continuing healthcare
-
pension credit
-
council tax discount or benefit
-
free “after-care” services - Mental Health Act 1983 – Section 117
Details of the above can be found in the Grace Consulting fact sheet “Paying for Care”.
Care costs vary enormously from region to region and also depend on the level of care required. You are strongly advised to research care costs thoroughly as care can be extremely expensive. As a general guide, care bands are broadly as follows:
| Type of care | Price band |
| Care Home | £400 - £850 per week |
| Care Home with Nursing | £450 - over £1,000 per week |
| Home Care | From £10 - £30 per hour |
Be aware that price does not necessarily reflect the quality of care provided.
We understand that finding the right care at the right price is often not easy. For over 30 years Grace Consulting has specialised in providing independent care advice, helping families with expert advice about choice of care, care costs and allowances.
Grace Consulting has provided a fact sheet on “Paying for Care”.
For information on their services, see “Independent Care Advice – Services and Fees”.
