The Care Act 2014 states that the council must undertake a financial assessment to determine the amount you can afford to contribute towards your care and support. This is regardless of whether the council thinks you have eligible needs or of your financial circumstances.
All services, whether residential or non-residential will be chargeable except where the council is required to arrange care and support free of charge. The detail of how to charge is different depending on whether you are receiving care in a care home or your own home or another setting.
When charges do not apply
There are some circumstances and services which the council will not charge for. These include:
- provisions of community equipment (including minor adaptions to property up to £1,000)
- intermediate care and reablement support services must be provided free of charge for up to six weeks
- any services which are provided as part of your aftercare under section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983
- if you are suffering from variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease for meeting your needs
- any services which a local authority is under a duty to provide through other legislation may not be charged for under the Care Act 2014
- assessment of needs, financial assessments and the preparation of the care and support plan
- In the same way as chargeable services, all provisions should reflect best value and be clearly linked to specified outcomes
Undergoing a financial assessment
If the council assists with arranging any care services that you need, there will always be a financial assessment to see if you can afford to pay towards the cost of these services.
The financial assessment will look at your:
- income
- savings and investments
- benefits
- any property that you own or part own - where applicable
- any other regular income that you receive
You will be assessed on your own finances which will determine how much you will be expected to contribute towards the cost of the care you receive. It is your responsibility to provide all of the information required to complete the financial assessment. The Financial Assessment Team within the council will aim to complete the financial assessment within 28 days of all required information being received. The completion date is dependent on the council receiving the information requested.
If you do not want to undergo a financial assessment or refuse to cooperate with the assessment process and you have not contacted the council regarding any delays, the council will assume that you have over the £23,250 threshold. You will be charged for the full cost of your care and the council will consider that you do not require any financial contribution from the council until the assessment is completed.