Care in your own home - La Petite Concierge

Financing

Looking at the options for care funding can be a daunting and complex experience. Care and support services are means-tested and not free to everyone and some people have to pay all of the costs. There are several options for funding care. LPC will undertake care from service users with local authority funding, where the payments are sent to LPC direct. Direct payments is another option, where the local authority will forward payments, direct to the individual themselves, who then have the freedom to choose themselves which care company they wish to use.

LPC also will undertake caring for private service users, who cover payment themselves. The NHS is responsible for funding certain types of healthcare equipment you may need and LPC will assist in getting any equipment needed for our service users.

Do you or a family member feel they need care but not sure if you might be eligible for local council funding toward the cost. If you have less than £23.250.00 in savings. you may be able to receive some help toward the cost. If your savings are above this amount you will probably have to pay for the service privately. This is called a self-funder.

If it is decided that you need care, the council will then do a financial assessment (means test) to work out what you will have to pay towards the cost of your care.

The means test works out if:

The council pays the full cost of your care
The council pays some of the cost and you pay the rest
You pay for all of your care

The financial assessment will be arranged for you after your needs assessment

If your savings are below £23,250.00, and you think you, or someone you know, needs help to cope day-to-day, the first step is to get a needs assessment, Which you can access by Clicking HERE

La Petite Concierge also offer this unique service, by contacting us we will carry out an assessment and refer you directly to the local council with our findings. We are able to offer the same service to anyone who lives outside Shropshire i.e. Telford or South Staffordshire following the same principle.

You will need to have this assessment before the council can recommend a service. This means someone from the council (a social worker) will visit you at home and may ask you how you are managing everyday tasks like washing, dressing and cooking. They might ask you to describe how well you do certain things like making a cup of tea and getting out of a chair.

Checklist for preparing for the needs assessment:

It is a good idea to have a relatively good idea of what assistance you may require. Consider all of the aspects of your life, such as personal care, washing, showering, dressing, going to the toilet, preparing meals and shopping. Do you struggle with any of these things? If so, what could help?
Make a list of key points and services that might help you live more comfortably at home. What would you ideally like? Do not assume that the person who is carrying out the assessment knows or understands your difficulties.
Look at the local authority eligibility criteria, against which you will be measured. All councils must publish details of their eligibility criteria and make it available to local people. Where appropriate, use the same words to describe your needs.
If you have good and bad days, be realistic about the help needed on bad days (even if it's difficult to admit).
It can be a good idea to keep a diary for a few days before the assessment, noting down the things that you can manage on your own, things that you manage with difficulty or things that you can no longer do at all.
Think about the ways in which your needs could be addressed. For example, if home care is needed at a specific time, say so and explain why.
You will generally be expected to pay toward the cost of social care.
If the assessment identifies you need help, you will have a financial assessment (means test) to see if the council will pay towards it. This will be arranged for you by the Social Worker.
A financial assessment or means test works out if the council will pay towards your care. It looks at how much money you have. Generally, the council helps to pay for care costs if you have savings less than £23,250.
It may be that you will have to pay towards the cost of your care. The more money you have, the more you will be expected to pay.

A Financial Assessment Officer from the council will visit you at home to ask about things such as the following:

Earnings
Pensions
Benefits (including Attendance Allowance or PIP)
Savings
Property

How to prepare for a financial assessment

Make sure you have all the information you will need (La Petite Concierge is able to assist you in this area).

This includes details about the following:

Savings in a bank account
Building societies accounts
ISAs or premium bonds
Stocks and shares you own
Property or land you own
Make a list of any disability-related expenses you have so you remember everything when you are asked about it.

You will receive confirmation from the council in writing explaining how much your care will cost and the amount you have to pay.

If you qualify for council help with costs, you'll be offered a personal budget.

You can choose to get your personal budget in 2 ways as follows:

A direct payment into your bank account each month
The council organises your care and you will get a regular bill to pay towards it

If you do not qualify for council help with costs, you will be expected to pay the full cost of your care.

To find out about our Fees & Charges, please click the button below.

We offer a comprehensive range of services personalised to the needs of our service users. We provide a flexible responsive, caring service and strive to build long-term relationships with our Service Users and other working professionals. We know the solid foundation to success is to build quality.

Looking at the options for care funding can be a daunting and complex experience. Care and support services are means-tested, not free to everyone & some people have to pay all of the costs. There are several options for funding care. LPC undertake care from service users with local authority funding.

We have a rigorous and selective recruitment programme to help us evaluate the individual who applies to work at LPC, as well as finding out about their qualifications and skills. The right attitude and compassion for the job is vital for us in securing the right team. DBS checks and references will be obtained.