Paying for your care

If you have contacted Wakefield Council’s Adult Social Services and have been assessed under the Care Act 2014 as having care and support needs, you may qualify for assistance towards the cost of your care.

Your allocated Social Worker will refer you for a financial assessment which will not impact when your care can commence, even if you have not had a financial assessment yet.

You will be contacted by the Personalisation and Assessment Team who will conduct a financial assessment and work out the ‘maximum’ amount you can afford to pay each week towards the cost of your care. They will also talk to you about your finances to help work out if you have any additional entitlement to income and benefits that may be used to help contribute towards your cost of care.

It is important to note that when your financial assessment is finished your weekly contribution will be backdated to the date that your chargeable services commenced.

To calculate how much people can afford to pay, we use the national guidance set out in the Care Act 2014.

If you have savings of more than £23,250, we will expect you to pay the full cost of the services that you receive. This is classed as self-funding and may incur an additional ‘commissioning fee’ if you ask the Council to provide the service.

How much you pay will depend on the type of care you are receiving. This could be because you are receiving care at home or if you are moving into a care home.

If you decide you do not want a financial assessment and/or chose not to disclose your finances, you will pay the full cost of your services.

How your contribution to your care is calculated

When we conduct your financial assessment, we will look at how much your total weekly income is.

This includes income from:

Disability Benefits such as, Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payments, or Disability Living Allowance
your State Retirement pension
any Department of Works and Pensions Benefit such as, Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, Carers Allowance or Pension Credit
your savings, Premium Bonds, ISAs, savings and current accounts, and other investments

If your capital is between £14,250 and £23,250, you may still qualify for help towards the cost of your care, however, we will take this into account when we work out your weekly contribution. For every £250 you have above £14,250 you will be assessed as having to contribute £1 per week from your savings towards the cost of your care.

We will also consider any other capital assets you may have, this includes second properties, holiday homes, businesses etc, this could also include the value of your home if you are moving into residential care.
The value of your home is never included when we are calculating your contribution for support at home.

What evidence we will need you to provide

6 months bank statements for all accounts you hold dating back from the date your care or placement commenced
your most recent benefit award letters from the DWP
letters from your pension or annuity providers, including any draw down arrangements you have made
evidence of any shares, ISA’s, bonds, or national savings products that you hold
details of any property or land that you own that you are not currently living in
proof of any rent, mortgage, Council Tax or Buildings and Contents insurance that you pay on your current home

Failure to provide this information could result in you having to pay the full cost of your care.

The Personalisation and Assessment Team will review your financial assessment annually. They will consider any increases that you may have had in respect of your income and benefits, and you will receive notification of any increases in writing.

If your circumstances change you must report it straight away, because it may change how much you must contribute towards your care. This could include, an increase/decrease in income and/or savings or a change in your living arrangements. You can report changes by contacting the Personalisation and Assessment on 01924 307317 or alternatively by sending an email to Personalisationteam@wakefield.gov.uk.

Arranging and paying for your own support

You may decide to arrange and pay for your own care if:

you do not qualify for help from Wakefield Council, and you will arrange support yourself
you have had a social care assessment but decide you do not want to tell us about your finances, in this case Wakefield Council will assume you will fund your own care
you do not want to ask us for help
your income or savings is above the eligibility threshold of £23,250

Whatever your current circumstances, we can give you all the information about the services you need and if your circumstances change you can ask for a new assessment by contacting Social Care Direct here at Wakefield Council.

Independent financial advice

If you do have to pay the full cost for your care, you may decide you want to speak to an independent financial adviser. They can advise you how to meet the cost of your care.

You can find details for financial advisers at www.unbiased.co.uk.

Once you have chosen an adviser you can make sure that they are registered and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), This can be done online at fca.org.uk or by calling 0300 500 8082.

If you require any further help and advice, please contact the Social Care Direct Team on 0345 8 503 503 or email socialcaredirect@wakefield.gov.uk.