Access Care Support.
22 October 2022
For People Starting On The Road To Access Care Support.
For People Starting On The Road To Access Care Support.
Having been in the UK home care sector for over four decades, I am still surprised at how many people, just entering the situation of needing to know about care support, find it difficult to accrue all the information that they need to know at the beginning of this new chapter in life. The following I offer as a starting point for people at the beginning of their care journey.
Care in the UK can be paid for by three financial directions:-
1. Your local Council can financially assess a person for their care needs and either pay for, part pay for or decline to fund the care package.
2. The NHS, under Continuing Care, can be a fully-funded package of care that some people are entitled to receive due to disability, accident or illness.
3. By an individual paying the total cost of care.i.e. private fee payer.•
There is a tax-free benefit, the Attendance Allowance, which helps to pay for personal care if a person has reached State Pension age and is disabled.
• The Attendance Allowance (Pension Age Disability Payment in Scotland) financial amount usually increases slightly each April, but NHS Continuing Health Care acceptance can vary from County to County.
• The availability of care support organised and paid for via Councils depends on the number of home care providers with sufficient staff to provide the support requested by the local Social Services team.
• The cost of home care can vary considerably, the recommended hourly rate from the United Kingdom Homecare Association is £23.20 per hour. Still, you can shop around for hourly rates lower than this.
• Often, people decide to have a Live-in Care support service rather than move into residential accommodation. Again there are cost differences ranging from around £1000 per week to over £3000 per week.
The advice we offer.
As an experienced provider of care support,
I would offer the following advice:
1. When looking for care support, speak to more than one care provider. Talk to them, ask questions and meet with them before deciding which company to choose.
2. Think about the actual care support you are looking for. You are seeking a bespoke service, custom-made for you.
3. Many organisations can also offer sound, up-to-date advice. For example, organisations such as Age UK, Age Concern, Independent Age. Many have offices you can visit, phones you can ring and good websites.
Angela Gifford, Able Community Care, a nationwide Live-in Care provider for over 40 years.