Fees

If you want your local council to help with homecare for you, start by asking them for a needs assessment.

Your needs assessment will help the council to decide whether you’re eligible for care.

Even if you’re intending to make arrangements yourself with an agency or private carer, it’s still a good idea to have a needs assessment as it will help you to explain to the agency or carer what kind of help you need.

Contact social services at your local council and ask for a needs assessment. You can call them or do it online.

You will not be entitled to help with the cost of care from your local council if:

• You have savings worth more than £23,250 – this is called the upper capital limit, or UCL, and will rise to £100,000 from October 2023
• You own your own property

You can ask your council for a financial assessment (means test) to check if you qualify for any help with costs.

Depending on your circumstances, your local council may contribute to the cost of homecare or you may have to pay for it yourself.

If your needs assessment recommends homecare, you may get help with the cost from the council.

What you’ll contribute depends on your income and savings. The council will work this out in a financial assessment.

If the council is paying for some or all of your homecare, they must give you a care and support plan.

This sets out what your needs are, how they will be met and your personal budget (the amount the council thinks your care should cost).

You can choose to receive your personal budget as a direct payment each month. This gives you the control to employ someone you know to care for you at home rather than using a homecare agency, though you’ll then have responsibilities as an employer.

If you’re not eligible for the council to contribute to your homecare costs, you’ll have to pay for it yourself.

Even if you do not qualify for funding through your local authority you can still go through them for your care and support. They will arrange your care for you and liaise with a care provider who they work closely with. Your local authority will pay the care provider then you will receive an invoice from your local authority to pay your part.

You can choose a Home Care Provider yourself or with your loved ones. You can work directly with you chosen provider and pay them via direct debit, bank transfer or cheque.

With Devout Care You will be involved in tailoring your own care plan and your chosen we will liaise with you directly. If you would like a loved one to take control of the fianacial aspect then you would just let us know and this can be arranged.

Regardless of how your support maybe funded, we can help you through the process, we can advise you on how to find out what your eligible for and advise you on how best to use your budget to implement the Care you require.

No matter how your support is paid for, we can guide you through the process, advise you on how to assess your eligibility, and help you decide how to spend your budget to get the care you need.