Support Me at Home can provide services for people who pay for their care themselves and for people who have directly commissioned care from Norfolk County Council & NHS Continuing Healthcare.
If you have capital of £23,250 or more, you will be required to pay for your home care service in full. If and when your capital falls below this figure, you will be able to claim funding from the local authority. You can find more information about this here.
First, a needs assessment will be carried out to determine the type of care you require. A needs assessment will first be carried out to determine the type of care you require. The council will then work out how much you need to contribute to home care costs in a financial assessment (this is also known as a ‘means test’). How much you will pay depends on your salary and savings.
You will need to complete a form detailing your income (including pensions and benefits), your savings and your outgoings. You do not need to include how much your possessions are worth or the value of any life insurance policies. Whilst you are living at home and receiving care at home, the value of your property will not be taken into account in the financial assessment.
If the financial assessment determines that you will be required to cover the cost of care yourself, the council is required to provide information on how to get help in your area. If your capital begins to drop close to the £23,250 threshold, you should contact the council to request a financial assessment as soon as possible. You can telephone the council on 0344 800 8020 or email them at fab@norfolk.gov.uk.
When you begin to receive funding from the local authority, it is likely you will be moved to the new homecare model – please see our recent blog explaining this in full. The local authority will choose a home care provider for you.
However, if you are unhappy with the provider chosen for you by the local authority, or you wish to stay in control of your home care, you can consider arranging your own care through the Direct Payment scheme so that Support Me at Home becomes your care provider. This means that you will receive an allocation of money from the council which you can use to pay for your home care service from Support Me at Home. The council will assess whether this is the most suitable option for you. We would be pleased to assist you with applying for and managing your Direct Payment to make this as easy as possible for you.
It is important to note that if the council sources your care provider for you, whether you are funded by the council or paying your care costs in full yourself, the council will charge you an additional £131.20 each year to do this. You can avoid this unnecessary extra cost by sourcing your home care from Support Me at Home directly.
At Support Me at Home we understand that it may seem daunting to arrange your care and funding yourself. We offer a completely free service to assist you with applying for funding through the Direct Payment Scheme. We will help you through the whole process including setting up your Direct Payment Scheme and managing your personal budget each month. Our dedicated Account Manager, Victoria, is here to guide you every step of the way and ensure the process goes smoothly and is stress-free for you so that you can concentrate on living life to the fullest. Victoria would be pleased to discuss this with you and provide further information to ease your worries
