19 Community care
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2. Where do I start if I think I need help?
3. What kind of help is there?
4. Can I get help if I look after someone?
5. Who pays if I get care in my home?
6. What if I have to go into hospital?
7. What if I need to move into a care home?
Your council should provide residential care for people whose needs mean they can’t reasonably be expected to live at home or in supported accommodation (for example, a warden-assisted home).
In some cases, residential care is free, no matter how much money you have. This includes where you are:
- eligible for NHS continuing healthcare;
- getting intermediate (temporary) care; or
- going into residential care after being held in hospital under certain parts of the Mental Health Act.
In most cases, though, you will have to pay at least some of the fees for accommodation and personal care. Any care you receive from the NHS when you are in residential care, such as visits from your GP or community nursing, will still be free.
The council will look at your circumstances to decide whether you could arrange and pay for residential care yourself, or whether it must help pay your fees (see ‘What do I have to pay for care-home accommodation?’).
If you qualify for help, social services usually pay the fees. You will then have to repay some of this amount, depending on how much money you have.
8. What if I need ongoing nursing care?
9. Will I have to sell my home?
10. Can I claim any benefits if I am in residential care?
11. What choice of care home do I have?
12. What if I want to move to a care home that costs more than the council will pay?
13. What if my move into a care home is temporary?
14. What rights do I have when I am in a care home?
15. What if I have difficulty getting the care I need?
This leaflet is published by the Legal Services Commission (LSC). It was written in association with Sue Bloomfield, a freelance consumer affairs writer.
Leaflet Version: May 2008