Common questions about care home funding

Often care funding is something, like Alzheimer’s, that is associated with getting older.

Whilst it is true that as a nation we are living longer, resulting in more of us requiring assistance in meeting our daily needs in our twilight years, you or a family member may require care at any point in your life.

There is a balancing act between what the State can and should provide in meeting our care needs and what we should provide for ourselves. Both social services and the NHS have obligations to care for people who are elderly, ill, disabled or who have learning difficulties.

If you have complex needs, the boundaries between health and social care may not always be clear. As services provided by the NHS are free whereas those provided by social services are means tested, the outcome of any decision as to who has overall responsibility for your care can have significant financial consequences.

More and more clients have concerns about how care for them or their loved ones will be provided and funded either now or in the future.

Common questions include

• Who is responsible for providing care and how do I access these services?
• Who is responsible for paying for the care?
• If I disagree with an assessment by social services or the NHS, how do I challenge this?
• Is there anything I can do to protect my property and money for my children?
• Do I or my loved one have to sell the family home to fund care?

At Ashtons Legal, we have an experienced team who can consider your specific family circumstances and advise you on understanding and negotiating the complicated rules and regulations regarding NHS Continuing Care, Registered Nursing Care Contributions and Local Authority funding for care. We can also work with you and other advisers, if appropriate, to consider ways in which care can be financed most effectively if you are going to be self funding.