Staying in your own home

Advice

If you are having problems managing at home or are going into hospital and need support on discharge you can speak to the Adult Social Care team about your options.

Short-term support

The Adult Social Care team may refer you to the Reablement team. This team can provide up to six weeks short-term home care support in your home which is free. The team can provide equipment to help you at home and to reduce falls such as a bath rail or larger adaptations if you are eligible for these, pending an Occupational Therapy assessment.

The Reablement team can come into your home and support you as necessary with personal care and can give you advice on regaining your independence.

Longer-term support

Following a period of re-ablement you might need home care on a longer-term basis. If you wish to go straight to arranging this privately yourself you can look at home care providers in the adult social care directory or more generally on the internet. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspect home care agencies that provide personal care (such as help with washing and dressing) and you can look at the CQC tips and reports on providers.

If you want advice with finding care, the Adult Social Care team will carry out an assessment with you to determine your needs and how these might be met. The result of the needs assessment determines your eligibility for care, plus what level of services you require to enjoy the best possible quality of life.

Services that may be available to you are based on your needs and eligibility. Please contact our Adult Social Care team to arrange your free assessment with a trained social worker.

Your needs assessment will consider:

• how your needs affect your day to day life
• your mental and physical health and wellbeing
• what things are important to you in how you live your life, such as being able work or volunteer, or being able to meet friends.

Your assessment will determine your level of need and assign a social worker and a personal budget.

Will I have to pay towards my care?

Many people are expected to contribute towards the cost of their care and support, though there are some exceptions:

• re-ablement (is not chargeable for up to six weeks) support is provided initially to try and assist in helping people regain their independence
• aids, and minor adaptions of less than £1,000 are not charged for
• care and support provided to people with Cruetzfeldt-jakob disease (CJD) is not charged for
• aftercare/support provided under the Mental Health Act 1983 section 117 are not charged for
• NHS services including Continuing Healthcare (CHC) are not chargeable

The amount you pay will depend on your financial circumstances and will be decided following a financial assessment.

See the Paying for your care and support page for information about personal budgets.

You may want to arrange your own services and not be assessed. If so, we can give you advice about this, please contact our Adult Social Care Team.

Or you might want to go straight to arranging your own support (including arranging to purchase your own items of equipment) using the Adult directory of support.

Remember that anyone is entitled to some advice and information from adult social care but you can check your potential eligibility for a service as per above.

We will ask you to complete an initial financial assessment form. This will ask about your income and capital/savings. This information you give is used to calculate how much you need to contribute towards your care package. Financial assessments are carried out annually or sooner if your circumstances change (e.g. You must notify us if you receive an inheritance or if you cease receiving a pension or benefit). 

It is not always necessary to conduct a full financial assessment (for example: if you have significant financial resources and do not wish to undergo a full financial assessment for personal reasons or if your only income is from benefits.) In these cases a light touch financial assessment will be sufficient. If you do not complete the financial assessment, then you will be deemed eligible to pay for the full cost of your service and will be charged accordingly.

Please let us know if you need help with completing or understanding the form. Information you need to provide for a financial assessment:

• Bank statements for the past three months (including savings, investments and other income, e.g. from renting property)
• Proof of benefits and or pensions (public and private)
• Utility bills
• Proof of any disability related expenditure

How is my contribution calculated?

The amount you contribute will depend on your assessed income and your level of capital:

1. Your assessed income - the amount of income you would have left after we have allowed you enough money to cover:

• An amount that is equal to income support or pension credit plus 25% (Non-residential care only)
• An extra 20% of your disposable income – to make sure you are not left with a very low income (non-residential care only)
• Enough money to cover housing costs such as rent or mortgage payments, council tax, electricity, gas, maintenance or service charges, buildings and contents insurance and sewerage costs
• Enough money to cover agreed expenses related to your disability
• Personal expenses allowance (residential care only)

This rate is set annually by ministers. It is a minimum amount of income that you must be left with after charges so that you have enough money to spend on personal items such as clothes and other items which are not part of your care. Not all income is taken into account when we work out how much you need to pay. The following is a list of disregarded income:

• The mobility element of Disability Living Allowance
• Housing or Council Tax Benefit (non-residential only)
• War pension or war widows’ pension
• Earnings from current employment

2. Your level of capital - if you have capital such as savings or a property, then this will be reviewed in line with The Care and Support (Charging and assessment of resources) regulations 2014

The value of your home will be disregarded if you are receiving care in a setting that is not a care home or where a qualifying relative occupies this property as their main or only home. If you are in residential care and have more than the upper limit in capital, which is currently £23,250 (after any disregards) you will be asked to pay for the full cost of your care. If you are receiving care in another setting and have more than the upper limit of £34,875 in capital (after any disregards) you will be asked to pay for the full cost of your care. If you have less than £14,250 (lower limit) you will not need to contribute towards the cost of your care package. If you have between the lower and upper limits, we will add £1 per week to your assessable income for every £250 that you have above £14,250 (e.g. if you have savings of £17,750, you would contribute £14 towards the cost of your care from your capital

What if I do not agree with the amount I am asked to pay?

If you do not agree with your assessed contribution you should speak to either your social worker or by calling the Adult Social Care Team on 020 7332 1224. They can arrange for your financial assessment to be rechecked.

How will I pay my contribution?

This depends on whether you have direct payments or we are arranging care for you:

Direct Payments: If you are receiving a direct payment you will need to pay your contribution into your direct payment account monthly.

Council managed personal budgets: Your contributions are paid by us and you will be invoiced for this monthly. Details of how to pay are on the back of the invoice

Deferred Payment Arrangement (DPA): If care is being funded by a deferred payment arrangement then the cost of care is added to the amount owed. If you receive Telecare that does not form part of a personal budget you will be billed monthly for your contribution

Residential or Nursing Care Only: We will work with you to identify a residential or nursing home to meet your needs, however you may wish to choose a home which is more expensive, in such cases someone else must pay the difference, known as the ‘top-up’. This means that you can still move into the home that you have chosen if someone agrees to continue to pay the top-up for you. However please consider this option carefully in case the third party’s financial situation changes.  If you have a deferred payment agreement, the cost of the top-up will be added to the deferred amount owed to us. The person paying the top up must be willing and able to meet the additional cost and will enter into an agreement with us, agreeing to meet that cost. The top-up will be invoiced monthly and ways to pay are stated on the back of the invoice.

Benefits and financial advice

If you are receiving social care services, you may be able to apply for certain benefits and should seek advice to make sure that you are receiving all the income that you are entitled to, such as attendance allowance. For more information contact City Advice on 0207 392 2919. Some organisations that may help are:

• Care Quality Commission
• Society of Later Life Advisers
• Age UK
• Saga Care Money Advice
• My Care My Home

(Please note, these are suggestions and not recommendations of their quality)

If you’re not eligible for care through the Adult Social Care Team, we can still offer those living within the City free advice and guidance, enabling them to access a number of voluntary services that provide support to adults in the community.

These can be found in the FIS Directory.

City Advice Service

City Advice provides advice and information on a range of topics, including housing, welfare benefits, debt, employment and family issues. You can contact them on 020 7392 2919.

NHS Choices

NHS Choices website covers most health conditions and gives you advice on where to get help for these. You can telephone 111 if you have a non-medical emergency and want some advice or contact your GP.

City Connections

City Connections, delivered by AgeUK on behalf of the City of London Corporation, link you with the health and wellbeing services in the Square Mile that you need.

Their Digital Buddy Scheme match you to a trained and vetted volunteer, who will be able to assist you with using your digital device, getting online and also learning further with technology today via weekly telephone/Zoom calls. (Limited Tablet devices and data SIM cards will be made available FREE to loan for a set period; subject to a signed Loan Agreement). If you would like to be matched to a Digital Buddy or become a volunteer Digital Buddy, please call City Connections on 0203 957 9844 or email City Connections.

Their Telephone Befriending Service match you with a trained and vetted volunteer, who can telephone you once a week for friendly and social conversation, that can help with isolation and loneliness. If you would like to be matched to a Telephone Befriender or become a volunteer Befriender, please call City Connections on 0203 957 9844 or email City Connections.

The criteria we use for determining who is eligible to access care and support are set out in the Care Act 2014. These are national guidelines which aim to help people meet their needs to achieve the outcomes that matter to them in their lives and which in turn promote their wellbeing.

The national eligibility criteria require that in order for needs to be eligible, they must relate to the following three conditions:

1. The adult's needs for care and support arise from or are related to a physical or mental impairment or illness and are not caused by other circumstantial factors. This includes if the person has a condition as a result of physical, mental, sensory, learning or cognitive disabilities or illnesses, substance misuse or brain injury. The adult's needs for care and support arise from or are related to a physical or mental impairment or illness and are not caused by other circumstantial factors. This includes if the person has a condition as a result of physical, mental, sensory, learning or cognitive disabilities or illnesses, substance misuse or brain injury.

2. As a result of the adult's needs, the adult is unable to achieve two or more of the following eligibility outcomes:    

• Managing and maintaining nutrition
• Maintaining personal hygiene
• Managing toilet needs
• Being appropriately clothed
• Being able to make use of the adult's home safely
• Maintaining a habitable home environment
• Developing and maintaining family or other personal relationships
• Accessing and engaging in work, training, education or volunteering
• Making use of necessary facilities or services in the local community, including public transport, and recreational facilities or services
• Carrying out any caring responsibilities for a child

3. As a consequence of being unable to achieve these outcomes, there is, or is likely to be, a significant impact on the adult's wellbeing. As a consequence of being unable to achieve these outcomes, there is, or is likely to be, a significant impact on the adult's wellbeing.

There is no single definition of wellbeing as this will depend on the individual, their circumstances and their priorities but it is related to the following areas in particular:

• Personal dignity
• Physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing
• Protection from abuse and neglect
• Control by the individual over their day-to-day life
• Participation in work, education, training or recreation
• Social and economic wellbeing
• Domestic, family and personal domains
• Suitability of the individual's living accommodation
• The individual's contribution to society

Any concerns, complaints or comments for the Social Care for Adults Team should be directed in the first instance to:

The Complaints Manager

City of London Department of Community & Children’s Services

North Wing,

Guildhall

PO BOX 270

London EC2P 2EJ

Email the Business Unit Team or call: 020 7332 3498