Support for self-funders
Contents
- About self-funding
- Self-funding your long-term care
- Deferred Payment Agreement
- Arrange care as a self-funder
- Additional care home costs
Arrange care as a self-funder
If you have capital (savings and assets) worth £23,250 or over, or a weekly income high enough to pay for care home fees, you will not qualify for funding from us. Instead you will need to pay for your own care. This is called ‘self-funding’.
As a self-funder you can choose how to arrange your care.
This can be either:
- privately through local services, without involving us
- by asking us to arrange and pay for your care, then billing you separately
Private care at home
If you decide to arrange for a private carer to look after you at home, the cost will vary depending on where you live.
However you can typically expect to pay around:
- £20 per hour for a carer to visit you in your home
- £650 a week to have a live-in carer - this may be more if you need a lot of care
There are 2 main ways to arrange your own home care.
You can:
Home care agencies employ trained carers and arrange for them to visit you in your home.
Agencies are a popular option as they:
- manage the entire service for you
- tailor their care around your needs
However some disadvantages are:
- you may not always have the same carer
- their fees can be expensive
You could hire your own carer to take on various responsibilities around your home. These are sometimes known as a private carer or personal assistant.
There are advantages of hiring your own carer, such as you can:
- choose a carer that is compatible with you
- decide what roles they perform, such as personal care or helping you get out and about
- save money on agency fees
However, if you employ a carer, you will then have the legal responsibility of being an employer.
This means you’ll need to make sure you have some things in place, such as:
- a contract of employment
- a way to pay them - you might choose to employ a payroll provider to do this for you
- adequate insurance for employing staff
- arrangements in place to cover their holidays and any sick days they may need
Private care at a care home
There are many care homes in West Northamptonshire open to private paying guests.
There are 2 types of care home:
| Type of home | What you can expect | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Residential home | Help with everyday tasks and meals supplied | Around £860 a week |
| Nursing home | Help with everyday tasks and meals supplied - also 24-hour nursing care | Around £968 a week |
The price you pay will vary according to where you live and the type of care you need.
You can read more about choosing a care home on the NHS website.
Find a care home using the Care Services Directory.
Care provided by the council
If you would like us to arrange your care, the first step is to ask us to request a needs assessment. This is so we can work with you to decide what care you need.
You can also ask us for a financial assessment to make sure you do not qualify for any help with costs.
What you’ll pay if we arrange your care
If you ask us to arrange your care for you, you will be charged an one-off admin charge of £141 at the start of your care.
Fee amounts are correct as of April 2023. Fees are reviewed on a yearly basis and are subject to change.
These fees cover our costs to:
- buy care and support services on your behalf
- raise invoices to recharge you and collecting payment
- manage your accounts
- arrange quality assurance checks of care providers
If you want us to stop arranging your care
You can ask us to stop arranging your care for you at any time. However as the majority of the costs are incurred when starting or ending this service, we are unable to offer a refund.
Should you decide to return to us at any time, you will be charged the full arrangement fee again.
Last updated 13 November 2023