Care Home Financial Assessment
Once you have been assessed as needing residential care, an assessment of how much you will need to pay towards the cost of your care will be undertaken.
The Cost of Moving Into a Care Home Booklet (226.8kB) (Opens in a new window or downloads a file)
Care Home Charges
For the first 8 weeks, you will be assessed on your ability to pay the assessment rate regardless of the care home you are based in. This amount is currently £148.45 per week.
From week 9 of your stay in the care home you will be assessed on your ability to pay the rate set for the care home in which you reside minus the free personal/nursing care.
The rates of free care are as follows (2022/23):
- £212.85 per week for Personal Care
- plus £95.80 per week if Nursing Care is also required
|
From April 2022 |
Free Care |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Assessment rate |
£148.45 |
N/A |
|
Blar Buidhe |
£931.11 |
£308.65 |
|
Bethesda |
£931.11 |
£308.65 |
|
Leverburgh Care Home |
£838.72 |
£212.85 |
|
Comhairle Care Homes |
£1,226.00 |
£212.85 |
*(subject to change)
Assessment of How Much to Pay
The amount you are required to pay is assessed on your income and capital which includes any assets you have (see examples below). An assessment is undertaken every year to ensure that the amount you are paying is based on up to date and accurate information.
In order to assess your ability to pay we will require evidence of all sources of income and all capital held. Here are some examples of what we would consider to be income and capital but this list is not exhaustive:
Income Examples
- State Pension
- Pension Credit
- Occupational Pension
- Private Pension
- Annuity
- Income from tenants
- Income Support
- Employment Support Allowance
Capital Examples
- Bank accounts
- Building society accounts
- Post Office accounts
- Property
- Land
- Stocks and shares
- Bonds
- PEPs
- ISAs
We will also ask you about any significant amounts of capital/property that have been spent or gifted to another person or organisation. You can be deemed to have capital which you no longer have if the Comhairle thinks that you have deprived yourself of that capital/property for the purposes of paying less for your care.
If you have capital over £29,750 (2022/23 limit) you will be required to pay the cost of your care home in full. Once the value of your capital comes under this amount your contribution will be reassessed and an income of £1 assumed for every £250 you have over £18,500 will be added to your income and you will be assessed on your income.
Please note that the value of property that would have normally been your main residence will not be included in your assessment until week 21 of your stay in the care home. Charges based on a resident’s home can have payment deferred to come out of the estate of the resident if a legal agreement is entered into with the Comhairle.
When assessing your income, you will be left with an amount for personal expenses (£31.00p/w for 2022/23). Any income you have above this will be how much you are required to pay towards your care.
|
Savings/Capital amount |
Is my income assessed? |
How much will I pay? |
Will my savings/capital be taken into account? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Less than £18,500 |
Yes |
Weekly income - £31.00 |
No |
|
Between £18,501-£29,750 |
Yes |
Weekly income + assumed savings income - £31.00 |
Yes, we will assume £1 income for every £250 savings above £18,500 |
|
Exceeding £29,750 |
No |
Full cost of care home |
Yes and you will pay the full cost of the care home |
Each assessment varies according to the circumstances of the resident. If you would like a rough guide on assessment based on your circumstances then please do not hesitate to contact the team. Alternatively, the full guidance is available from the Scottish Government website.
Scottish Government Guidance (Opens in a new window or downloads a file)
Contact
You can contact the assessment team by e-Mail:
or Tel.: 01851 822642