We do not charge for:
- assessments
- services we provide for young people and children aged under 18
- services we provide for carers - although we may charge for services we provide to the person you are caring for, depending on their financial circumstances.
Care in your own home
For care services provided in your own home or other non-residential care we will financially assess you under the Fairer Charging scheme. For most people we provide up to the first four weeks of care free of charge.
You can read more about this in our booklet A Guide to the Fairer Charging Scheme.
What is Fairer Charging?
Fairer Charging is the national charging scheme for care services provided by Oxfordshire County Council in your home or for day care or other non-residential care service.
Following a financial assessment, we will give a clear idea of what charges are expected and how they are calculated.
Currently if you have savings and capital assets of more than £23,250, we will expect you to pay the full cost of the care services.
If you have less than £23,250 we will need to financially assess you to find out how much you can contribute towards the cost of your care.
For more detailed information, see A Guide to the Fairer Charging Scheme.
Fairer Charging financial assessment
The amount you pay will depend on your circumstances and will be determined by the council's Fairer Charging team. They will make an appointment to see you at home to carry out a financial assessment in accordance with national and council guidelines.
You can ask a relative or friend to be with you at that appointment.
Under Fairer Charging we financially assess clients by taking into account their income, savings and investments, but usually excluding the value of their home if that is where they normally live and receive care.
We then make allowances for standard living costs and any extra expenses that arise from disabilities such as extra heating, clothing, gardening and domestic work.
We offer clients independent benefits checks to help ensure that they receive all the benefits and allowances to which they are entitled.
Intermediate care
If your care is arranged as part of a package of rehabilitation or ‘intermediate care’, where you are having short-term therapy or treatment, either following some time in hospital or to avoid having to go into hospital, it will usually be provided free of charge for up to six weeks. After that you may be charged in accordance with the Fairer Charging scheme described above.
Care homes
Most people have to pay something towards the cost of their care in a care home but are financially assessed under rules which differ from those which apply to non-residential care. There is usually no free care period unless they are fully funded by the NHS. See below.
The amount you may have to pay will depend on how much money you have and will normally come from your income – for example, a private or state pension and some benefits such as pension credit – and any capital over a certain amount which may include the value of any property you own.
Currently, if you have savings and capital assets of more than £23,250, we will expect you to pay the full cost of the care services. If you have less than £23,250 we will need to financially assess you to find out how much you can contribute towards the cost of your care. See A Guide to Fairer Charging below.
If you have savings and capital assets of more than £23,250 but are unable to access them, for example, because you no longer have the capacity to deal with your own affairs and nobody else has legal power to do so or you are waiting to sell a property to enable you to pay for your care, we may be able to assist you on a temporary basis.
Contact us
Please contact the Financial Assessment Team for more information.
There are a number of groups and organisations - local and national - which provide advice and support to older people. See external links below.
NHS Nursing Care payments
The NHS is responsible for meeting the full cost of care in a care home for residents whose ‘primary need’ for being in care is health based. This is called NHS continuing healthcare and is often described as ‘fully funded care’.
For other residents in care homes who receive nursing care, the NHS may pay a weekly amount to assist with the cost of care. This amount is the same for eligible residents no matter if they are council funded or paying privately for their care.
More information on the NHS website.
Other NHS services
Most health services are free, but there are some occasional charges for prescriptions, dental care, podiatry and equipment. You can get more information from your GP surgery or primary care trust (PCT). Find and choose services.
Buying care services
You can get in touch with care providers privately to organise caring services you wish to pay for.
It is sometimes possible to obtain services, or the funding for them, from other sources, for example, the Social Fund.
Please note that the Government intends to transfer responsibility for the Social Fund from the Department to local councils in April 2013 but the details of how that will work in Oxfordshire have not yet been finalised.
Financial Planning Advice
Oxfordshire County Council is not licensed to give financial planning advice. If you are considering using an Independent Financial Adviser for care home fees planning please note that you can find a suitably qualified one by contacting IFA promotions.
Telephone 0800 085 3520 or use the website www.unbiased.co.uk
Care annuities
Some specialist finance providers offer annuities in exchange for a single lump sum to cover the partial or total cost of care fees for life. The income is regular, tax free and does not affect qualification for any benefits, provided it is paid directly to the registered care provider.
The Government is said to be looking into annuities as a way of offsetting care fees.
Advice on fees
You can obtain advice and information about fees, benefits, legal and tax issues from Age UK.
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