Paying for your care at home (Adults)

Making homecare better for residents

This survey will provide important information to help the Council understand how to make homecare better for our residents. We are asking questions on how people experience homecare and the system it works within. Your answers will give us a picture of what is working well and what we need to do better. 

As a local authority, we are trying to help people to remain living at home, happy and healthy, for as long as possible. Part of this is understanding how we can make homecare more local, encouraging local people to care for their local neighbourhood. This idea is being managed through our Happy at Home project, where we are introducing more choice and control for those receiving funded care through Individual Service Funds (ISFs) and promoting local people to become their own Micro Enterprise (ME) to be paid to look after people in their local community.

If you have any questions or would like to contribute further to this survey please contact Paula Spelman (Paula.Spelman@peterborough.gov.uk).

This survey is to help us understand how we can improve the way we commission homecare. We may share your information with our commissioning team and with the council analysis team.
You do not have to give us any personal information. We will not publish any personal details you do give us, but may publish our response, and include it in public reports, with personal details removed. Personal data will be held securely, in accordance with data protection legislation. We will only store it for 12 months after the survey results have been analysed.
On clicking “next” you confirm you are happy for your response to be used in the survey analysis and results. Your responses may be included as valid answers, even if you do not click “Submit” at the end of the survey.

Take the survey

We understand that due to the current cost of living crisis things may be very difficult at the moment and nobody should consider having to cancel their care because they cannot afford it. 

If you are considering doing this, please contact the council’s Financial Assessment Team for a discussion to see if they can help in any way.  

Tel. 01733 454446

email faoteam@peterborough.gov.uk)

The team can look at ways to help you to afford your care. They can check that you are claiming all relevant disability related expenditure and that you are receiving all the benefits that you are entitled to.

Assessing your finances

Charges for social care support must be fair, and take account of people’s individual circumstances.  The financial assessment will look at your:

• income and expenditure, including any additional expenditure that you might have because of a disability
• savings or capital. 

This information is then used to work out:

• if you need to make a financial contribution towards your care
• how much, if any, the cost for your care is likely to be.

We can also check to ensure you are receiving all benefits you are entitled to and can assist you in claiming for them.

If you choose not to have a financial assessment, we will assume that you are able to pay for the full cost of your care, and will charge you on that basis.

If you dispose of any capital or savings to avoid or reduce the amount you pay towards your care, we may investigate the circumstances and decide to still take these assets into account in the financial assessment. 

Standard charges

Our standard care charges are detailed below:

• meals - £5.20 hot meal / £2.60 frozen meal
• respite - capital over £23,250 - full cost

Charges for other care services, such as homecare, day activities or respite care, are based on your own financial circumstances.  

If your financial assessment shows that you are able to contribute towards the cost of your care, the charge for this will be based on what you can afford.  

The highest charge that you could pay, if your financial circumstances permit this, is the actual full cost to the council of the care you receive.

Making major adaptations

If you have a disability and require equipment and adaptations to your home to help you manage around your home, the costs differ depending on your circumstances:

• if you live in a home provided by a social housing landlord, major adaptations to your home to help you manage a disability are usually provided free of charge
• if you live in your own home or in a privately rented property, we can help you apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant of up to £30,000. If the cost of adaptions are over this amount, you will be required pay the remainder as well as your assessed contribution
• Occupational therapists can help you with these applications.

Assistive technology and telecare is usually free of charge, if you have had an assessment that confirms you are eligible for this type of support.

What is respite care?

Respite care is a short stay in a residential or nursing care home, usually to provide a break for an unpaid carer.

• if you are eligible for help with care costs, respite care can be arranged by us, or by yourself if you choose to have a direct payment
• if you are not eligible for help with care costs, we can still help you to arrange respite care, but you will pay the full cost of this.

Cost of respite care

• If the level of capital you have is more than £23,250, you will pay the full cost of the respite care stay
• if you have less than £23,250, you will pay what you can afford to pay depending on your financial circumstances

If you stay in a care home on a temporary or trial-basis, the amount that you will need to pay for this will take into account your financial circumstances that would apply when you are living in your normal home.

Continuing healthcare

If you have very severe and complex health needs, you may qualify for NHS continuing healthcare. This is an ongoing package of care that's fully funded by the NHS.

Health needs could be physical and / or mental that have arisen because of disability, accident or illness, and can be provided in any setting, including your own home, a care home or hospice. 

What are ISFs?

ISFs were formally introduced in the Care Act 2014, as an option for commissioning self- directed support.

The Care Act guidance states (s11.30 Care Act Guidance):

“There are three main ways in which a personal budget can be deployed:

• as a managed account held by the local authority with support provided in line with the persons wishes
• as a direct payment
• as a managed account held by a third party (often called an individual service fund or ISF) with support provided in line with the persons wishes”

• Direct payments have high levels of choice and control, and high levels of responsibility
• Local Authority managed services can have lower levels of choice and control for the individual. Cambridgeshire County Council will have most ongoing management responsibilities
• ISFs provide a middle option for choice and control

How ISFs work

In Peterborough, ISFs are due to become available for some people from December 2021. Your social worker will inform you if this option is available to you.

If ISFs are an option for you, a suitable organisation will be asked to manage your personal budget on your behalf. Your family, advocate or carer could also help you. You would work with the organisation to plan support services and activities to help achieve the outcomes identified in your care and support plan.

ISFs can be used for a range of different purchases as long as they demonstrate that they are achieving positive outcomes for you. The services and activities must help meet your assessed needs.

The organisation managing your ISF can:

• provide services for you, if it offers these
• commission other providers or buy sessional support. For example massage therapy, swimming lessons or yoga classes
• purchase and maintain equipment such as assistive technology (where this is not already available through the local authority or NHS)
• co-ordinate and support if you choose to pool and share your financial resources and support with other individuals 

Further information

Individual Service Funds (ISFs) in Dorset - Centre for Welfare Reform

Individual Service Funds guide - (skillsforcare.org.uk)

Individual Service Funds (ISFs) and Contracting for Flexible Support - Think Local Act Personal

Individual Service Funds – a guide (citizen-network.org)