Managing your own budget can sound scary, which is why we work to bring you vital information which can assist you in managing your budget whilst remaining in control of both your financial and care needs.

Flexible Costing

Integral Focus Support and Care Services will develop your care plan around you and your needs. Our prices are tailored to meet your needs.​​ Integral Focus Support and Care Services ensures to get it right from the beginning, we will arrange to come and visit you and your family at home and discuss the exact help that you need, which will make it easier to let you know roughly how much your care needs will cost. ​​Like every other aspect of our service, this can be entirely flexible. Home care visits can cost as little as £116.90 per week, and staying at home is always less expensive than a residential home and also gives you the comfort and the peace of mind of remaining in your own home.

​Your local authority or the Department for Work and Pensions may be able to provide financial support and advice about funding. Continuing Health Care funding is arranged and provided through the NHS for people with ongoing healthcare needs and can be used to pay for personal care.

Funding through Local Authorities

Integral Focus Support and Care Services works closely with many local authorities in London, Kent, Surrey and Essex counties. The Local Councils are working hard to provide care funding for services that allow people to remain at home for as long as possible. When Social Services are made aware that help in the home is required for yourself or your loved one, they will arrange for a social worker to complete a care need assessment. The social care management team will then discuss and agree the kind of care is required with all the key people involved. Once this has been agreed, Social Services will explain what home care funding is available. They will also determine the person’s eligibility and work out how much money is available to you for your care.

In most cases, people are expected to contribute towards any care services they need depending on the outcome of their financial assessment. You should contact your local council for more information and advice.

Direct Payments

You may qualify for financial help with your care via Direct Payments, which are available to ‘both children and adults who need community care services’ among other groups.

Direct Payments provide flexibility, as you will be in a position to manage the money yourself. Simple records to show how it has been spent on care need to be kept. You will be in control of your care choices, and you can top up the payments from your own resources, and choose any service provider you like. You should contact your local council for more information and advice.

Personal Budgets

The government is committed to a policy of allocating a Personal Budget to each person who is eligible. A personal budget is a clear allocation of social care funding from the local authority given to customers after an assessment, which should be sufficient to meet their assessed needs.

People can use this money to choose and purchase the help they require. The money can be managed in a number of ways by:

• The person themselves via Direct Payment
• A representative (an independent living trust, broker or provider organisation)
• Adult Social Services
• A mixture of the above

Information to help with your funding and planning

Attendance Allowance

Those aged 65 or over who need help with personal care, due to physical or mental disability, can apply to receive Attendance Allowance. This is a tax-free Government benefit which is not means-tested.

• The basic rate of Attendance Allowance (£58.70 a week) is given to over 65s who need frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night.
• A higher rate of Attendance Allowance (£87.65 a week) is available to over 65s who need help and supervision throughout both the day and the night, or are living with a terminal illness.

People aged under 65 may be eligible for Personal Independence Payments instead. These payments range from £23.20 to £148.85 a week.

Follow this link to find out more or visit www.direct.gov.uk and search for Attendance Allowance.

Carers Allowance

If you are 16 or over and spend more than 35 hours a week caring for someone with disabilities, you may be eligible to receive Carer’s Allowance (£66.15 a week).

This taxable benefit is not available to people who are in full-time education, receive certain other benefits, or earn more than £123.00 a week after certain deductions.

Visit www.direct.gov.uk and search for Carer’s Allowance for more information.

Social Services Funding

Social Services Funding comes into effect if the person needing care has less than £23,250 in savings. 

If this is the case, the first step is to ask your local Adult Social Services department to arrange a Community Care Assessment. If the person in question is deemed eligible to receive council-supported care services, the local authority will decide a budget based upon their care needs.

The maximum hourly rate for homecare services varies from one authority to another. It is unlikely to cover the full hourly cost of a quality homecare service, such as Right at Home. However, as a result of a Government initiative to give individuals greater choice, you are now able to take control of your budget by having it paid into your bank account and topping-up the hourly cost of receiving care from an agency of your choice. This route is called Direct Payments and is designed to allow people greater control and choice over the care services they receive. To find out more about Direct Payments follow this link or visit www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect.

How do savings affect charges?

A person with savings over £23,250 will not receive any financial help. For a person with savings between £14,250 and £23,250, £1 income for every £250 between these amounts is assumed. Mortgage, rent, savings and expenses due to disability etc. are all taken into consideration and the amount left is their ‘available income’ and the person can be asked to contribute 65% of this towards the cost of their care.

Personal health budgets

Personal health budgets are funded by the NHS and can be used to implement a care and support plan that is agreed between the individual and their local NHS teams. They are an optional way of achieving your health and wellbeing goals, giving you greater control over decision-making.

Once a care and support plan has been agreed, the individual can either manage their budget themselves or they can opt for the NHS team or a third party to manage it for them. If managing their own budget, they will receive Direct Payments to spend on healthcare services they have chosen and arranged themselves. Alternatively, the NHS team or a third party will support them to identify the services they need, then arrange and pay for them on their behalf.

Personal health budgets are fully funded by the NHS and cannot be ‘topped up’. To find out more follow this link. 

NHS Continuing Care Funding

If you have a complex medical problem or needs that result from disability, accident or illness, you might qualify for free NHS Continuing Care.

This tends to be given to people who need nursing care rather than social care. It can cover healthcare costs, personal care, accommodation or support for carers if you are being looked after at home.

To find out if you are eligible for free NHS Continuing Care, you must first undergo initial screening, then a more thorough assessment that is carried out by a team of two or more health and social care professionals who are involved in your care. If your health is deteriorating rapidly, you can ask about a fast-track assessment to bypass the initial screening.

If you don’t qualify for NHS support at the first assessment and your circumstances change, you can request a review through your GP or social worker. You may still qualify for Local Authority funding for some of your care needs.

To find out more about NHS Continuing Care follow this link. If you have questions about the cost of homecare you can contact us today and we can guide you if you are unsure of the options available.