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Paying for servicesprovided in thecommunity

May 2

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If you need help understanding this leaflet, an interpretingservice is available.

Please phone Stockport Interpreting Unit on 0161 477 9000

You can also email [email protected]

If you would like this leaflet in large print, Braille or audio format, please contact us for a copy.

• Phone 0161 474 4614

• Email:[email protected]

• Fax: 0161 474 4666

• Textphone: 0161 217 6024

2 Paying for services provided in the community

3

Introduction

Paying for services provided in the community

From 1 April 2015, the Care Act 2014 introduces new rules for chargingfor care and support.

This leaflet has been updated to include the Care Act changes andgives you the facts about how we decide how much, if anything, youas a service user will have to pay towards the cost of services weprovide in the community.

For more information on the Care Act, please visitwww.stockport.gov.uk/careact orwww.mycaremychoice.org.uk/thecareact/

Q. What do you mean by ‘services we provide in the community’?

A. These are services which help you to stay in your own home. Theyinclude the following.

• Home care and personal support (including night sitting services)

• Day services

• Telecare

• Housing-related support and services provided by Creative SupportCommunity meals, such as:

• meals on wheels;

• meals at day services;

• meals at day centres; and

• meals at luncheon clubs

• Transport

• Pure Innovations (see page 7)

When you receive one or more of the services listed above we call ita care package.

Q. How will you work out how much, if anything, I have to pay?

A. The amount you have to pay depends on your financial circumstances and the services you receive.


When you are about to receive services in the community, we willask you to fill in a form with details of your finances. From this formwe work out how much money you have coming in. We then takeoff an amount for your living costs. We call the money you have leftyour ‘net chargeable income’.

When we work out how much you have to pay we will count all ofyour net chargeable income and any savings you have over £14,250.If you have savings of £23,250 or more in your name only, or you donot want to give us details of your finances, you will have to pay themaximum charge for all the services you receive.

If you are living with a partner who is not receiving services, we canwork out what you have to pay based on both your incomes andliving costs, or on your income and living costs only. We will workout what will be the lowest charge for you.

If you and your partner receive any state benefits (such as IncomeSupport or Pension Credit) that are awarded to you as a couple, theamount you have to pay will be based on both your incomes andboth your living costs.

Q. What income do you take into account when you work out how much I have to pay?

A. We will take account of most of the money you have coming in, including the following.

• Any pensions you receive

• Income Support, Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit) AttendanceAllowance, the care component of Disability Living and other statebenefits

We do not count the following.

• Mobility Allowance

• Your wages or salary

• The mobility component of Disability Living Allowance or PersonalIndependence Payment

5Paying for services provided in the community

• War Disability Pension

• War Widow’s Pension

• War Widow’s Supplementary Pension

• Pension Credit (Savings Credit)

If you need further details, ring our helpline. The phone numbers are atthe end of this leaflet.

Q. How will my savings affect how much I have to pay?

A. When we work out how much you have to pay, we do not count thefirst £14,250 of your savings.

For every £250, or part of £250, you have over £14,250 and under£23,250, we add £1 a week to your income. This added amount iscalled tariff income and does not reflect the actual interest you getfrom your savings.

If you have savings over £23,250, you have to pay the maximumcharge for the services you receive.

Q. Will you take the value of my home into account?

A. We will not take the value of the home you live in into account.However, if you own any other land or property, we will take thevalue of this into account.

Example

You have £15,870 savings.

We ignore the first £14,250.

This leaves £1,620.

We add £7 to your weekly income.


Q. How much do you allow for living costs?

A. To work out your entitlement, we take account of the following.

• An amount of money equal to basic Income Support for someoneof your age or circumstances, plus 25% of that amount. We adjustthis when rates go up, usually in April each year. Basic IncomeSupport does not include Severe Disability Premium which you mayreceive as part of your Income Support if you get other disabilitybenefits.

• Your mortgage payments or the rent you pay (after taking off anyHousing Benefit you receive).

• The amount of Council Tax you pay (after taking off any Council TaxSupport you receive).

• Weekly amounts for the cost of your water charges and buildingsand contents insurance. We allow standard amounts for theseexpenses based on the average bills. If your actual costs are higheryou can ask us to look at them and we may decide to increase theamount we allow.

• Any service charges you must pay under your tenancy agreement.

• Any payments you make under a court order.

• £12.10 a week for disability-related costs. These costs includethings like the expense of extra heating and extra laundry,replacement clothing, special diets and some private care. If youfeel that your disability costs are higher than £12.10 a week, youcan ask us to look at them and we may decide to increase theamount we ignore. This decision will be based on yourcircumstances. We would need to ask you about your disability andfor some evidence of the extra costs you have.

Q. What is Telecare?

A. Telecare consists of various sensors that are placed around the homeand linked to a control unit which is connected to a phone line. If anyof the sensors detect something unusual it will trigger an alarm.


Q. How much will my Telecare cost?

A. The cost will be £2.96 each week. The Social Care ChargingSection will ask you to fill in a form with details of your finances. Wewill then work out how much, if anything, you have to pay. Thesame cost applies if you live with someone else or if you go intohospital or a care home on a temporary basis.

Q. What is reablement?

A. Reablement is short-term support that is intended to help youbecome as independent as possible, and to make it as easy aspossible for you to manage living on your own.

Q. Will I have to pay for reablement?

A. No, any service or support you receive during the reablement period is free of charge.

Q. Who are Pure Innovations?

A. Pure Innovations is a company that provide services on our behalf.They provide help in finding a job using employment officers andsocial enterprises where people can volunteer and get involved inprojects. Pure Innovations also take over and manage traditionalsocial care day services for people with learning, physical orsensory disabilities.

Q. Will I have to pay for services provided by Pure Innovations?

A. Pure Innovations provide a range of services and the cost for eachservice is different. The Social Care Charging Section will ask you tofill in a form with details of your finances. We will then work out howmuch, if anything, you have to pay.


Q. What are the charges in extra-care housing?

A. People living in Spey House, Jubilee Court, St Lesmo Court,Runnymede Court, Portland House, Birch Court and Smithy Croftpay us charges for this housing.

If you receive commissioned care from the onsite provider, we willcharge for it in exactly the same way as if you lived elsewhere in thecommunity. This means that you only pay for the actual hours of careyou receive. The amount you pay will depend on your financialcircumstances as well as the services received. The Social CareCharging Section will ask you to fill in a form with details of yourfinances. We will then work out how much, if anything, you have to pay.

Q. What is the support and response charge in extra-care housing?

A. The eligibility criteria for living in extra-care housing involves anidentified housing support need. Background support is availableto all residents including those who do not need help with personalcare. The cost of this service is currently £11.15 a week, perproperty. This charge contributes to:

• the cost of having care and support staff on site during the day;

• a contract with our Carecall service; and

• a mobile response to emergencies overnight.

You do not have to pay for this background support if you receiveHousing Benefit or Pension Guarantee Credit. If you do not receiveone of these benefits, our Social Care Charging Section will ask youto fill in a form with details of your finances. We will then work outhow much, if anything, you have to pay.


Q. What are the charges for the services you provide?

A. The charges from 6 April 2015 are as follows.

• For home care and personal support services: £12.60 an hour.

• For day services, attending a day centre and transport:

• For Telecare: £2.96 a week.

• Support and response in extra-care housing: £11.15 per week

Everyone who receives meals and transport must pay our fixedcharges for these services.

However, the most anyone will pay for any combination of theseservices, including meals and transport, will be £289 a week.

Amount of service Charge

Full day session (including meals) £33.70

Each meal (not included in the full chargefor a full day session)

£5.05

Transport (each one-way journey) £5.05


Here are some examples of how we work out what you have topay each week.

• Care package• 2 hours 30 minutes of home care or support

• Three day-service sessions

• Six meals at day services (two a day)

• Six one-way journeys to and from day services

• Minimum charge - meals and transport only• Six meals at day services (£5.05 each) £30.30

• Six one-way journeys (£5.05 each) £30.30

Total £60.60

• Maximum charge – all services, meals and transport• 2 hours 30 minutes of home care

or support (£12.60 an hour) £31.50

• Three day-service sessions (£33.70 a day including meals if you have them) £101.10

• Six one-way journeys (£5.05 each) £30.30

Total £162.90

If you have no net chargeable income you will only pay for meals andtransport. In this example you would pay the minimum charge of£60.60 a week.

If you have £10 net chargeable income you will pay the minimum chargeof £60.60 (for meals and transport) plus all of your net chargeableincome towards the cost of care. So you will pay £70.60 a week.


Q. How do I pay for services?

A. We will send you a bill every four weeks. You can send a cheque bypost, or pay at any post office or ‘Paypoint’ outlet using the printedbarcode which will be on the invoice. You can also pay by debitcard or credit card over the phone or on the internet. You will finddetails of how to do this on the back of your bill.

If you want to pay by standing order from your bank or buildingsociety account please ring 0161 474 4778.

If you would like advice on which payment method is best for you,please ring 0161 474 4778.

Q. How do I pay for transport journeys?

A. If you currently receive an invoice for your transport journeys, thisarrangement will continue until we tell you otherwise. We are nowusing a more personalised approach to travel assistance and wewill review your travel arrangements during 2015 and 2016.

If you are making new travel arrangements, you can find a list oftransport providers at www.mycaremychoice.org.uk.

Q. How do I pay for community meals?

A. If you receive community meals, you will receive an invoice showingthe number of meals you have received. We will be reviewing thecommunity meals service during 2015. You can find a list ofcommunity meals providers at www.mycaremychoice.org.uk.

Q. What is a Direct Payment?

A. A Direct Payment is a payment we make to people who, after beingassessed as needing help from Adult Social Care, would like toarrange and pay for their own care and support services.


Q. If I have a Direct Payment, how do I contribute to my care costs?

A. We will have already taken the amount that we work out as yourcontribution to your care costs, sometimes known as yourassessed charge, from the amount you receive as a DirectPayment. This means that you will need to top up your DirectPayment bank account by the amount of the charge.

If you receive other services, you may still receive an invoice forthese but we will tell you about this when we work out your charge.

Q. What happens if the amount of service I receive changes?

A. This depends on your particular circumstances and the services youreceive. Your bill will show how any changes affect the amount youhave to pay.

Q. What if I have two carers visiting me at the same time?

A. If you have two carers visiting you at the same time you will becharged as if you have been visited by one carer only.

Q. What if someone else helps with or manages my finances?

A. If someone else manages your finances and has the legal power toaccess your bank accounts in any of the arrangements below, wewill deal with that person about your financial assessment and bills.

• They are a deputy appointed by the Court of Protection.

• They have a power of attorney or lasting power of attorney to deal with your property and financial affairs.

• They have been appointed by the Department for Work and Pensions to deal with your benefits.

• They have a third-party mandate to access your bank account.

We will ask that person for proof of which of the abovearrangements applies in your case.


If nobody manages your finances in any of the arrangements shownabove, but you would like us to speak or write to someone elseabout your charges, we will ask for your written permission beforewe can do that.

Q. How can I find out if I am getting all the benefits I am entitled to?

A. We can help you with benefit advice but you can also contact anyof the following organisations.

• Welfare RightsPhone: 0161 218 1300

• Stockport Direct Local CentresPhone: 0161 217 6009 for details of your nearest centre

• Citizens Advice Phone: 0844 826 9800 for details of your nearest centre

• FLAG (For Local Advice and Guidance) Phone: 0161 474 1042

The Department of Work and Pensions can give you more adviceabout benefits on 0345 606 0265.

There are many places where you can receive advice on how tobest pay for your care.

www.payingforcare.org contains helpful advice on paying for careas well as a directory of specialist care fees advisors.

The Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) aims to help people andtheir families find trusted accredited financial advisers whounderstand financial needs in later life.

Their website is: www.societyoflaterlifeadvisers.co.uk.

Our My Care My Choice website contains information on paying forservices. http://www.mycaremychoice.org.uk/


Q. What if I disagree with how much you have asked me to pay?

A. You cannot appeal against the fixed charges for meals andtransport, which everyone has to pay. If you are not happy aboutthe other charges we have asked you to pay, you can ask for areview. You can ring our helpline on 0161 474 4781 between 9amand 4pm Monday to Friday.

You can also ask us to send you our ‘Reviews and Appeals’leaflet. This explains how you can ask for a review and what willhappen.

If you need to write to us our address is:Social Care Charging Section, Corporate and Support Services,Stockport Council, Upper Ground Floor, Stopford House, Piccadilly,Stockport SK1 3XE.

You can also email us at: [email protected]

Our charging policy, based on the Department of Health’s ‘Care andSupport Statutory Guidance’ issued under the Care Act 2014,is available on our website. Please contact us if you would like a copy.

A111 MAY 15

Adult Social CareWhy not visit our website?www.mycaremychoice.org.uk

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