A Guide to NHS Continuing Healthcare and Other Social Care Funding
If you have a long term health condition, you may need continuing healthcare support in the form of carers or needing respite or residential care in a care home. There are various measures of support for this, but sometimes you may also have to pay privately. You can start a crowdfunding campaign to help you pay for healthcare if you need.
What is NHS continuing healthcare?
NHS continuing healthcare is healthcare when you have a long term or complex condition which may require carers or living in a care home. NHS continuing healthcare means the NHS pays for this. To find out if you’re eligible, you’ll be assessed by a team and they will look at what your needs are, how complex your needs are and how intense they can be. Continuing healthcare is for adults.
What happens if I’m not eligible for free NHS long term care?
How much could it cost if I’m not eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare?
Most people will have to pay something towards their healthcare in this sense. Once you’ve been assessed, if you’re not eligible for NHS Continuing Care, there’s a number of routes you could take. You could appeal the decision and then ask to be referred to your local authority and then check if you’re eligible for NHS funded nursing care. Government limits have changed so a person will not spend more than £86,000 on care services over their lifetime.
How much does private nursing care cost?
If you need care, looking at private nursing either at home or in a care home might be an option. The cost of these can vary a lot, but the average cost of at- home care per week in the UK is £760, and £960 in a care home. As with many things in England, care homes and at home care in London costs more than it does in the north of the country, for example.
How to pay for long term care
Buy an immediate care plan
An immediate care plan is a kind of insurance policy that will directly pay your care provider when you need it in exchange for a lump sum. This may take some of the stress out of worrying about how you will pay for care as you get older.
Local authority funding
If you’ve got less than £23,250 in savings, some local authorities might fund your care either in a home or at home. Support is offered based on means assessment and needs. You can read more on the NHS website here.
Claim Attendance Allowance
If you are of a state pension age in the UK or have a disability, you may be eligible to claim attendance allowance so that someone can help to look after you. You may be able to claim either £68.10 per week or £101.75 a week.
Reach out to charities
There’s also a plethora of charities that can help you navigate the world of care and it’s easy to reach out and ask for advice. Carers UK offers advice and help on claiming attendance allowance, charities like Macmillan can help with navigating care and benefits if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, for example and Age UK is there to help with many aspects of ageing, including care.
Use a lifetime mortgage
Another option to help finance care is using a lifetime mortgage. A lifetime mortgage works if you are over 60 and a homeowner. You can release some equity tied up in your house to help pay for ongoing care costs. There’s two types of lifetime mortgage and the amount you can release depends on the value of the house, your outstanding mortgage and your age. There’s more information on lifetime mortgages here.
Raise money for social care through crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a handy tool to use for medical costs if you need to plug the gap between NHS care and private care – and the same goes for care costs. Having a crowdfunding page to help with care means that loved ones who want to contribute easily can.
Get the help you need today
If you’ve decided to start a fundraiser to pay for care costs either for yourself or for a loved one, it couldn’t be easier to start a GoFundMe today. Once you’ve started, remember to update people about your journey.