Care Issues
When someone that is close to you is suddenly admitted to hospital it can be an extremely upsetting time.
Often the information that is provided is far from comprehensive and knowing what your options are can be overwhelming and contradictory.
Everyone is entitled to care following discharge from hospital to help them settle back into their lives.
If going back home is not possible due to requiring nursing assistance or 24 hour care, then it is vital that you know what the next steps are.
A care assessment should be completed at the earliest opportunity. This establishes what kind of care a person requires, who needs to provide that care and how that care is paid for.
Often a person could qualify for NHS Continuing Health Care. This is nursing care provided and fully funded by the NHS where a person has a primary health need.
If you require care from a registered nurse or doctor, you could be entitled to Registered Nursing Care Contribution.
Where none of the above apply, the Local Authority will assess your means to determine the level of their contribution. Currently the threshold is £23,250. If you have savings beyond this and any of the above does not apply, you will be regarded as self funded and pay for all of your care. This cap is due to increase to £123,000 in April 2017.
The misconception is that your property will need to be sold to pay for your care. This is incorrect. You may for example, have your spouse living in the property. If this is the case, the property is disregarded.
You can request the option of entering into a deferred payment agreement. This means that the property is only sold on your death whereupon your care costs will be recovered from the sale proceeds.
We commonly get asked about the possibility of transferring assets to children either outright or in a Trust type arrangement to avoid paying for care. Such transfers may be regarded as a deliberate deprivation of an asset and as such will still be counted towards financial care assessments. Therefore it is important you obtain expert advice before pursuing these appealing options.
This is a unique area of law and rather than charging hourly rates, we offer fixed fees depending on the level of help and assistance you require.