There is a variety of financial help available to help you and the person you care for to get support services.
The main sources of support are the NHS and your local social services department but, depending on your circumstances, help may also be available from charitable organisations such as the Family Fund. Read on to find out more about the different ways you could get support.
NHS care
The NHS is responsible for funding certain types of healthcare equipment you may need. In some situations, the NHS is also responsible for meeting care needs. This is usually when someone’s need is mainly for healthcare rather than social care. NHS care could be provided in hospital but it could be in someone’s own home or elsewhere in the community.
When care is provided through the NHS there is no financial assessment and no care charges to pay. However, people are only eligible for NHS care in certain circumstances.
NHS Continuing Healthcare
If the person you care for has very severe and complex health needs, they may qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare. This is an ongoing package of care that’s fully funded by the NHS.
Nursing care
If someone goes into a residential care home but needs some element of nursing care, they’ll get a payment from the NHS to help pay for their nursing care. This is called a registered nursing care contribution (RNCC) .
Intermediate care
Some people can be eligible for intermediate care from the NHS. This is provided on a short-term basis and is intended to help people to recover from an injury or illness, and stay independent. Intermediate care is often provided to elderly people who are being discharged from hospital, and may help someone to keep living in their own home rather than moving into a care home.
Aftercare
People who were previously detained in hospital under certain sections of the Mental Health Act will have their aftercare services provided free.
Social services
If someone isn’t eligible for free care from the NHS, their main source of support will be social services. In this case, there are rules that determine whether or not they have to make a financial contribution. These rules vary depending on whether the care is provided in a care home or in their own home. The rules state how their income (including any benefits) and capital will be taken into account when calculating whether they have to pay anything towards the care they receive.
In some cases, a person may have a mixed package of care, including some that is NHS-funded and some that is provided by social services, for which they may be charged.
Direct payments
Both you and the person you care for may choose to receive direct payments so that you can buy the care you want, rather than have it arranged for you by social services. Again, there are rules that state who can receive these types of payment. It's important to know that if you or the person you're looking after receive a direct payment to pay a care worker or personal assistant, you become an employer and have legal responsibilities.
Direct payments are part of a move towards ‘personalised’ social care so that people have more choice and control over the support they get.
User-controlled trusts
In some cases, the person who is in need of services is unable to manage a direct payment themselves. In this case, a user-controlled trust can be set up to assist him or her in receiving and using direct payments to pay for their care.
Other sources of funding
There are other sources of funding. The Independent Living Fund, for example, was set up to work with social services to jointly fund care packages. The ILF is no longer open to new applicants, but people already getting support will continue to get it until 2015.
Some charities can help with funding care needs. For example, the Family Fund is a charity that can help with grants if you care for a severely disabled child 17 or under.
Other sources of help include the Social Fund. This can provide discretionary loans and grants to people who are receiving certain means-tested benefits. The Access to Work scheme can help with work-related needs (such as equipment, adaptations or travel costs) for people with disabilities. Children or students with disabilities may be able to get funding from various education authorities. (See External links, right).