Some of the care and support services we provide to adults in the borough are free, because of their value in helping people remain independent. These include:
- specialist equipment, some adaptations to your home and telecare;
- Intermediate care and rehabilitation services – these are provided over the short term to help you recover your independence; Fast Response and STAR are also free;
- We provide some services for carers for free as we recognise the valuable contribution that carers make towards the care of the person they are looking after.
What we fund and what you may have to contribute
We will work out what your care and support needs are through your care and support assessment which tells us what services you may need to live as well as possible with any illness or disability you may have. We have to target those with the greater need who are eligible for our assistance.
If you are eligible for support from us, we will carry out a financial assessment of your personal finances to see if you will have to pay a contribution towards the cost of your care and support services (apart from the ones that are free listed above).
To see what different types of service cost per week, please see this year’s “average” costs listed in our document Fees Costs and Allowances
We do this because, unlike health, social care has always been a means-tested service, meaning that people are expected to contribute towards their care and support costs if they can afford to. How we calculate any contribution you may have to pay is set out in our Contributions Policy.
The rules are different for different types of care, so how much you may have to contribute will vary according to the care service you receive and your own finances.
You can look at our webpage paying for residential care for more information about the financial assessment for such services and the choices you will be offered.
You can then look at our webpage paying for care at home for a lot more information about the financial assessment for the types of services this covers, the personal budget we will calculate for you, and the possibility of you arranging your own care if you want with a direct payment.
If you are thinking of employing people to help with personal care, or help at home (such as cleaning, shopping, and gardening), you may want to refer to our webpage on employing private help which provides you with useful guidance on what you need to think about and whether it is best to employ them or to use an agency or contractor.
Help from the NHS to pay for care
If your main or primary need for care relates to a long-term complex health condition (rather than personal or social care) then the NHS may be responsible for your care services and could provide these without you having to contribute towards them. It is arranged and funded solely by the NHS, and is known as NHS continuing healthcare.
Your social care worker will advise you if they think this may apply to you. Find out more about this on the NHS Choices website.
Help to manage your finances
If you, or someone you know, is getting social care services and is having difficulty because they cannot safely manage their finances, our Appointeeship Unit may be able to help. Where the person has no-one to assist them, we can act on their behalf to get their benefits, pay bills, provide them with spending money and help them to budget.
General Adult Social Care enquiries
For general enquiries on these or any other adult social care services, please contact us at Sandwell Enquiry.