Local authority funding for care costs – do you qualify?
If you are receiving care and support – either in your own home or within a care home – due to a disability, old age or a long-term health condition - which means you need support with day-to-day tasks you may be able to receive help from us with some or all of the costs. Exactly how much you get will depend on your individual needs and how much you can afford.
It is important to note that the vast majority of people who receive care and support services in their own home or in a care home are supported by relatives, friends or other members of the community - these are often referred to as informal carers – and do not receive funding from us. To be eligible for financial support from us, you must:
- have been assessed by a care manager as needing care, and
- have less than £23,250 in savings or capital (assets), and
- have weekly income which is less than the weekly cost of the care home you have chosen, and
- be a resident of the London Borough of Bromley
Getting a council care assessment
The majority of people who receive care and support are supported by relatives, friends or other members of the community. If you consider that you have needs that cannot be met in this way, you can ask us to complete a ‘needs assessment’ or a ‘care assessment’. This must be undertaken before we can provide any help.
You can find out more about the social care support provided to adults within the borough on our getting social care support page. A financial assessment will then be completed by the council to determine who should pay for any services you might need comes afterwards.
Financial assessment and eligibility
Having identified your care needs and established that they meet our eligibility criteria, we have a legal duty to provide the service. We will then carry out a financial assessment - called a ‘means test’ - to establish how much, if anything, you should contribute towards the cost.
Even if you have paid National Insurance contributions all your life, it’s likely that you will still have to contribute something to the cost of your long-term care. This applies whether it’s provided at home or in a care home. How much you’ll have to pay depends on your income and your capital.
To find out more:
Complete our financial assessment form
Download our ‘Paying for your care home’ booklet (PDF - 6.01MB)
Read 'Means tests for help with care costs – how they work’ from the Money Advice Service.
Get financial advice on how to fund your long-term care
We encourage everybody to seek unbiased, expert advice from independent financial advisers to help you work out how to pay for long-term care. Independent financial advisers are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and must stick to a code of conduct and ethics and take shared responsibility for the suitability of any product they recommend.
Unlike advisers who are tied to particular providers, specialist-care-fees advisers can offer advice on products from across the whole market. You can find out more about independent financial advisers from the Money Helper website. A list of independent financial advisers who are accredited by the Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) can be found on the SOLLA website.
Advice for people who are paying for their care
For people with savings over £23,250
If you have capital or savings of more than £23,250 you will have to pay for any care services you require – but you are still entitled to an assessment of your needs by social services.
If you are arranging your own care home placement, it would be sensible to discuss (with the home) what will happen if/when your savings have run down to below £23,250, to gain a commitment from the home that they will be willing to accept the local authority funding rates. Otherwise, you may have to move home at a time that you are feeling more vulnerable.
Alternatively, you may also request that we arrange your care and support services. If you do ask us to arrange your care and support services, we will charge an arrangement fee.