Care homes

When it comes to care homes, you have the right to choose any care home in England. We can provide you with a list of local options.

You might want to stay close to where you live now, or move nearer to family. You may also want to consider a specialist home run by a religious group.

You can choose to live in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. It's best to talk to social work staff for advice if you're interested. You need to meet certain conditions to choose your care home. These conditions are:

Suitability of Accommodation

The care home that you choose needs to be registered to meet the needs that you have. Your social worker will tell you which care homes fit your care and support plan.  

Cost

We will set a “usual cost” to cover your care needs. It usually won’t pay the full amount if your care home charges more than this. If you choose a care home that costs more than the "usual price", your family or a charity will need to pay the difference. This is called a top-up. If you select a care home outside Harrow, we'll cover the "usual cost" set by the local council there. However, you might still need to pay a top-up.  

Terms and conditions

The care home you choose must agree to a contract with the council. This contract gives you a place to stay based on the council's usual terms.

Paying through third-party top-ups

Care homes can charge a weekly fee that is higher than our agreed 'usual cost.' Care homes can differ in price for several reasons. This could be due to a lovely setting with great views. It might also relate to business choices. Some homes may charge more. This could be because they have better facilities, such as larger rooms.

You can choose to live in a care home that costs more if you wish. If you do, a third party like your family, a friend, or a charity must be ready and able to pay the extra amount. When choosing a care home, consider the following:

• You can't pay the difference from your income or savings. Your income counts in your financial assessment for your care home contribution.
• Any change to your income, like pension increases, won’t affect the third-party top-up amount.  
• We will increase the 'usual cost' from time to time to recognise increased costs. We cannot guarantee that the care home will increase its costs at the same rate. 
• The third-party top-up will always be the difference between the care home fees and the 'usual cost'.  
• The person paying the top-up should be aware that the top-up amount may vary. This is because providers conduct regular reviews of their fees.  
• The third party must sign an agreement. This shows they can cover the cost difference and will continue to do so during your stay in the care home.  
• If the third party can’t keep paying the difference, you might need to move. You could change rooms in the care home or go to another one that fits the 'usual cost'.

Paying through resident top-ups 

Individuals usually cannot pay their own top-up. This must be covered by someone else, often called a ‘contributor’. This person could be a friend, a relative, or even a charity.

This top-up is paid on top of any client contribution made by the individual towards their care cost. You can only choose to make a top-up yourself in these situations:

• Where you are subject to a 12-week property disregard.
• Where you have got a deferred payment agreement in place.
• Where you receive accommodation under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Accommodation under this act is usually free. But you must cover any top-ups. 

You will still be responsible for paying your assessed contribution at all times. The top-up would be in addition to this. You would also need to sign a Top-up agreement. 

There will be cases where a citizen may not have the capacity to express their own choice. We will follow the choices made by the citizen’s court-appointed deputy, lasting power of attorney (LPA), independent mental capacity advocate (IMCA), or legal guardian. This is just like how the Local Authority would act on the citizen’s wishes. But we may not do so if we believe it goes against the citizen's best interests. 

Paying through deferred payment agreements

Deferred payment agreements (DPA) help people avoid selling their home to pay for care. We can give DPAs to people who meet the criteria and can provide a first charge on their property.

A DPA offers you a loan from us as the council using your home as security. It doesn’t work in exactly the same way as a conventional loan. We do not give you a fixed sum of money when you join the scheme.

We pay an agreed part of your weekly care and support bill for as long as is necessary. You will pay according to what you can afford from your income and savings.  

We will cover the part of your weekly charge that you can't pay. This continues until your home sells or you pass away, whichever happens first. The part we pay is your ‘deferred payment’.

The deferred payment adds up as debt. This debt is cleared when the money in your home is released. Deferred payments will earn interest just like a regular bank loan does.  

For more information, contact us on 020 8736 6802 or email JAT@harrow.gov.uk.

We have provided an outline of the main options for funding your care. There might be other choices or financial products that suit you better. We always suggest talking to an independent financial adviser. They can help you find the best options for your situation.