Paying for care
We know if you have just started to look at care for yourself or a loved one, trying to understand care home fees and your funding options can be confusing and sometimes quite daunting. So, if you are asking yourself these questions: How will I fund for care? What will the care fees cover? How do I find out more about care fee support? What are the hidden costs? - then we have the support you need, all in one place.
With over 25 years’ experience in providing affordable, but high-quality care, we are passionate about being fully transparent with you and your family regarding our fees and how much our care truly costs. That’s why, on all our care home pages we have listed our ‘from’ prices and any increase that may be added once an assessment of you or your loved one’s care needs has taken place and we truly understand the level of care required. Our honest approach to care home fees is designed to support you when looking for the best choice of care for your family.
To make things even easier, we have also put together a helpful 'Paying for Care' guide to provide a clearer picture of how care home fees and funding works. But for more of your unanswered questions and details on Sanctuary Care’s fees, please refer to the below frequently asked questions – including details of our zero deposit requirements for permanent residents. Or alternatively, you can contact a member of our Enquiry Support Team on 0800 917 468 and they will be more than happy to support you.
Download our guide to paying for care
What are the Care Home Fees and Costs?
Weekly fees are individual to each resident, based on the level of care they require coupled with the standard of bedroom that is available and the length of stay. Fees are based on a person’s accommodation costs plus their individual care costs and cover 24-hour personal care and nursing care if required, as well as nutritious meals, activities programmes, laundry and cleaning services. Accommodation costs refer to the bedrooms used within each care home and their special features and benefits, for example, en-suite bedrooms or those featuring patio doors leading to the gardens. All bedrooms are banded according to these features, from premium bedrooms to standard. Meanwhile, care costs are based on a person’s assessed needs with different fees being assigned depending on the amount of care and support they require.
For residents without capacity, legal representatives should be in place to take care of contractual and financial responsibilities. Evidence of this legal status, such as Power of Attorney, Deputyship or Guardianship, is also required.
To view our individual home ‘from’ prices, please visit the care home page that you are interested in on our website.
What is included in your Care Home Fee?
What is included in your Care Home Fee?
Both accommodation and care costs are included in our care fees, including the following:
- A pre-assessment
- Accommodation in a single bedroom - or double, if arranged - with en-suite facilities, where available
- Use of the home’s facilities and gardens
- A personalised care plan including monthly reviews via our Resident of the Day initiative
- A dedicated key worker for each resident
- Residential care and/or nursing services, in accordance with your care plan
- Nutritious meals and non-alcoholic drinks and beverages
- Housekeeping, room cleaning and laundry services
- Utilities, including Council Tax and water rates, where applicable
- Wi-Fi internet access in communal areas.
What is a Pre-Assessment?
What is a Pre-Assessment?
Prior to moving into one of our homes, a care needs assessment will be undertaken to ensure that the care services we provide are appropriate and that we are fully transparent about what the costs for your care will be.
A member of the care home team will meet you and will talk to you and your loved one to gain a thorough understanding of the care needs. Once a pre-assessment is complete, it’s at this point that we will be able to determine your exact weekly fee.
What is not included in your Care Home Fee?
What is not included in your Care Home Fee?
Please note the following costs are not included in our Care Home Fees:
- Newspapers or magazines
- Hairdressing
- Chiropody and private physiotherapy
- Over the counter medications, for example paracetamol and remedies for indigestion relief
- Escorting residents on hospital visits
- TV licences in residents’ bedrooms
- Hairdryers or electrical equipment
- Private telephones in bedrooms.
Do we offer a Care Home Trial Period?
Do we offer a Care Home Trial Period?
If you are a self-funded resident, the first 28 days of living in our homes are on a trial period. During this time, the agreement may be ended by providing just seven days written notice.
Alternatively, we also offer respite care for short term stays which is a fantastic alternative to see what life is truly like at our homes.
Do I need to pay a deposit?
Do I need to pay a deposit?
We are proud to operate a ‘no deposit policy’ or no up-front costs for permanent residents, whether you are receiving residential, nursing or end of life care. The only time a fee upfront is payable for permanent residents is when a particular room needs to be reserved, for example, reserving the last available premium bedroom. We are more than happy to hold a bedroom, but a fee will be required upfront and a separate agreement will need to be signed if you wish to do this.
For respite residents, we do also ask for a 25% deposit at the point of booking.
How do I fund Respite Care Stays?
How do I fund Respite Care Stays?
Respite care stays are for people who would like a short-term break in a care home, ranging from just a few days to six weeks. A needs assessment will be carried out to ensure that the care services we provide meet your needs. Respite care charges are payable in advance. A deposit of 25% of the full stay is required at the point of booking, the remaining balance is required a minimum of seven days before the day the stay begins.
How is Care Funded?
How is Care Funded?
The amount you pay towards care depends on where you live, the type of care you require and the value of your capital and income. Any savings (including shares and investments), income (including a pension) or property that you own will affect whether you are entitled to any support. You are likely to have to pay the full cost of your accommodation and personal care yourself if you live in England and have capital of over £23,250 or £28,000 if based in Scotland.
If the above figures apply to you, you will be classed as a self-funded resident, where you cover the cost of your care and accommodation. However, it’s still important to arrange a needs and financial assessment – you can do this by speaking with the care home of your choice and an independent financial advisor, ideally with the CF8 qualification Both assessments will help you to clarify what kind of care you need (e.g. personal care, nursing care) and any support – including any benefits – that you or your family may be entitled to. If you’re likely to be funding the majority of your care, we recommend talking to a financial adviser as you’ll need to know that you’ll have the resources to fund your care in the longer term.
Alternatively, if your capital falls below the limits above, you will need to complete a financial assessment with your local authority, where you will receive local authority contributions towards the cost of your care. If you think this is a likely scenario, check in advance that your preferred care home would accept local authority funding if it became necessary. Please note, Sanctuary Care is proud to be a care provider for all and does accept local authority residents across our homes although we do reserve the right to request a contribution to meet the cost of care required.
Find out more on care fee funding below:
Local Authority
We accept residents funded by their local authority. However dependent upon the care home, the needs of the resident and the accommodation chosen, an additional contribution may need to be paid by the resident or next of kin to satisfy the difference between that paid by the local authority and the care home fee. This is known as a ‘top-up fee’.
So simply, if you prefer a more expensive care home, the local authority may agree to pay part of the fee, if a third party, such as a family member pays the extra as a ‘top-up’. The local authority can only ask for top-up fees if you refuse a care home that meets your assessed needs and choose a more expensive one.
Nursing Care Support
In England, self-funding residents may still be entitled to financial support to pay nursing care through Funded Nursing Care (FNC) or Continuing Healthcare Funding (CHC), following an assessment. In Scotland everyone (regardless of funding) aged 65 and over receives free personal and nursing care (up to a certain limit) if they have been assessed by the local authority as needing it.
12 Week Property Disregard
12 Week Property Disregard
If you need to live in a care home permanently, you may be entitled to 12 weeks free, thanks to the 12 Week Property Disregard scheme. This scheme was established to give people in this situation time to think about their future before making any final decisions.
12-week ‘Property Disregards’ may be available if a resident’s local authority has assessed their financial position and decided to disregard the value of their property for the first 12 weeks of care placement whilst the house is put for sale. Commissioning placement authorities will provide residents and their families with specific details prior to any agreement.
What happens when money runs out?
What happens when money runs out?
You can ask your local authority to carry out a review while you are in a care home if your savings will soon drop below £14,250, so it can take over responsibility for paying the care costs. It is sensible to provide your Local Authority with as much notice as possible if this situation is soon to be the case.
What fees are applied after a resident passes away?
What fees are applied after a resident passes away?
In the event of a resident passing away, we will only charge for your accommodation fees for three additional days. This time is to provide loved ones the opportunity to clear a resident’s bedroom and for our teams to be there to offer support.
If you do move out of the room before these three days and we make use of the room, we will issue a credit to you within 28 days.
If you or a representative requires longer than three days to clear a bedroom, accommodation fees will remain payable until the time is right for you.
Do Care Home Fees increase?
Do Care Home Fees increase?
Similar to other providers, our care homes fees do increase each year as the cost to deliver care also increases. Our fees increase by 5.5% year on year.
Where can I find a copy of Sanctuary Care’s Contract?
Where can I find a copy of Sanctuary Care’s Contract?
An example of our contract can be downloaded here: Sanctuary Care example contract (PDF 2.7MB).
Where can I find further support on Care Home Fees?
Where can I find further support on Care Home Fees?
We would suggest the following sites:
We hope the above information helps to answer some of your questions, but please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you’d like further advice. We are here to help.
