The Costs of Visiting Care

How can visiting care help?

Visiting care – sometimes called hourly or domiciliary care – is provided to people in their own homes when additional support is needed with day-to-day life. One of our competent and compassionate carers will provide a range of care and support services to you in the comfort of your home, including:

• Sensitive and discreet personal care
• Help with domestic tasks, such as cleaning, laundry and shopping
• Meal planning and preparation
• Rehabilitation and home from hospital
• Safe mobility around your home
• Overnight care
• Medication management and administration
• Specialist care of complex conditions, like dementia or Parkinson’s
• Companionship and emotional support

Visiting care can be provided on an as-needed basis from a one-hour visit to as many hours/visits as you require throughout the day or week. For those with ongoing or complex needs, care can be provided over a 24-hour period.

Can I Receive Funding to Help Cover the Costs of Visiting Care?

You may be entitled to either healthcare funding, social care funding or Government funding to contribute to the cost of visiting care.

NHS Continuing Healthcare funding in the UK is provided free at the point of delivery to those that have an identified primary healthcare need. This care can be provided in a primary or acute care setting or you may choose to receive care and support in your own home. Healthcare funding is organised and funded by your local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

The process of finding out whether you are eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding can be lengthy and the qualification criteria is rigorous. To learn if you’re eligible, your first step should be to ask for a continuing care assessment from your social worker or GP.

You may also be eligible for social care funding through your local council. This form of funding is means-tested, meaning your eligibility depends on both your financial circumstances and care needs. If you are receiving care in your own home, the means test will not consider the value of your property.

Your local authority will look at your income, savings and property to determine how much you need to contribute to the cost of your care. If you have capital (savings and property) over £23,250, then you will likely be required to self-fund your own care.

To determine if you are eligible for social care funding, you must request a care needs assessment from your local authority.

You may also be entitled to some Government funding to help cover the cost of your visiting care. Some of these benefits include:

• Attendance Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment
• Pension Credit
• Council Tax Reductions

While we have listed the main benefits here, you may be entitled to others depending on your circumstances.