Funding your care
Who is eligible for NHS continuing healthcare?
To be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare you must be over 18 and have substantial and ongoing care needs. You must have been assessed as having a “primary health need”, which means that your main or primary need for care must relate to your health.
Eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare does not depend on:
- a specific health condition, illness or diagnosis
- who provides the care, or
- where the care is provided.
If you have a disability or if you’ve been diagnosed with a long-term illness or condition, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare. You can access further information on NHS choices website.
Funding your care
There are a few ways that care can be funded. Please contact G&P Healthcare and we will be happy to give you impartial advice and sign post you to where you can get the best information and support.
Information on different ways that care may be funded :
Continuing Healthcare
NHS continuing healthcare is the name given to a package of care that is arranged and funded solely by the NHS for individuals who are not in hospital and have been assessed as having a “primary health need”. NHS continuing healthcare is free, unlike social and community care services provided by local authorities which you may be charged for depending on your income and savings.
Personal health budget
A personal health budget is an amount of money to support your identified health and wellbeing needs, planned and agreed between you and your local NHS team. The aim is to give people with long-term conditions and disbilities greater choice and control over the healthcare and support they receive.
Personal health budgets work in a similar way to the personal budgets that many people are already using to manage and pay for their social care.
Together with your NHS team (such as a GP) you will develop a care plan. The plan sets out your personal health and wellbeing needs, the health outcomes you want to achieve, the amount of money in the budget and how you are going to spend it. You can use a personal health budget to pay for a wide range of items and services, including therapies, personal care and equipment. This will allow you more choice and control over the health services and care you receive.
You don’t have to change any healthcare or support that is working well for you just because you get a personal health budget.
Direct Payments
Direct payments and personal budgets are offered by your local authority to give you more flexibility over how your care and support is arranged and provided. They are given to both people with care and support needs, and also to carers.
A personal budget or direct payment will be created after an assessment by social services. If the council decides that you need any kind of support, you will receive a personal budget and can choose a direct payment instead of letting them arrange services for you.
If you aren’t able to, or don’t want to manage your own finances, it’s possible for another person to manage the direct payments on your behalf. Direct payments are voluntary, and you need to request or agree to have one. You can’t be forced to have direct payments. If you decide to have direct payments, you can change your mind about this at any time. If you no longer want direct payments, contact your local social services and ask them to arrange services instead.
Paying Privately
Some people may not be eligible for either health or social care funding but may feel that they will benefit from some additional help at home. Anyone can pay privately for care and we urge anyone contemplating this to research fully the care agencies and speak at length with any chosen agencies and arrange meetings before selecting their preferred provider. Questions to consider may include the companies recruitment procedure, qualifications of all staff, testimonials, CQC rating and you may wish to ask for meet and greet of any prospective care staff to ensure you are happy with your choice.