The next step

When you’re looking to arrange care, understanding how it will be paid for is likely to be one of your key concerns.

You may be entitled to funding from your council’s social services department, which can pay for some or all of your care, or give you direct payments to spend on your own care. If you need to meet care costs yourself, there are several options that can help you to do so.

Social services funded care

The law requires your local authority to assess your care needs. If it agrees that you need care, it will assess your finances to see how much care it can fund for you and whether you’ll need to contribute.

A Personal Budget from your local authority allocates you an amount of money that you can use to pay for care yourself. This gives you more control over your care but can also mean you have more responsibilities.

Funding your own care

Self funding gives you control over the type of care you receive and who provides it. There are numerous ways you can fund your care, ranging from buying a care annuity to gifting your house to a voluntary organisation.