Blog

VISITING GUIDANCE

The current visiting at Lakeside is between 11am and 4 pm, seven days a week, limited to 2 visitors per room. Garden visits are more relaxed.

Sanitise your hands with gel, don a mask, and you’re good to come in but only to the room of the resident you are visiting, or the garden. . Masks are not required in the room, nor in the garden.

Ways to Fund your Care Home Fees

There are different ways to get funding for care, which include the following:

Self funding

• Pension
• Savings
• Investments‘ income
• Care insurance
• Rental income
• Equity release

Local Authority funding

• Could include third party top-ups
• A 12 week property disregard or deferred payment scheme could apply

NHS

• Continual healthcare funding (CHC)
• Funded Nursing Care

Of course, it all depends on your and your loved one’s personal situation and eligibility in qualifying for the funding you need.

Self funding would apply in Wales if the potential resident’s capital exceeds £50,000.

Local Authority funding.

If the capital is below £50,000 then the local council will fund your care after a  means test your capital, savings, and assets. It could be that you will still be expected to contribute to the fees from state or private pensions, benefits such as attendance allowance, universal credit, etc.

Cardiff council have published the fees they will pay for various types of care, but they could increase their budget to ensure that the right care and home is available for specific needs. Or they may ask the family for a top-up, if the home’s fees exceed their published rate.

Property Disregard

When the council is carrying out the means test, if your savings are below the £50,000 threshold but you own your own house, they may disregard the value of your property for 12 weeks to give you time to make important financial decisions like selling your house.

Deferred Payment Agreement

If the property is not sold after 12 weeks, the council should be able to lend you the money you need to pay the fees, with a legal charge on the property so that they can retrieve the loan once the property is sold.

However, it is important to note that the council can now charge interest and fees for any arrangements.

NHS funding

Continual Health Care. (CHC)

In certain instances, after a resident’s condition has been assessed by the NHS, they will fully fund the care. This is not readily available, and the criteria for granting CHC are quite strict, with only residents in a more chronic situation usually qualifying.

Funded Nursing Care (FNC)

FNC is a weekly allowance that is paid directly to the home, to cover the cost of qualified staff on site for those residents needing nursing care. It is not paid to the resident or family.

Here at Lakeside we have lots of experience with all these means of funding and will support you and help you to get the funding you need that best suits your needs and circumstances.

Yes, Helen Simmonds BEM, our Matron/Manager for over 20 years, was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s birthday honours list back in June 2021. It was for ‘her services to the elderly through the pandemic’.

Helen received the medal from the Lord Lieutenant of Gwent (she lives in Rogerstone) on behalf of her majesty the Queen.

Helen’s family were all there for the special day.