What the Council will pay towards care home costs
If you decide to move into residential care you will always have to contribute something towards the cost of your care.
Each year, the Council sets a maximum figure that we will pay towards your weekly care home costs. The amounts vary depending on the type of care you receive.
From 8 April 2024, the maximum weekly contribution is:
Private care home
- Residential Care £653
- Residential Dementia Care £681
- Nursing Care £715*
- Nursing Dementia Care £793*
*These rates exclude the Funded Nursing Care (FNC) rate of £235.88 per week from 1st April 2024.
Rotherham Council care home
- £708.30 for residential care / residential EMI care
The amount you pay is worked out using a national set of rules. The Council will pay the difference between your contribution and the fee for your place in the home, so long as the home doesn't charge more than we expect to pay.
The value of your former home will be included as part of the financial assessment, however it should be disregarded if your spouse or partner lives there, or another relative lives there who is either over 60 years of age or receiving a disability benefit. Your home is also ignored if you enter a care home for a temporary stay. If your property is taken into account, you will usually have more than the limit for getting local authority assistance.
The local authority may assist you under the ‘deferred payments’ scheme agreement.
You will always be left with a weekly amount for your own use called a Personal Allowance. This amounts to £30.15 per week.
If you need nursing care the NHS will pay a contribution towards your nursing care, which is called Funded Nursing Care or Continuing Healthcare. The NHS will pay this money directly to the care home to cover the costs of providing nursing cover on a 24 hour, 7 days a week basis.
If you choose a care home that is more expensive than what the Council will pay, you will need to make arrangements for someone else to pay the difference. This is often called a third party contribution or a top up fee.