Had to cancel my Care

Gilead · 2023-04-03T14:51:58+00:00

Package. No matter your income you have to pay part of it apparently. I’m on benefits, still expected to pay £70 a week. I just don’t have it to spare so care package gone. I can’t work out whether I’m scared, worried, or what. I do wonder how I’m going to manage. I hate this government.

ApolloandDaphne · 03/04/2023 15:56

Can you manage without it?

KnickerlessParsons · 03/04/2023 16:05

What is the care package supposed to cover?

And what's your income and expenditure like? Is there anything you can rearrange to free up £70 pw?
And can you manage if you aren't able to part fund the care package, and so get nothing?

Villagetoraiseachild · 03/04/2023 16:12

Are you getting the correct benefits?
Not meaning to pry into your circumstances, just wondering if you have been correctly assessed and getting full entitlement.

AdditionalCharacter · 03/04/2023 16:12

Unfortunately if you receive care you have to pay the care component of your PIP and the £30 extra if you get it extra on your ESA. doesn't leave much to live off really does it.

Can you manage without your care?

Original poster

Gilead · 03/04/2023 17:14

@AdditionalCharacter Im going to have to. That’s exactly what’s happened. It’s also going up in April to £110!

They were only here 15 minutes a day.
they would make me a coffee, fill my coffee machine upstairs, Put the washing in and on, take it out and tumble it. Change my bedding. Take out the rubbish. Do things like clean the top shelves in the fridge which I’m unable to reach.
Im going to have to find ways to do these things, which will have to be a wheelchair upstairs, friends for rubbish perhaps. I don’t know.

OP posts:

Springingintosummer · 03/04/2023 17:25

Sorry to hear that.

would it be cheaper to pay a cleaner twice a week, which where I live is about £15 an hour? They could empty your bin x2 a week, fill the washer and empty it if you have a quick wash x2 a week, fill up your coffee machine x2 a week and clean shelves and change bedding?

KnickerlessParsons · 03/04/2023 17:33

Springingintosummer · 03/04/2023 17:25

Sorry to hear that.

would it be cheaper to pay a cleaner twice a week, which where I live is about £15 an hour? They could empty your bin x2 a week, fill the washer and empty it if you have a quick wash x2 a week, fill up your coffee machine x2 a week and clean shelves and change bedding?

Just what I was going to say.
And stop with the tumble drier. They cost ££ to run!

EmilyGilmoresSass · 03/04/2023 17:47

Gilead · 03/04/2023 17:14

@AdditionalCharacter Im going to have to. That’s exactly what’s happened. It’s also going up in April to £110!

They were only here 15 minutes a day.
they would make me a coffee, fill my coffee machine upstairs, Put the washing in and on, take it out and tumble it. Change my bedding. Take out the rubbish. Do things like clean the top shelves in the fridge which I’m unable to reach.
Im going to have to find ways to do these things, which will have to be a wheelchair upstairs, friends for rubbish perhaps. I don’t know.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but have you approached friends about this yet? I wouldn't have to think twice about popping to a friends home to do tasks like this for them a few times a week. I definitely would if it saved them that sort of money!

AdditionalCharacter · 03/04/2023 17:50

My SIL pays £550 a month, it's bonkers!

Try looking for a cleaner who would do what you need?

WeeOrcadian · 03/04/2023 18:39

Another vote for cleaner.

But surely if they're on there for 15 mins, they aren't doing everything you described, or they are doing it and they're there for longer?

cestlavielife · 03/04/2023 19:57

Get some advice from CAB about the charges
You can discount certain expenses in the financial assessment if you only have esa pip?

https://jennymorrisnet.blogspot.com/2021/01/using-law-to-challenge-charges-for.html?m=1

I dont think you can exoect a friend to be a regular carer to be honest without recompense

Using the law to challenge charges for social care

A few weeks ago I was reminded that - while we are all focussed on how to survive through the current difficulties - there are yet other s...

https://jennymorrisnet.blogspot.com/2021/01/using-law-to-challenge-charges-for.html?m=1

Original poster

Gilead · 04/04/2023 22:21

@cestlavielife
That is my situation exactly, thank you so much!

OP posts:

Babyroobs · 04/04/2023 22:28

If someone is on income related ESA and PIP and lives alone they will also be getting the severe disability premium. Are you getting that op on your ESA ?

GerronBuzanDoThaWomwok · 04/04/2023 22:35

Request a new financial assessment from Adult Social Care, tell them you are now without care. Certain costs can be taken into account to lower your assessed charge-laundry and associated costs (for example due to incontinence) is a standard one. Also, never cancel care-the worst that can happen is you contact them to explain you cannot afford to pay the whole amount. PIP or the old DLA/AA are meant to help you pay for care-have you thought of requesting a Direct Payment to employ your own carer? This is often cheaper, you can arrange yourself or Adult Social Care can manage this for you (although will levy a charge for this)

JockTamsonsBairns · 05/04/2023 01:27

Gilead · 03/04/2023 17:14

@AdditionalCharacter Im going to have to. That’s exactly what’s happened. It’s also going up in April to £110!

They were only here 15 minutes a day.
they would make me a coffee, fill my coffee machine upstairs, Put the washing in and on, take it out and tumble it. Change my bedding. Take out the rubbish. Do things like clean the top shelves in the fridge which I’m unable to reach.
Im going to have to find ways to do these things, which will have to be a wheelchair upstairs, friends for rubbish perhaps. I don’t know.

Sorry to ask this, but just to clarify - was it a care agency providing 15 minute calls?
I've been a care worker for 28 years, and I haven't known any agencies who do 15 minute calls for a long time now.

Could you pay for a PA via Direct Payments?

Original poster

Gilead · 05/04/2023 05:54

@Babyroobs yes I am, but they are taking that too.

OP posts:

Original poster

Gilead · 05/04/2023 05:57

@JockTamsonsBairns they were scheduled for 30 minutes but rarely took more than 15 minutes to do what was needed. Sometimes they would chat for the spare 15 minutes, other times they’d get going.

OP posts:

CollieFIower · 05/04/2023 06:19

I would definitely try and find someone self employed to do it tbh. It doesn't sound like life-or-death care, so maybe you don't need the back up you'd get from using an agency. If you could find someone who would pop in on the way to/from the school run for example? It's the sort of thing I used to do when my oldest was very young, I would drop her off at nursery and then had a couple of elderly people I'd visit for 30 minutes each 3 days a week to do exactly these sort of small but necessary tasks. It used up the otherwise pointless and unusable 2.5 hours I had child-free and brought in some very useful extra money when I was a single parent to a toddler!