Residential care home fees, would I be unreasonable to ask how much they are ?

[frumpety]

I have tried to find out online, but the average figures quoted seem a lot lower than the rates at local residential care homes ? Also there doesn't seem to be any info on prices on any of the home websites ? why is this ?

Sorry just thought I should add I am not a journalist.

Are people aware that nursing care needs in residential homes are met by the NHS community care teams/ district nursing teams ? So if a relative needs an injection in a residential home it will be someone from one of those teams who come in and give it ? Not a qualified nurse working in the same home, if it is a dual registered home ?

Near me it's around £2,500 a month for something reasonable - there is one cheaper but I wouldn't let them look after anyone I cared about. Poor area though, go half an hour up the road and you get the £1,000+ per week, which are nicer in a lot of ways and are more like an expensive hotel, but my family member would have got nothing out of the extra facilities by the time she went into residential care (en suite, fridge/coffee making facilities in the room, spacious lobby, large garden and so on, she wasn't capable of making use of them).

@hatgirl
When the social worker came to do an assessment of mum's finances, all she had was her house. I explained she had no insurance policy for to cover her funeral. She told me that was up to the family to sort out. When I informed her I had paid for it with sale of the house. She told me I had no right to do that. The money was for mum's care.

My mother was in a lovely care home for the last few months of her life.
It cost £6800 a month. Expensive but worth every penny.

We are in Surrey.

It varies according to geographical location, type of room e.g. en suite, care needs and type of home.
Having been in around 100 upwards residential and nursing homes throughout my career, I’d never be swayed by fancy lobbies and other furnishings. Paying more for a fancy room doesn’t mean squat if you’re stuck sitting in your own mess because they’re understaffed and ignore the call bells. Once you’re into the residents’ room areas, they often look the same. The care is what matters. The activities might be in a basic room In a “cheaper” home but if it’s good quality, you don’t need fancy tablecloths. Never judge a book by its cover is definitely my motto for these situations.

My nan pays £800 a week for residential care.

Fil was in council run in Cheshire
3 different ones would hate to be put in one.
If you have more than 16, 000 in saving including house if you live alone. you have to pay

If you are looking for a family member, I would say it’s all show whilst there being shown around.
What’s available is not necessary what you get!
If we hadn’t had been there half the time, fil would of hardly eaten or drank.
I really think because he’d been left in either bed or chair nearly all the time and not moved about fil had the most horrendous bed sores (even sister in hospital, said they were off the scale)
This as put me off care homes for life

They may not all be like the 3 fil was in, but I bet there far and few between!
The thought of them and the ridiculous amount that was paid to them makes my stomach turn.

I used to do financial reviews which included thinking about care home fees. In Cheshire the fees people paid for their parents was £1200 - £1500 per week. I assumed that this was high end as the people I was interviewing were wealthy.

I hope it isn't a BUPA home you are looking at
The staff in my mum's were all fucking nut jobs.

Parkheadparadise financial assessments usually leave an allowance for funeral expenses.

The local authority never takes all of a person's money anyway, there is always some left (£14k ish) to pay for funerals etc. It's an accepted and normal expense.

It's quite rare these days for social workers to carry out financial assessments, usually it's done by a person specifically employed to carry out the assessments.

Perhaps you just had a really odd experience?

My mum is in nursing care in a home in Scotland. It costs £3700 per month. It is a good home with lovely staff. She was self funded at first but now gets a contribution from local authority as her savings have dropped below the threshold. And that home has their own nursing staff, at least 2 nurses on site at all times.

If the house-the only asset-has to be sold, does the lot have to be given over immediately or does the money go to into the person's bank account and they pay monthly?

N e ..was under £500 a week for my mum three years ago
If you have a SS assessment I think you actually pay a bit less than going straight to the home.
I seem to remember there being a disregard of a smallish sum ..can’t remember whether it was age related of condition related...dementia
So please don’t quote me. Both mum and my aunt were over 80 when they had to go to a care home

If your relative needs chc...don’t forget it’s free .
You do have to put up a fight for it

Just something to think about in light of the comments above - a live in carer costs in the region of £1000 per month. Obviously the person needs to remain in their home so it can’t be funded from a house sale, but in my experience, the care they receive will be far more personalised and not only are they able to stay in the home they love but they have 1-1 attention around the clock. I would certainly be considering this as an option before looking into residential care.

#£1000 per week that should have said - sorry!!!

Anything from £750 to £2000 pw

@hatgirl
This was 7 yrs ago. She was self funding until she had £16,000 left. I paid for the funeral when I sold the house. According to her i was using money that was for mum's care.
She came to my house to do the assessment. I never dealt with anyone else.

@TitusOatesLivesNextDoor
The house sale was paid into my bank account, along with my mum's pension. I did have POA.

Never judge a book by its cover is definitely my motto for these situations.

Absolutely.

My favourite care home is a bit shabby, but it's run by people who really care and are in it to make a living and not a profit. They only employ staff who really care and you are genuinely welcome to pop in any time unannounced, and will always see big plates of biscuits and staff sat having a chat with residents who are all gently bickering with each other in the communal lounge. Yes they might offer you a cuppa in a slightly chipped mug, but it's a good strong brew and you know they aren't putting on a show for you.

In comparison I go to the 'posh' care home and it's all fancy and white and shiny smiles from managers who haven't got a clue if it's Ernie or Eric wandering round looking confused in reception, or where they are actually supposed to be. If you pop in unannounced you are met with suspicion and if you hang out for a while there you notice the carers spend most of the time hanging out in the office flirting with each other and drinking red bull while call bells fall eerily silent, and you pass through endless corridors of closed bedroom doors and empty communal areas, apart from one polish cleaner who seems to also be doing most of the care work. You don't accept the tea in the white china mug because it from experience you know tastes like dishwater.

Titus
No you don’t have to sell the house immediately
You ask for a SS assessment and they put a charge against the house.
I rented out my aunts and my mothers. The rent, their pensions, don’t forget attendance allowance if they are over 80 all come off the weekly bill so the shortfall if there is one goes up gradually.
I was lucky with my aunt ..her I comings ( she had a slightl more expensively house and a slightly more private pension than mum) covered her rent

My mum had a small shortfall-even so aunt paid £125k for her care and mum £95k
They both lived in homes for nearly 5 years.
They weren’t wealthy. Aunts home was worth £125 k and mum, well I only got £56 k ( I live in a cheap area) but I got to inherit both houses, which is what both my relatives wished.

It’s definitely worth thinking about.
I’ve had nice tenants, no problems.

My friend got a live in carer..that was 22/24 hour care, they had to have a two hour break each day
They did about three weeks one and a week off

If it was a £1k a month, I would snatch their hand off
My friend in Dorset paid £850 a week .
Her mil had dementia...that woman really earned her money..very, very difficult

@Dowser
You were lucky
I had Bupa's head office on the phone constantly asking if I'd sold the house yet.
When it sold I had to agree to them getting what I already owed from my lawyer before the funds were released to me.

Dementia care home for my Mum is £6.5k/month in the SE. It's self-funding residents only.
Other homes that were quite frankly shit holes were £5.5k/month for, as self funders, we would be subsidising LA residents.
At-home live-in care was £6k/month using a care agency recommended by Age UK. Excellent care but we needed to move Mum to a more secure location as we needed to invoke Deprivation of Liberty for her safety.
I'd got fed up with being used as a punchbag. I'm losing a tidy inheritance but Mum is getting fantastic care & is very happy plus I've got my health.

Thank you! My MIL has taken out equity release on her house so goodness knows what will happen!

Recently had to look at this as temp care for mum and was quoted £660 per week en-suite for personal care so no dementia, no nursing. Luckily mum has visited friends in local homes so could give us the low down on where she felt was suitable just to get her over a fall and be able to move back home. A colleague in the south is being quoted £1500+ a week for his father with dementia and nursing needs so it is very much dependant on location and requirements.