Quick question about care home top up fees

[OrangeFurryCat]

Social services are beginning to see my point of view that MiL is in need of a care home. We are exploring that possibility now.

Ss have told me that MiL is self funding until her savings fall below the threshold. It’ll be about 5/6 months in a care home before her savings dip below 23k.

Ss told me that they’ll contribute £520 five or take per week and if the chosen care home costs above that, then top up costs will need to be paid. That’s fair enough. No problem with that.

But apparently even though we have POA for MIL we can’t use her remaining money for the top up fees and we have to pay out of our own money? Apparently top up fees can’t be paid by the patient they have to be paid by the family?

There is no way I can afford another £100 - £150 per week (which is what care homes round here average out at) from our own money. We aren’t poor by any means, but like everybody else we have a biggish mortgage, enjoy holidays and have two children at university and another one not far off. I don’t have that kind of cash spare without severely curtailing our own lifestyle, no holidays etc, which tbh revolves already around caring for two elderly relatives so we bloody need a holiday once a year and a drink in the pub one night a week!

Is this right? How the hell does anyone navigate the care system?

How do her funds deplete if the state and you are payong the care home costs (or are they more than £680 a week?)

So you will be paying a top up for 6 months? 6x600= 3600 one off cost?

What happens when her money runs out?Who pays for her care home then?

I don't know if it has changed but we accrued a debt against her property when my nan was in a care home. When the property was sold the debt was repaid. We didn't pay any top up while she was in the home

I work in this sector. Yes, it's true that if there is no property being included in the financial assessment that top up fees will need to come from a 3rd party. If nonecof the family can afford the top up you need to be clear about that & it will push the problem back on to social services to sort out.

When she drops below the threshold; sge will be assesed on her income (apart from £24.90, which she keeps for expenses), plus a small tariff on captal between £23250 & £14250, which is a max of around £20 per week. The top up would still be payable by a 3rd party.
If she has a property that no one else is living in the situation is completely different and she could pay her own top up.

Sorry for the typos

Yes legally it has to be paid by a third party as your MIL will be assessed for how much she is able to contribute separately. However the council also has a duty to offer a placement within your budget, though this will mean that you will be offered the care home with the lowest top up which can meet your MILs needs.

Sorry I probably haven’t made myself clear.

Mil will pay in full for her care home until her funds get to the threshold. Then the council funding will kick in for about £520 per week. She then stops paying and family are liable to top up the extra fees. This is what I understand from two people at SS.

Sorry crossed posts.

She doesn’t have a property, she sold it years ago to go into sheltered accom when her husband died. She used her money from the sale of the house to top up her rent as she had a very small pension.

On paper yeah it looks like we probably can afford £150 a week BUT that would mean all money for enjoyment/holidays etc would be used. So we wouldn’t have any extra money to go out, holidays, contingency for repairs etc. We probably spend about £800 a month on those things so yeah we could cut back. But MIL will have 23k in the bank so why should we be penalised?

The council will pay the difference between MIL's income and their maximum rate. The top up covers the bit over £520 per week. That sounds a really high top up. You really don't have to pay any top up at all. If SS are unable to move her to a cheaper room or another suitable home, it's likely they will negotiate something with the care home.