Home care costs

Working out your home care charge

Costs and rates

Care and support in your home costs £20.10 per hour and includes help with tasks such as washing and dressing, getting in and out of bed, taking medication and meal preparation. 

This rate is lower than the full cost of providing the service and is reviewed each year.

Your contribution

If we decide that you need care at home, we will assess your finances to work out your contribution.

You will pay the hourly rate times the hours you receive if you have savings and investments greater than £28,500. You will not pay for any free services.

You will pay up to an assessed amount if you have savings and investments less than £28,500. You will not pay anything if the assessed amount is nil. You also will not pay for any free services.

Free personal care and housing support

Personal care includes help with washing, dressing and going to the toilet. You may have to pay for things like cleaning, laundry or washing up after meals.

We will assess whether you are entitled to free personal care and other free services. Your assessment care manager will discuss the options with you. You will be entitled to

  • free personal care if you are assessed as requiring personal care, regardless of age
  • free care if you are terminally ill.
  • free care if you are subject to a Compulsory Treatment Order (CTO)

If you are 65 years old or over and have been an in-patient for 24 hours or more, up to six weeks is free when you are discharged from an NHS hospital. Only new or extra services will be free. Services in place prior to admission which continue after discharge will still be chargeable. After six weeks, only personal care will be free.