Finances & Fees

We are committed to providing value for money within our comprehensive and caring service. The fees charged are for the type of service required and the provision of twenty-four hour nursing and social care in our nursing homes and twenty-four hour social care at Merlin Park.

In our homes the fees per week range from:

Bury Lodge:	£1350 – £1700
Carleen:	£1350 – £1700
Merlin Park:	£850 – £1150
Thalassa:	£1350 – £1700

Prospective residents will be informed in writing what the fees are for a room at their initial visit. All new residents will receive a letter and Terms & Conditions about financial arrangements and fees. The letter will explain the fee structure, how to pay the fee and will give a breakdown of the fee and who is responsible for payment.

Depending on the personal financial situation, a resident can either pay the fees privately or receive benefits arranged by the funding council (social services). In all our Homes we take privately funded residents and residents funded by social services.

Privately Funded Residents

If you are ‘self-funding’ – in other words, paying the full cost of your own care with no help from your local council – you may be able to claim other benefits ie Attendance Allowance, even if you are receiving Pension Credit or other income-related benefits.

For more details please go to the Help the Aged website: www.ageuk.org.uk or www.housingcare.org.

Each manager will be happy to spend time explaining the fee structure with you or your representative.

Residents Funded by Social Services

The full cost of your home place can be met by contributions form different sources. If your local council has agreed that you need to move into a care home, they may pay part or all of your fees, depending on how much income and savings you have. They will work out how much you should contribute. If you are assessed as needing nursing care, the NHS may also make a contribution. In some circumstances you may get your care paid for fully by the NHS.

If you are getting financial help form a local council, you will not be able to claim Attendance Allowance.

If you are already receiving Attendance Allowance when you enter the home, you can continue to receive it for the first four weeks.

If you stay in a care home on a temporary basis, for example, for ‘respite care’, your Attendance Allowance will not be affected, unless you are there for more than four weeks. After four weeks, if you are not self-funding, it will be withdrawn until you leave the home.

Stays that are less than 28 days apart will be added together and counted as one stay, so a number of short stays together could affect the amount of Attendance Allowance you receive.

For more information please go to hants.gov.uk, Help the Aged and NHFA Websites shown above.

Here is an explanation of the Fee Structure and the Terms we use.

Client Contribution

In some instances, depending upon the local authority social services will pay part of the fee, and the resident will also make a contribution. This is referred to as the ‘client contribution’.

Top Up

If the resident should request to stay in a Home where the fees are higher than social services would usually pay this may be arranged providing a third party or the resident is willing to pay the difference between the cost social services would usually expect to pay and the actual cost of the accommodation. This is known as a ‘top up’.

The ‘top up’ must be negotiated with social services and not with the Home. More information regarding the ‘top up’ can be obtained from social services or www.ageuk.org.uk.

There may be circumstances where a resident who is self funding becomes dependent on public funds due to diminishing resources, social services are responsible for managing this situation including any ‘top up’.

If the Home’s fees are higher than social services would usually pay, an assessment may be carried out by social services to assess where the resident’s needs can only be met in the Home or whether they may have to move to alternative accommodation. The assessment should cover the resident’s physical, social and mental well being and include the effect on these needs of moving the resident to an alternate Home.

Social Rate

All services are referred to as ‘social care’ and for the purposes of the breakdown of fees are referred to as the ‘social rate’.

This rate remains constant until the annual review of fees which is carried out every April. On admission you will be informed how fee increases are calculated annually.

Free Nursing Care (FNC)

Residents who require nursing care may be entitled to a Free Nursing Care which is paid directly to the Home.

Fees will increase annually and clients will be informed 28 days prior to the increase.