Draft Charging Policy for Social Care Services

Additional costs (AC) for permanent / temporary admissions to a care home

26. Additional costs (AC) for permanent / temporary admissions to a care home

For the purposes of setting the additional cost the choice of accommodation offered to a person with care and support needs in Carmarthenshire will initially be based on two care homes of the same type at Carmarthenshire’s normal commissioning rates, where both care homes can meet that person’s assessed needs. Where 2 care homes at the normal commissioning rate are not available, then the next cheapest care homes within the county will form the basis of the calculation.

Where accommodation which is more expensive than the options offered at the time of placement is chosen then the additional cost will be calculated from the higher of the 2 rates charged by the two care homes which were offered.

Where an additional cost is to be funded by a 3rd party on behalf of the person with care and support needs, then Carmarthenshire will make reasonable enquiries to satisfy itself that the additional cost is affordable and that such costs would not fall on Carmarthenshire in the future.

In these circumstances the person with care and support needs will be required to evidence that they have the financial ability to meet the additional costs over the anticipated term of the placement.

If the third party is unwilling to provide such evidence or does not have the financial ability to meet the additional costs over the anticipated term of the placement then Carmarthenshire will not contract for the placement at the chosen care home.

The placement should not go ahead in the chosen care home, if it has an additional cost, until the additional cost agreement undertaking to pay the additional cost amount has been signed by the 3rd party.

The additional cost charge is in addition to the care recipient’s financially assessed contribution.

The additional cost cannot be paid by the care recipient, unless they are able to enter into a Deferred Payment Agreement, in all other cases it must be paid by a 3rd party.

Where an out of county placement is requested then the same rules will apply, i.e. the choice of accommodation offered to a person with care and support needs will initially be based on two care homes of the same type at Carmarthenshire’s normal commissioning rates, where both care homes can meet that person’s assessed needs. Where 2 care homes at the normal commissioning rate are not available, then the next cheapest care homes within the county will form the basis of the calculation.

Where a person with care and support needs, in accordance with the legislation, is able to pay for the full cost of their placement, then they can choose any care home and will be required to pay the full cost of their placement as Carmarthenshire will treat such a contract as outside its usual commissioning rate because it is a bespoke contract and thus the Care and Support (Choice of Accommodation) (Wales) Regulations 2015 do not apply.

When the person’s assets fall below the threshold applicable at that time and they can no longer fund the bespoke arrangements themselves, then Carmarthenshire will review the placement and contracting arrangements and will consider whether the person can be moved to a room within the same care home with no Additional Costs, or a lower Additional Cost, or to another care home.

If the person can be moved but they choose to stay in the original care home, then Carmarthenshire will approach a 3rd party to fund the Additional Cost and failing that Carmarthenshire may move the person to another care home.

Additional Costs do not apply to care homes run by Carmarthenshire. Carmarthenshire sets a standard rate based on the cost of providing the service.