organising respite "live in" cover advice please...

[Lyd]

When we took over care for my MIL my family expected cover for our holidays. This was never forthcoming. We have been taking MIL with us for the past 18 months. The last holiday was tricky and we decided it would be the last one we took her on. This leads us with the dilemma of how to get a break. She is very independent but we see her every day etc etc. She is not capably of being left but wont accept support.

My idea is this: We live 2 minutes away. She cant use the phone but pops down if she has an issue. So I thought I could pay someone to live at my house and be "on call" checking in on her daily etc etc basically replicating the current arrangement. I recon it will cost about 1k a week which she can afford. We have LPO and can organise this. It's in her interests because she wants to stay at home and has always expressed this. I'd rather someone I know because they will be in my house. I have people I know who will do it.

The question is: Obviously i cant just take a grand out of her account and give it to someone. How could i very simply set up to employ them?

The second questions is: Can anyone think of a problem which would prevent this working?

 

[Sirena]

It's probably only about the same cost as a week in a care home, and she will prefer it, so I can't see any reason not to do this. I don't know how you deal with payment in this situation but I am sure someonelse will.

I think it will work as long as you choose the right person, they are reliable and will be available when needed, and they really do understand what is involved. They are effectively just standing in for you.

 

[nellbelles]

If the person you choose is self employed all you should need is an invoice. They will then need to sort out insurance cover and tax etc.

 

[Lyd]

Thats what i figure.

If the person you choose is self employed all you should need is an invoice. They will then need to sort out insurance cover and tax etc.

What I was thinking about was using people I already know who dont do this professionally but have lots of expereince. I dont think they would want the faff of setting up as self employed. Would you know how I could make it as easy as possible for them?

 

[arielsmelody]

I'm not an accountant so I may be wrong, but I thought that if you earned a small amount on a one-off basis and pay PAYE tax you could fill in a self-assessment tax return and declare it that way. £1K a week does seem a lot of money to me though. Also, I think you need to have a good think about what you are expecting - do they have to stay in your house 24/7 during that time? Obviously they won't be insured if anything does go wrong.

 

[Pete1]

Hi @Lyd, unless the care package is commissioned through a company you will deemed to be the employer (it won't matter if the individual classes themselves as self employed they will not meet the criteria for this if they are providing care on a continuous basis for you) you will be liable for PAYE and National Insurance deductions and payment to HMRC, you will also have to offer pension rights too. If you do decide to go down this route please ensure that you get proper professional advice from an Accountant (they will also advise on employment contracts etc). You will also need to ensure that you carry out appropriate background checks (DBS checks) and that the individual(s) are appropriately trained. All the best.

 

[Bunpoots]

I too think 1k a week sounds expensive as the person won’t be living with your MIL and just happens to be staying at your house in case MIL wanders over looking for you. Not actually caring from what I understand. It’s close to Christmas so I don’t suppose a bit of extra cash being spent would be questioned.

You couldn’t expect the person to accept any liability if something happened though.

 

[Pete1]

Apologies, I assumed it was a permanent arrangement! If it is just for a couple of weeks respite the person can submit an invoice to you as self-employed.

 

[charlie10]

I apologise if I'm totally off base here....don't want to stir the pot so maybe someone more knowledgeable will tell me I'm wrong

That amount of money sounds reasonable if the carer was going to be with your mum and support her, and as LPA you have the right to arrange that expense. But to pay someone to stay somewhere else 'just in case' .....could that be construed as not the best use of mum's money?

Sorry, just being devil's advocate here....I can see why you want to do it, but you might need to justify it in the future to someone who doesn't. Hope you can arrange something that works for all of you.....life is never simple!

 

[Lyd]

Thank you all for your support and ideas variety is just what I wanted this is all really helpful.It is a bit more than staying at my house "just in case" but also replicates the current care we provide on a daily basis. As she isnt capable of using a phone she relies on us to be there if there is a problem hence needing someone to stay at our house as she will turn up at all hours 3 or 4 times a week on average in a crisis. Her nearest other relatives are three hours away.

Ideally we would have live in care with her while we are away however she is best discribed as "fiercely independent" hence I was trying to replicate live in care but living at ours.Thats where i got the price from but it may well be too much.

I will discuss it all with those who have an interest in where her money goes!