Has anyone any experience regarding top up fees. My poor brother who is 59 has been in a care home for about 3 years. He fell from a hoist and broke his hip and has been in hospital for about 4 weeks. He is unable to walk, talk, feed himself or perform any kind of personal care. The hospital say he can be discharged but he cannot go back to the home where he was as his needs are now more complex, but there are not any council homes that are suitable and the private homes say they need a top up fee paid by either the family a friend or a charity. As he is so disabled, surely he is entitled to have his care paid for by the NHS. The family are not in a position to pay.
Top up fees
- Thread starter Elizabeth Jane
- Start date
Hi and welcome to Talking Point.
This is a subject that comes up fairly frequently. No, do not pay a top-up fee. The only possible justification for one is because, for example, you want him to have a room with a sea view. It would appear no one has told you this yet, but if there are no LA homes that are suitable and if the amount that the LA normally pays is inadequate to get him into a private home, then the LA will simply have to up their rate. They don't advertise this of course, but they don't actually have an option under these circumstances.
Also, your brother should be assessed for CHC (continuing health care) prior to being released from the hospital.
Look - there should be a hospital social worker assigned to him. Tell him/her that you want him assessed for CHC. If you have been in touch with his LA and they have basically batted it back to you to find a placement, or have said "we only pay this much" you might also point this out to the hospital social worker, as what that means is the LA is forcing your brother to be a "bed blocker" to save themselves money. And it's not on, it's not on at all.
This is a subject that comes up fairly frequently. No, do not pay a top-up fee. The only possible justification for one is because, for example, you want him to have a room with a sea view. It would appear no one has told you this yet, but if there are no LA homes that are suitable and if the amount that the LA normally pays is inadequate to get him into a private home, then the LA will simply have to up their rate. They don't advertise this of course, but they don't actually have an option under these circumstances.
Also, your brother should be assessed for CHC (continuing health care) prior to being released from the hospital.
Look - there should be a hospital social worker assigned to him. Tell him/her that you want him assessed for CHC. If you have been in touch with his LA and they have basically batted it back to you to find a placement, or have said "we only pay this much" you might also point this out to the hospital social worker, as what that means is the LA is forcing your brother to be a "bed blocker" to save themselves money. And it's not on, it's not on at all.
Hi Elizabeth Jane, so sorry to hear about your brother. Such a young age.
Under The New Care Act "The local authority must offer at least one option that is affordable within a person’s personal budget." Now that the CH doesn't meet your Brothers needs the LA are obliged to find at least one home that can.
The old fixed rates system that the LA were willing to pay should no longer exist and each persons funding should be on an individual needs basis so if that new home costs more than they have to fund it.
Also in the New Act there is great emphasis on LA's to assess whether relatives/others can actually afford to pay a top up for the duration. They can not force you to pay anything and you are not in anyway obliged to.
The hospital should not be putting any pressure on you to find a new CH. It is time for the LA to do their job.
I wish you all well.
Since your brother was already in a CH I take it the Local Authority were already involved and were contributing towards the costs of the old home?
Under The New Care Act "The local authority must offer at least one option that is affordable within a person’s personal budget." Now that the CH doesn't meet your Brothers needs the LA are obliged to find at least one home that can.
The old fixed rates system that the LA were willing to pay should no longer exist and each persons funding should be on an individual needs basis so if that new home costs more than they have to fund it.
Also in the New Act there is great emphasis on LA's to assess whether relatives/others can actually afford to pay a top up for the duration. They can not force you to pay anything and you are not in anyway obliged to.
The hospital should not be putting any pressure on you to find a new CH. It is time for the LA to do their job.
I wish you all well.
Thank you for your quick replies, it is what I thought from my searches online but it is always reassuring to have other peoples feedback.
