What care services do local councils provide?
Kent County Council can help you stay in your own home if you have care needs. They provide meals, carers, transport, home modifications and equipment that helps with the tasks of daily living, although you’ll usually still need to pay something towards your care costs. If you have savings above £23,250 or a high income, you’ll probably have to meet the full cost yourself.
If you have a disability or complex medical condition that means you have healthcare needs rather than social care needs, you might qualify for NHS funding.
Getting a local council care needs assessment
Contact the social services department of KCC to ask for a care needs assessment. It’s free and it’s your legal right to have one. You shouldn’t be refused an assessment because the local council thinks your needs aren’t great enough or that you won’t qualify for financial help. There is an online form or you can call 03000 41 61 61.
KCC will identify your care needs and check that they meet a nationally agreed set of criteria. If you qualify for help, they have a legal duty to provide or arrange the services you need.
How to find out if you qualify for local council funding for care costs
Either at the same time as the needs assessment or soon after, KCC will carry out a financial assessment to see if you qualify for funding if they deem your needs as eligible when assessed against national criteria.
Deciding who manages your personal care budget
If you qualify for financial help, you can ask your local council to arrange the care services for you or receive direct payments from the local council and organise your care yourself. Alternatively, you can have a mixture of the two.
This information has been tailored from one of our trusted resources, Money Helper, a website run by HM Government www.moneyhelper.org.uk. More information is also available on KCC’s website www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health
PWCAC is OPEN for face-to-face advice (appointments and drop-ins) Monday to Friday, 9:30 – 1:30. If you need advice about consumer issues, housing and homelessness, debt, relationship breakdown, welfare benefits or anything else, get in touch with us:
info@pwadvice.org | 01892 838619 94 Commercial Road, Paddock Wood, TN12 6DP