Care home fees rise but should you be paying them at all?

Published: 04/04/2016

Care home fees have increased by as much as £2000 a year, according to a study by the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

On average fees rose by £900 a year, £75 a month, with many residents receiving just a week’s notice before the additional charges came into force.

The average annual cost for a care home resident is now £29,389 a year, rising to £34,000 in some regions, more than double the average pensioner’s income of £14,300.

Lee Baker, Head of Care Homes Fee Claims at Goldsmith Williams, comments:

“These figures are staggering. We are not talking a small amount of money here so to only have a few days to figure out where further funds are coming from is just terrible.

“What’s more shocking though is the number of patients and their families who are paying for care which should be funded by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

“Many people assume if they or a loved one requires full time residential care then they will have to pay the care home fees. However if they requires residential care because of a primary health need, it should be funded by the CCG – regardless of earning, savings or assets!

“Many patients have been wrongly assessed, or in some cases not assessed at all so if you have a loved one in or about to go into a care home, we may be able to help you avoid paying costly care home fees with our free assessment service.”

Content correct at time of publication