Help with care home costs
After the financial assessment
Find out when you’ll get a decision and what to do while you’re waiting.
Waiting for a decision
Your care needs assessment will say what care you need and when you need it. This means you might need to move into a care home before we make a decision about your financial assessment.
When your financial assessment (means test) is complete, it will show how much you need to pay towards the cost of your care.
Getting the results
We will write to you within 2 weeks of receiving your financial assessment to let you know the result. The letter will tell you how much you will pay each week and a full breakdown of how we worked it out.
We will review the amount you pay each year.
Care home options
We negotiate and agree on a special rate for the cost of your care. This is the maximum amount that the council will pay for your care home.
We will find a care home that meets your needs and talk to you about your options.
If you choose a care home that is more expensive than agreed with us, you can ask friends or family members to pay the difference. This is called a Third Party top-up fee.
Bills and payments
We will send you bills for the care you receive by post or email. This will be for the amount your assessment says you can afford.
You will be billed every 4 weeks.
If your financial assessment says that you do not need to pay anything towards your care, you will not receive a bill.
If you have a question about a bill or invoice you can phone us on 0208 547 5585 or email accounts.receivable@kingston.gov.uk.
If your financial situation changes
Contact the Adult Social Care Finance Team if your financial circumstances change in any way. We may need to complete a new financial assessment to work out what you will pay.
If you do not tell us, you may get a large backdated bill for the cost of your care when we find out.
Contact us
asc.financeenquiries@kingston.gov.uk
Phone
020 8547 4778
Address
Adult Social Care Finance Team
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Guildhall 2
Kingston
KT1 1EU