Help with care home costs

Find out how friends and family can pay the difference for a more expensive care home.

Choosing a care home

If your care plan recommends residential care, we will recommend a care home that meets your needs. 

The council negotiates and agrees on a special rate for residential care for you. This is the maximum amount that the council will pay for your care home.

If you choose a care home that is more expensive than agreed with us, you can ask a friend or family member to pay the difference. This is called a top-up payment. 

What it can pay for

Top-up payments are only for extra accommodation costs, not for the cost of any extra care or support you get. 

The extra money from a friend or family member could pay for you to live in a care home that:

• is closer to family or friends 
• has a bigger room

We will check that your chosen care home can meet the needs outlined in your care needs assessment.

Checking it’s affordable

If a friend or family member agrees to pay the top-up fee, they will need to have enough disposable income or savings to afford it. 

We will ask them to provide evidence that they can afford to pay the top-up fee and sign a legally binding agreement.

If they cannot afford to pay 

If your friend or family member cannot afford to pay your top-up payments, you must tell the care home straight away. This agreement is between you and the care home.

You will also need to let us know so that we can reassess what care you need and decide what needs to happen next.

You may have to move to:

• a different room in the care home
• another care home with fees that are within the council’s budget