Choosing a Care Home
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Choosing a Care Home March 2013 Choosing a Care Home Introduction This leaflet gives you basic information to consider when choosing the care home that you will live in once it has been agreed that living in a care home is the best way to meet your needs. It includes a list of all the registered homes within the Northern HSC Trust area. All care homes must be registered with the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, who undertake to regularly inspect the homes and ensure they meet legislative requirements. Can I choose any care home? Within reason you can choose any home in Northern Ireland. Provided that: • The home meets your specific social care needs. So, for example, if you are a young adult, you can’t choose a home that only looks after older people. • The home’s charges are not higher than the amount the Trust normally pays for someone with your needs. Even if they do charge more it may still be possible for you to go there. You can read more about paying for more expensive accommodation later in this leaflet. • The home must of course have a place available for you. If there are no places there you may have to move to your second or third choice home while you wait for a place in your preferred home. • The home must agree that they can meet your health and social care needs and agree to the Trust’s usual terms and conditions. How do I know which homes I can choose from? Your named worker, eg your social worker or specialist nurse, will help and advise you. This leaflet includes a list of all residential and nursing homes within the Trust area. Your named worker will explain to you the difference between residential and nursing care and inform you which type of care you have been assessed as needing. If you want to move to another part of Northern Ireland or Great Britain, your named worker will try to locate a homes list for that location. The Trust has no legislative ability to fund care in the Republic of Ireland. March 2013 Trust staff cannot recommend specific homes but they can help you by finding out where there are suitable places available at the right cost. All homes must be registered and inspected. Reports of inspections are public documents. We advise you to read one or more recent inspection reports before you decide. Copies of inspection reports can be obtained by contacting the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) – the address is at the end of the leaflet, or alternatively by asking the Home Manager. Questions to consider when choosing a home Choosing a home is an important decision. Finding out as much as you can about a home will help you make an informed choice. The following are some suggested questions you may want to ask. If you are not happy with something, ask the home for an explanation. ;Location and building Location and building • Where is the home? • Will visitors be able to get there easily? • Will it be easy for me to enter and leave the building, and move between rooms and floors? • Does the home feel clean and inviting? • Is there a relaxed and friendly atmosphere? • Will I have a room to myself? • Do the rooms have ensuite facilities or basins? Day-to-day living Day-to-day living • Are there telephone facilities I can use in private? • Are books and newspapers available? • Does the home arrange outings to the shops, entertainment venues or places of worship? • Are there any physical activities such as exercise groups or gardening? • Can I go outside for fresh air when I want to? • Am I allowed to make choices about my daily routine? • Will I be able to rise and go to bed when I choose? • Are there any restrictions on visiting times or numbers of visitors? March 2013 • Where can I spend time with my visitors? • Do existing residents enjoy the food and can I try it? • Are there protected mealtimes and assistance if required? • Are residents encouraged to give feedback? • Is there a residents’ committee? About my care needs AAbout my care needs • Is the home registered to provide the level of care I need? • What will happen if my needs change or increase? • Can I choose how often I have a bath or shower? • Am I helped to the toilet when I need to go, if necessary? • How many staff are employed per resident? • How are they trained? • What is the turnover of staff? Contracts and fees Contracts and fees • Can I see a copy of the home’s brochure? • Can I see a copy of the resident’s guide? • Can I see copies of recent inspection reports? • What are the home’s fees? • Is it clear how the fees are structured and calculated? • Do private-funding and Trust assisted residents pay the same rates? • Is a third-party contribution required for Trust assisted residents? • Are extra items not covered by the basic fees clearly identified and accounted for? • What arrangements are there for handling my personal money? • What are the notice conditions in the contract? Why are some homes more expensive than others? Most homes are privately owned businesses and as such have the right to set their own scale of charges. Some homes offer additional or enhanced services for their extra charge such as a larger room, an en- suite or a wider range of facilities or activities. The Trust however can only pay for your assessed needs to be met and not additional extras. Ask the home to explain their charges to you. March 2013 What can I do if the home is too expensive? It may still be possible for you to go to the home you choose if there is someone else who can help you pay for it. This is called a third party contribution. What is a third party contribution? A third party contribution is a regular payment towards the cost of a residential or nursing home place that costs more than the Trust usually pays. It is called a ‘third party contribution’ because the person or organisation who pays the extra becomes a third party to the contract. (The first two parties are the Trust and the home). Who can be a third party? The third party can be a person (usually a relative or friend of the resident) or an organisation such as a charity. An agreement to become a third party means accepting a legally binding responsibility to make the agreed payment regularly. This responsibility is formalised in a contract between the third party and the Trust. The Government’s rules say that a resident CANNOT be a third party to his or her own contract by using their own resources, including their personal allowance. Who is the third party contribution paid to? Usually third parties pay the home directly. For some homes or if the third party does not wish to pay the home directly we can arrange for it to be paid through the Trust. How often is the payment reviewed? Third party contributions are reviewed whenever the home increases or decreases its charges. This normally happens once a year. Any discussion about the amount of these payments should be between the person making the payment and the Trust, and NOT with the owner or manager of the home. March 2013 What happens if the third party’s contributions are not paid? If the third party were to stop paying, and if there were places in less expensive homes that could meet your needs, then we would have to consider a transfer. We would of course look at each situation individually. In addition, the Trust will take legal action to recover any costs caused by non-payment. What is the Trust’s responsibility in third party arrangements? The Trust needs to be sure the third party is able to pay the contributions for as long as may be required. However, we have not powers to carry out a financial assessment of the third party. We therefore ask the third party to read this leaflet and our supporting document ‘Client Information Pack’, regarding the completion of the financial assessment, carefully before signing the third party declaration. We recommend that you consult an independent financial advisor. How much will the Trust pay towards my care? Tariff rates are set each year for which the Trust would expect to be able to provide a place in a home that will meet your basic needs. When considering a care home where the home charges more than this tariff it is probable that a third party charge will apply. The Trust however has a responsibility to ensure you are offered a choice of home that can meet your assessed needs without the need for a third party charge. The amount the Trust will pay towards your care can only be identified at the time the placement is agreed and depends on the availability of other placements. Your named worker and the home manager will ensure you fully understand the charging arrangements for each home you consider. The following weekly tariff rates are what the Trust would expect to pay from 1 st April 2012 to the 31 st March 2013. Nursing Care (excluding physical disability under 65) £550 Nursing Care – physical disability under 65 £591 Residential Care (excluding physical disability under 65) £437 Residential Care – physical disability under 65 £490 March 2013 What if you don’t agree to the home I choose? If we don’t agree to support you at the home you choose then we must explain why.