Choosing a care home

Before making any decisions on moving into a residential or nursing home it is important to consider how much savings you have and how long they will last. Residential or nursing home charges vary considerably, with some homes being much dearer than others. The funding we pay will only cover the 'going rate' of a home. We will not cover charges for homes that are very expensive. If you choose a home that costs more than we recommend and your savings won't cover costs for two years, we advise you to discuss your plans with your assessor before proceeding.

If you already pay for your care and your savings are approaching £23,250, you need to give us enough notice so that an assessment of your care needs and a financial assessment can be arranged. We recommend this is done six months before your savings fall to £23,250.

You can choose a home which costs more than we cover, if you have someone else who is willing to pay the extra. This is known as a 'Third Party Top Up'. The 'Top Up' is the additional amount between how much we agree to pay and how much the care home charges for the placement.

You cannot usually use your own money to pay any ‘Top Up’. This is because you will already be using your available money as a contribution towards the placement. However, if your own home is being taken into account, the rules on 'Top Ups' are different. If this applies to you, find our more information on our deferred payments page.

It is very important to understand that if the third party payments cease for any reason we will review the situation. This could result in you being moved to a home within our cost range.

You can search for care homes from our care and nursing homes web page or read the Berkshire Care Directory publication, which contains information to help choose the right care for you.