Care charges

You may be expected to pay for or contribute towards the cost of your care.

Funding your own care

If you choose to fund your own care or have over £23,250 in savings, contact care homes directly. Some care homes will do a needs assessment. Or, you can request an assessment from us.

You can get independent financial advice and support from our preferred provider, My Care My Home. For more in-depth financial information, contact the Financial Assessments Team.

Find out more about paying for care in a residential or nursing home.

Being referred for residential or nursing care

If you are referred for residential, or nursing care, a social worker or care manager will assess your needs, provide information about homes, and help you visit homes.

We'll give you a clear idea of what you can expect to pay and how we calculate the charges. Regardless of your financial situation, we can still provide advice and support.

You can request an assessment for yourself or another person.

Registered care homes

A registered care home provides accommodation, meals and helps with personal care tasks such as:

• washing
• dressing
• bathing
• getting in and out of bed
• getting around
• eating.

Care homes with nursing

Unless the care home is registered to provide services 'with nursing', they do not provide nursing support. Care homes with nursing employ a qualified nurse to provide care.

NHS funding for nursing care

If a care home providing nursing is the best solution, a specially trained nurse will assess the nursing needs. They will determine the level of nursing care the NHS will fund. It is important to get this done before the cared-for person goes into a care home.

Checking standards in residential care

The Care Quality Commission inspects all residential homes, whether council-run or private. They can provide free independent reports on the quality of your local homes and care services.

The commission's report provides details of many aspects of care, including:

• a description of the building
• staffing arrangements
• social care and activities
• health care
• complaints
• contracts of residence
• reports of discussions with staff and residents.

Care home fees and obligations

When making your own arrangements with a care home, make sure that they give you a contract detailing the home’s obligations and fees.

The contract should tell you:

• what services are included in the fees
• what services may be charged as 'extras'
• how much notice you'll be given if fees are increased.

Choosing a care home

You need to consider carefully the care home you choose. Some people select an expensive home and then use up all their savings. If you cannot continue to pay, you will have to find someone who can pay the difference, or you may have to move to a less expensive home.

Find care homes and housing with additional support on Live Well Oxfordshire.

Getting help

The following organisations can give you help when choosing a care home.

Age UK - independent charity advising older people, including finding, choosing and financing a care home.

Carers UK - offers a network of local branches to give advice and support to carers and those they care for. They can advise on benefits, tax credits and employment rights. 

Elderly Accommodation Counsel (EAC) - free advice on housing options for people in later life.

GOV.UK - get details of government policy throughout the UK, including enquiries about local authority care homes and the care needs and financial assessments.

Independent Age - a charity that offers expertise for older people on social care, benefits, befriending and other social support through their advice service and range of guides and publications.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) – England.

Which? - free, independent and practical advice about caring for older people.

Respite breaks at care homes

We may be able to arrange short respite breaks for the person you care for in a residential or nursing home, perhaps for a weekend or a few weeks. Contact Adult Social and Health Care.

Care home standards

The Council has developed a set of care home standards with care home managers and individuals. We have reviewed and updated the standards following engagement with residents and family members. Service providers are required to always embody these principles in the services they provide.

These are the standards that can be expected by Individuals living in the care home. The care home shall ensure all Individuals and their families are aware of these standards and know how to raise any concerns if they are unmet.

These are part of the schedule of standards that the Council will use to monitor the quality of your care home services.

Accessing safe care homes

To ensure Individuals accessing care home services are safe, the standards set out that care homes will:

• actively listen to you as an Individual and recognise any changes to your health
• ensure all Individuals are involved in all aspects of their care and daily life. The service provider is to ensure that Individuals with cognitive impairment and or physical disability are also involved and encouraged to make Individual choices as appropriate
• through assessment, identify if you are at risk of falling and look at preventative measures
• safely manage and administer your medicine
• train staff to help you care for your skin and to assist you with your mobility
• understand your dietary requirements and provide you with a varied menu
• make sure your care home is safe and secure both internally and externally
• ensure that staff have a level of spoken and written English as is objectively necessary for the performance of their jobs, bearing in mind (where a job requires it), the need for effective communication with residents, family members, and other staff.

Receiving care at the right time

To ensure you receive your care at the right time and in the right way, we will:

• put you at the centre of the care you receive
• treat you with dignity and respect at all times and take account of your religious and cultural needs whilst delivering your care
• regularly review your care plan with you and the people who care for you
• know your decisions about your end-of-life care and resuscitation preference
• make sure our staff understand your Individual physical and emotional needs and can support you appropriately
• ensure the provision of care responds to changes in your condition
• ensure the care we provide is of consistently high quality with clear opportunities to give feedback
• have competent registered managers and a strong leadership team to manage the home.

Joining the care home community

To ensure you are part of the care home community, we will;

• provide you with a stimulating choice of activities and opportunities to socialise in and out of the care home
• encourage and support the participation of residents and relative's groups
• facilitate appropriate contact with family and friends through digital means where it is difficult for family and friends to visit in person
• keep family, friends or next of kin updated on the resident's progress and any changes
• will make family, friends or next of kin aware of the care home policies at the time of admission and where appropriate, supply these upon request
• make your home part of your local community
• encourage volunteers to help in our home

Ensuring honesty in our care homes 

To ensure we are open and honest, we will;

• encourage and support you to raise concerns and issues
• actively ask you for feedback on all aspects of your daily life and care
• work in partnership with the County Council and BOB ICB (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire west Integrated Care Board) to provide the highest standard of care
• encourage staff to use the whistleblowing policy
• quickly respond to any concerns you may have
• respond positively to complaints and learn from them