Care home costs and fees - how much do you pay?

If you or a loved one are considering or have decided to enter a care home, one of your main questions will probably be regarding the costs – how much will you have to pay, and what will these fees include?

What is the average cost of a care home in the UK?

The costs of long-term care are not insubstantial. In fact, according to Which? the average weekly cost of a residential care home in England in 2022/23 was £785, whilst average fees at a nursing home were £1,045 per week.

• Location – London and South East England tend to be the most expensive. The average figures for other parts of the UK were: Northern Ireland £551 for residential and £735 for nursing; Scotland £941 for residential and £1,032 for nursing; and Wales £716 for residential and £998 for nursing.
• The type of care – residential care costs less than care facilities offering specialist services, such as nursing or dementia care.

Using Autumna’s directory is a good starting point for assessing how much you might need to pay for your care home. Simply enter the geographic location you’re interested in and press the search button.

In this example, we’ve searched for care homes in or near Oxford and then used the ‘Weekly Fees from’ filter to sort them by price.

Care homes, in the past, have tended to be wary of publishing their prices. This is because they might include services and facilities that others might not and therefore might be seen as more expensive in comparison. So, when you’re looking at the quoted price of a care home, it’s very important to check…

What is included in the cost of a care home?

Again, there is no single answer to this. Care home fees generally include the cost of the room, meals and any care which is required. However, there are other indirect costs, which may or may not be included in the fee. When you have decided on a home or homes to visit, identify whether these are included in the fee or are an additional cost:

• Activities – whilst in-home activities are usually included in the fees, external trips may not be. This is especially true if there is an additional cost to providing them, such as minibus hire, entrance fees, or food. Most care facilities have a residents’ amenity fund for this purpose, but it is advisable to check whether they have to be paid for.
• Transport to appointments – again, the care home may include this in the cost but if a taxi is required and a member of staff has to accompany you, there may be an additional charge.
• Toiletries – occasionally care homes charge extra for these.
  
• Alcohol – many homes will have a bar or, for example, serve wine at mealtimes. You may want to investigate whether this is regarded as an extra cost.

What about ‘technology’ costs in care homes?

Technology costs such as a TV licence, Wi-Fi, and a telephone point in your care home room can also vary.

With a TV, it depends on whether you are planning to have a TV in your own room or will only watch in communal areas such as lounges.

If you wish to have a TV in your room, then you will need a license; for communal areas the license will be arranged by the care home. If you already have a license at your current residence, then you can apply to have this moved to your care home.

Over 75s of course can apply for a free TV license; if you are under 75 and moving into a residential/nursing home or sheltered accommodation, it may be possible to have an ARC (Accommodation for Residential Care) licence, which costs just £7.50 per year.  

Wi-Fi in care homes is increasingly important - especially post pandemic - to ensure residents remain connected to the outside world. However not only do many care homes not provide it, when they do it is often not free for residents.

Check Autumna’s care home listings and use the ‘Additional Filters’ button to see if Wi-Fi is available. And don’t forget to ask about it when you visit.

There is no blanket policy regarding Telephone Points in residents’ bedrooms, but many homes do offer this. Again, you can apply filters on the Autumna listings to get more information. If a telephone point is provided, you may be asked to pay for calls.

Where can I find help to pay care home costs?

The topic of paying for care is one which Autumna has previously written about in its blog: Can my home in England be sold to pay for long-term care?. Whether or not you will be eligible for support from the Local Authority or NHS will depend on your individual financial and medical circumstances, the former of which will be determined using a Means Test.

As a general guide, the capital thresholds in the UK used as part of the Means Test are as follows:

In England, if your capital exceeds £23,250 then you are likely to have to pay your care fees in full. If your capital is under this figure, you might receive some assistance from the Local Authority but may still have to make a contribution.

In Scotland, everyone receives free personal and nursing care up to a certain limit if they have been assessed as needing it. However, you will still have to contribute towards accommodation costs in a care home. Scotland has upper and lower capital thresholds. If your capital is above the £32,750 upper limit, you will be expected to fund your care home fees; whereas if your capital is below the lower limit of £20,250 you will receive help to pay your care home fees.

Northern Ireland also has two capital thresholds, the lower threshold is £14,250 whilst the upper threshold is £23,250. In a similar way to Scotland, if your capital exceeds the higher threshold, you will be expected to pay your own fees, and if it is below the lower threshold your fees will be paid.

Wales has a single threshold of £50,000.

In conclusion it is advisable to do your research prior to visiting care facilities, to identify which costs are included in the fees and which are not.

Some homes which appear to have a higher weekly fee may in fact include items and services which others do not. Therefore, it is possible that, without a full understanding of the fees at each facility, you may discount a suitable option for cost reasons and end up paying the same (or more) elsewhere.

Where should I begin my search for care homes at a price I can afford?

The Autumna directory of elder care providers allows you to search for care homes across the UK and filter them for price. Alternatively, the team at Autumna can do it for you with the help of this simple care home questionnaire.  

If you’d rather speak to a friendly human being first then just call our Advice Line on 01892 335 330. It’s open every day (8:30am - 5:30pm Mon-Fri, 10am - 5pm Sat, 10am - 4pm Sun).