Top-up fees
The council has to be careful how it manages the monies it has available to pay for social care. Therefore, there is a maximum rate that the council will usually expect to pay towards the cost of each type of placement suitable for certain assessed needs.
Some care homes charge more than the council’s usually agreed rate for the particular type of care offered. If a place is available for you at the rate the council would usually expect to pay, the council will generally only contribute to the cost of a more expensive home if:
- the home is registered
- suitable for your assessed needs
- is willing to enter into a contract with Barnet Council:
and
- Either there is no other available home which is suitable for your assessed needs
- Or a top-up is agreed.
There are two types of top-up agreements that can be set up:
- Top-ups paid by third-party sponsors (this is the most common method)
- In a very limited range of situations, you can pay the top-up yourself.
Top-up fees paid by third-party sponsors
You can choose to go into a more expensive home if there is someone else, for example, a relative or friend or charity, who is prepared to reach an agreement with the council to contribute as well. We will ask the person paying this top-up to sign an agreement that they will pay those additional costs. The agreement should be with Barnet Council rather than the care home.
Whoever agrees to pay your top-up fee, it is very important that they understand that they will have to continue making their payments or you could be asked to move into a cheaper home.
If you have any questions at all about whether a care home can ask a third-party sponsor to pay a top-up fee, please contact the Financial Assessment Team on 020 8359 2238.
When can I pay top-up fees from my own money?
You can only pay top-up fees if you have qualified for the 12 week Property Disregard or you have made a Deferred Payments Agreement with Barnet Council.
You will need to come to an agreement with the council as to the amount of top-up you will need to pay.
Email this pageLast modified by: Dawn Rowe on 11/02/2009