Care and nursing homes

Your needs and financial assessment

If you feel you, or a relative, needs to move into a residential/care or nursing home, contact the Staffordshire Cares team (Staffordshire County Council) to request a needs/financial assessment.

The assessment will:

  • look at your needs and circumstances
  • determine whether any of the assessed needs should be met by Staffordshire County Council under its eligibility criteria (i.e. decision to provide services)
  • provide a plan for how they are going to meet these needs (the care and support plan)
  • provide a financial assessment to find out what, if anything you will have to pay and the amount of any direct payments that will be made towards your care and support.

The needs assessment may be carried out by:

  • a social care practitioner, also sometimes known as a care manager or key worker
  • an occupational therapist or an assistant working under close supervision

As part of your financial assessment they will look at the care you need and your income and capital and decide how much you may have to pay towards your fees. Examples of income include:

  • private and/or state pension
  • some benefits like Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance or the care component of Disability Living Allowance

Your capital might include:

  • savings
  • investments
  • any property you might own (like your home or holiday home, for example)

Before your assessment, make sure you’re getting all the benefits you’re entitled to. This is important because your contribution to your fees will be worked out as if you’re receiving all relevant benefits.

There are a number of ways in which you can get a needs assessment including

  • self-referral
  • a referral from a carer, friend or family member
  • a referral from a professional such as your GP, with your permission

To request a needs assessment you will need to contact Staffordshire Cares where one of the advisors will ask you a few questions about your situation, so that they can provide suitable information and advice and refer you to right people to carry out your needs assessment.