Who is responsible for providing care services?
Local councils in Wales are responsible for social care services. They assess your needs and arrange support. Services are provided by the council, private companies, or charities.
The NHS works with councils to provide medical care, but social care focuses on help with daily tasks like washing, dressing, or eating.
Community care services
Community care helps you stay independent in your own home. These services include:
- Home care (help with cooking, cleaning, or personal care).
- Meals on wheels.
- Day centres.
- Equipment like handrails or stairlifts.
- Respite care for carers.
Who qualifies for support?
Support is based on your needs. The council looks at your situation to decide if you qualify for help.
They consider:
- If you have trouble with daily tasks.
- If your safety is at risk.
- If you need care to stay independent.
The Care Needs Assessment
To get any support, you must have a care needs assessment. This is free and carried out by your local council. To obtain an assessment, contact the adult social services department. Find the local authority here->
If there has been an accident that has resulted in hospitalisation, the assessment may be arranged by a hospital social worker before discharge, or the GP may make a referral.
The assessment is normally done at home (although it can also be done online or over the phone). A friend or family member should be present to take notes.
A social worker or care professional will talk to you about:
- What help you need.
- What you want to achieve.
- Any risks you face.
For example:
- dressing and undressing
- getting up and going to bed
- eating and drinking
- washing and bathing
- moving around the home
- managing medications
- housework and shopping
- social and cultural activities
Questions will be asked about any support that is already in place. It’s important to say if this help is not going to continue in the long term.
After the assessment, the council will decide if you qualify for care and a care plan (or support plan) will be provided.
The care plan should include information about:
- the services, who will arrange them, and how much they will cost.
- the needs and any risks that might be faced.
- why the services are being provided and how they will help
- what will happen if there is an emergency?
- any support that is already there
- the date the care plan will be reviewed.
The plan could include, for example, help with personal care, equipment or adaptations for the home, and services to help anyone who is providing unpaid care. A package that includes social care, nursing care, health services, and housing services could be proposed.
If the council decides that help is required, support services should be put in place without unreasonable delay
Who pays for care at home?
If you qualify for care, the council will do a financial assessment (means test). This looks at your income and savings to decide how much you need to pay.
In Wales, there is a cap on what you pay for care at home. The maximum is £100 a week, no matter how much help you need.
Who pays for care in a care home?
If you need to move into a care home, the council will do a means test. This looks at your income, savings, and property to decide how much you pay.
If you have savings or assets over £50,000, you will usually pay for your care home fees. If you have less than this, the council may help.
The council will always pay for the cost of your nursing care if you need it.
Benefits to help pay for care
You may be able to claim benefits to help with care costs, such as:
- Attendance Allowance (if you're over State Pension age)
- Carer’s Allowance (if you care for someone else)
- NHS Continuing Health Care (strict eligibility conditions apply)
Services that are always free*
*when the care needs assessment identifies that they are needed.
Transport to attend a day service
A day service is a programme run by the local authority that takes place away from the participant's home and offers the opportunity to meet new people and pursue new hobbies or pastimes.
Community-based NHS services
Community-based NHS services arranged through the Local Health Board or GP are free. For example visits from a district nurse, speech therapy or physiotherapy.
Reablement and intermediate care
After an illness or accident, intermediate care (or reablement services) are offered on a short-term basis. They are intended to assist in regaining part or all of the capacity to live independently.
Intermediate care and rehabilitative services are typically planned prior to hospital discharge and are in place when you return home. Services will be provided for free for up to six weeks. Extensions of more than six weeks are sometimes available, depending on the circumstances.
Finding care
Home Care Agencies: Search Homecare.co.uk →