It’s only natural that you have questions

NHS Funded Nursing Care is paid at one consistent rate across England, regardless of the individual’s geographical location or specific nursing care needs. This amount is set by the NHS and subject to change, but currently stands at £209.19 per week. This funding is paid directly to the nursing care home, and deducted from your total nursing care fees.

Please check the NHS website for the current FNC rate.

An assessment is used to determine who is eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care. This is usually carried out by a registered nurse and carried out by the relevant Local Authority or NHS Integrated Care Board (the new name for a Clinical Commissioning Group).

In general terms, nursing home residents who have been assessed as needing support from a registered nurse, but who do not qualify for the CHC (Continuing Healthcare) scheme, may be eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care.

Often referred to by the abbreviation FNC, Funded Nursing Care is funding provided by the NHS towards the cost of nursing care provided within nursing homes, by registered nurses, for eligible individuals.

To find out if you qualify for financial support from your Local Authority, your local adult social care team will complete a financial assessment to consider the value of your income and assets. This figure takes into account any income, savings and property you hold solely in your own name, as well as an equally divided share of any assets you may hold jointly.

The value of your assets will place you into one of three bands, and determine the level of financial support you can expect from your Local Authority:

• If your assets exceed the ‘upper capital limit’ set by the government (currently £23,250), you will be deemed a ‘self-funder’ and required to meet the full cost of your care.
• If your capital is between £14,250 and the upper capital limit of £23,250, then you will be expected to contribute a certain amount towards the cost of your care, with the remainder covered by your Local Authority.
• If your assets are less than £14,250, you may still be required to contribute towards the cost of your care, but the majority of your care fees will be covered by your Local Authority.

Please visit the government website to check the current upper capital limit amount.

The cost of nursing home care will vary according to the level and type of nursing care an individual needs to meet any complex or long-term medical conditions in which they live with.

Nursing home costs will generally be calculated by combining a fixed accommodation fee, with the cost of providing your bespoke nursing care. Your individual financial circumstances and nursing care needs will determine who pays for your nursing care.

Depending upon your individual circumstances and care needs, you may be eligible for financial support towards the cost of your respite care.

Respite care may be fully or partly funded by your Local Authority if you meet specific criteria in terms of your finances, or medical needs. Some Local Authorities will provide eligible individuals with a respite ‘allowance’ of a set number of days of respite care per year or will pay up to a certain value of respite care fees, which you might be asked to top up.

To find out if you qualify for respite care funding, the best place to start is by contacting the Adult Social Care team at your Local Authority, who will be able to advise if you are eligible.

If you are looking to get the maximum value from your respite stay, we also run seasonal respite care offers for selected Somerset Care residential homes throughout the year, so it’s always speaking with our enquiries team to check if there are any offers running when you book.

Pre-assessments are completed for all new residents and respite visitors by a member of our Senior Care Team. This is so that we can accurately determine your individual care needs and make sure we can safely support you at the Halcon Centre. This assessment is used to determine the care element of your weekly fees, which is combined with your accommodation cost to form your overall weekly fee.

We have a very clear fee structure for all of our care homes, which are based on accommodation costs and a dependency cost to provide a banding for a weekly fee.

Dependency costs are determined as a result of our assessment process, all of which can be shared with you and explained in full, upon request. 

Pre-assessments are completed for all new residents by a member of our Senior Care Team. This is so that we can accurately determine your individual care needs and make sure we can safely support you within our care home.

This assessment is used to determine the care element of your weekly fees, dependent upon your individual requirements.

Your support team will monitor your progress and wellbeing on a daily basis. If a significant change in your care needs is identified, a member of our Senior Care Team will re-assess you to ensure you are receiving the right level of support. We will consult with you and/or your representative about any subsequent changes to your tailored care plan, and any resulting fee increases or decreases. Re-assessments will occur whenever required to meet your changing needs, and any fee changes are separate to the annual fee review.

We always recommend that you make contact with your local Adult Social Care department in your local authority who will be able to organise a care needs and financial assessment, to determine if you are entitled to any support.

As a general rule, if you have over £23,250 in savings or assets, you are classed as self-funding.  If you have below this amount, you may be entitled to some support or fully funded care.

We recommend you contact the adult social care team regardless as there are a number of benefits that you may be entitled too, which can support you funding your care needs.

Your Local Authority (LA) can assess your financial status and advise if you are entitled to financial support to cover some or all of your care home costs. Please note that LA funding may need to be supplemented (either by yourself or a third party, as appropriate) to meet your full accommodation and care costs.

If you have been diagnosed with certain long-term complex health needs, you may qualify for NHS funding towards your care costs via the Continuing Healthcare (CHC) scheme. Your GP or other medical professional will be able to advise if you may be eligble. Our nursing homes are able to accept CHC funded clients.

The NHS pay a contribution to care homes that provide nursing care, called Funded Nursing Care (FNC). If applicable, the FNC contribution can cover part of your weekly care home fees. If FNC arrangements are not in place at the time of your admission, you will be charged the full weekly fee until this is in place. Once the backdated FNC has been received, the equivalent refund will be credited to your account.

• Fully-furnished accommodation
• Food and drink tailored to your dietary requirements
• Full use of all communal areas, including lounges, dining rooms and gardens
• Full use of the on-site recreational facilities
• Comprehensive activities programme arranged by our in-house team
• All utilities including central heating, electricity, lighting and hot water
• Bed linen and towels
• Laundry services, including ironing
• Team on site 24/7 to support as needed
• Grounds and buildings maintenance
• Daily and weekly cleaning services, alongside regular deep cleaning as and when required
• Insurance of the building and supplied furniture
• Internet access
• Concessionary TV License scheme (if applicable)

• Hairdressing (available in all homes)
• Toiletries (purchasable from the in-house shop)
• Clothing
• Newspapers/Magazines
• Dry cleaning
• Care and maintenance of pets
• Insurance for personal items
• Private transport to access services and attend
• appointments (e.g. hospital, dentist, optician)
• Private telephone lines