Paying for residential or nursing home care

Unlike health services provided by the NHS, there is a charge for most adult social care services. How much you will have to pay towards meeting the cost of your care and support will depend on your financial circumstances.

Slough Borough Council will make a charge for residential and non-residential services, and will spend all of the income raised on providing more care and support for those who need it. If the council did not charge, it would not be possible to help everyone who needs support.

This guide provides information for people going into, or considering going into, a care home. It answers the most common questions that arise about the financial implications, and explains how we will work out what you will have to pay towards the cost of meeting your care and support needs in a care home.

A care home may be a residential or a nursing home. They are privately run, and their ownership can range from an individual to a public limited company.

Care homes charge a weekly fee. We will need to complete a financial assessment to calculate how much you will have to pay towards the cost of your care. This may be the full weekly fee, or you may be entitled to some financial support from the council. This will depend on your financial circumstances. Details of how we work this out are covered in this guide.

Please note that if it is a nursing home, you will not be expected to meet the cost of the nursing part of the care, which is funded by the NHS. More information on NHS funded nursing care can be found here: NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS Funded Nursing Care.

Please note: the figures quoted are all for the financial year from April 2019 to March 2020 and are subject to change on an annual basis.