Residential and Nursing Care Home Fees for People Over the age of 65 - Find a freedom of information request

1. Please complete the attached table for Residential and Nursing Care Home Fees for people over the age of 65.

Guidance Notes:

• All fees should exclude FNC and Top-Up payments but include any other resident contributions which make up the Local Authority fee.
• Minimum fee is the lowest base, starting rate or lowest rate paid for each care type.
• Maximum fee is the highest fee or cap to any fee or rate paid for each care type.
• Average fee is the average weekly fee paid during the month of April 2022 for each care type.
• Number of placements is the number of residents who make up the average fee by care type.
• Where different care types are used, such as care bandings, tier rates, or other fee structures, the minimum, maximum and average fee should be provided for the alternative care type used - see Q3 below.

Care Types:

a. Nursing

b. Nursing Dementia

c. Residential (without Nursing)

d. Residential (without Nursing) with Dementia

Data Required: (for each of the above care types)

I. Minimum or base weekly 2022/23 Fee

II. Maximum weekly 2022/23 fee (if fees form part of a range)

III. Date fee was last uplifted*

IV. Average weekly fee paid for all residents during April 2022

V. Number of placements the average fee relates to

*If Fees have not yet been uplifted for 2022/23, please state the planned or estimated date of the 2022/23 annual fee uplift.

2. Please provide a copy of your 2022/23 fee uplift letter sent to providers outlining your approach to inflation, the decision regarding the uplift, and what the rates and/or percentage uplifts are. Where you have not yet offered a fee uplift for 2022/23, please state when this will be communicated, and who we can contact at that time to request a copy of the uplift letter/correspondence. If you were an authority which brought forward your uplift for 2022/23, please indicate this and provide the letter explaining the approach to providers.

3. Where you operate banded/tier rates or have multiple, or a range of rates for each care type, please indicate as such and provide the rate bandings or ranges and a link or explanation to how these are applied. Where possible this should follow the format in Q1 for Minimum, Maximum, Average and the number of placements.

4. Please outline your approach to care homes paying the National Living Wage, Real Living Wage or any other local variations or premiums associated to Care home staff pay and how this impacts the care provider in respect of the rates paid should they adopt different pay structures directed by the Council and if they choose not to do so.

1. 

*If Fees have not yet been uplifted for 2022/23, please state the planned or estimated date of the 2022/23 annual fee uplift

2. Three relevant letters - copies attached. 

If you would like to see a copy of these attachments, please request them from CustomerInformationService@lincolnshire.gov.uk quoting the reference number 4084878.

3. Lincolnshire County Council does not have banded/tier rates or multiple rates in each tier type.

4. The Council does not specify or stipulate at what level care homes should pay their staff.

However, the setting of the Council's Usual Costs for residential care is central to its compliance with statutory obligations. In particular, the rate that the Council establishes as its Usual Cost will contribute significantly to the viability and sustainability of a market which provides sufficient places capable of meeting need.

Therefore, in setting its Usual Cost for financial year 2022-23, the Council has undertaken a local market assessment and survey of care home providers costs to enable a review of the components of its previous Usual Cost model, and to inform the identification of appropriate rates that enable the continued viability of the residential care market in Lincolnshire. The staff pay cost element of the Usual Cost model has been adjusted to take account of median care home survey results, which have been further increased to reflect the 6.6% increase in National Living Wage from April 2022.