Financial assessments in Northern Ireland

What is a financial assessment?

The HSC trust will carry out a financial assessment to decide how much you or the person you care for will pay and how much the trust will pay, if anything. There are different rules depending on the person's situation.

Care homes

If the person with dementia needs to move into a care home, the local HSC trust will assess the person’s income and savings according to national rules. 

Care at home 

HSC trusts can charge for the services they arrange. They usually don’t charge for services provided in a person’s home, but there are some exceptions. These include the home help scheme and the meals on wheels service.

There is a fixed charge for meals on wheels. There is a ‘means tested’ charge for the home help service. This means that charges are based on a person’s ability to pay, taking into account their savings and investments. People over 75 are not charged for the home help service.

When a financial assessment is required, only the person receiving the services will be financially assessed. The HSC trust will calculate the cost of the services to be provided, then financially assess the person using the regional charging policy to see how much the person can contribute to this cost. The HSC trust must provide a breakdown of how they calculated the charge. 

If the person with dementia needs to move into a care home, the HSC trust will assess the person’s income and savings according to regional rules. 

For further information see Paying for care and support in Northern Ireland.