Residential Care Top Ups
If you have a Council funded placement and choose a care home placement that is more expensive than the assessed cost of your care set in your personal budget, then a ‘Top-Up’ payment may be needed for the duration of your residence in the care home. Paying a Top-Up fee could increase your choice of accommodation.
The Top-Up payment is either payable by a Third Party or by yourself as a First Party Top Up which is only allowed in certain circumstances.
A Top-Up is an additional payment:
- For an individual who chooses a care placement commissioned by Manchester City Council that is more expensive than the care home fee rate set in their personal budget.
- That is usually paid by a friend or relative who will need to provide evidence that they have the means to fund the Top-Up. This is called a “Third Party Top-Up.”
Not all care homes charge Top-Up fees. For more information, please read the Residential Care Top Up Policy.
In certain circumstances, and subject to affordability, you can pay a Top-Up payment yourself. This is called a 'First Party Top-Up'. These can be put in place when:
- You are subject to a 12 week property disregard
- You have a deferred payment agreement in place with the Council
- Where you are receiving accommodation provided under Section 117 for mental health aftercare
What it can pay for
When your Care Assessor helps you choose a care home, they will give you a list of accommodation that meets your care needs. Some options will be more expensive than others.
You might want to use a Third Party Top-Up to pay for more expensive accommodation that:
- is near family or friends
- has a room that is larger or has a nicer view
- is where you feel most comfortable
This could be for:
- a permanent or long term move to a care home
- a temporary stay in a care home after leaving hospital
- if you are temporarily in a more expensive care home while waiting for another one to become available, but you decide you want to stay where you are