Adult social care charging

Unlike health care, social care and support is not free for everyone. If you need care, you are likely to have to pay at least some of the cost. Most people who can’t afford to pay the whole cost will pay a weekly contribution and the council pays the rest, but some people with a very low income will not pay.

We work out how much you will pay, with a financial assessment looking at your individual income, savings and capital and your expenses. There are different rules for care in a care home or nursing home, and care in your own home or around the community.

You will not pay more than your assessment says you can afford and you will not pay more than the actual cost of your services.

Adult social care charging is changing from September 2020

In January 2020, the council agreed to make changes to the way we charge for care at home and in the community, to bring Royal Borough of Greenwich in line with many other London Boroughs and help us continue to meet people’s needs in this challenging financial climate.

These changes were due to be implemented from April; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic we took the decision to postpone them so we could focus on maintaining essential services and meeting new needs in the borough during the crisis.

We have now reviewed the situation and will be going ahead with the planned changes from 7 September. You can read about the changes in the summary below together with our new guidance documents.

Supporting information