Extra Care
Extra Care (also called Housing with Care) allows people to live as independently as possible with the reassurance of support with personal care when needed.
What is Extra Care?
Extra Care is a housing option that allows older people to live as independently as possible with the reassurance of support with personal care on site as needed. Extra Care is sometimes called ‘Housing with Care’ as it describes the care and support available on site 24 hours a day, 7 days week for people who meet the criteria for an Extra Care service.
It offers:
- high quality accommodation
- access to on-site communal facilities
- care staff on site 24 hours a day, 7 days week.
Some of our Extra Care schemes include housing specifically designed for people with dementia that provide specialist care in a community setting.
Who is eligible?
Anyone who meets the housing criteria can apply to live in an Extra Care scheme but to be eligible for the Extra Care service arranged by us, you will need to:
- have a care and support assessment and be eligible for social care support
- be assessed as eligible for some financial support towards the cost of care
- have an identified need for accommodation that meets your care and support needs now or in the future.
What support can I get?
The focus is on supporting independence, promoting reablement and enabling you to remain as active as possible. Care staff can offer support with personal care based on individual need such as:
- help with washing, dressing and getting to and from the toilet
- reminders to take medication
- preparing snacks and heating up meals
- shopping and laundry
- some domestic tasks.
On site staff are not nurses and cannot change dressings, catheters or give medication.
How much does Extra Care cost?
There are three parts to the cost of living in an Extra Care scheme:
- housing: the cost of buying, renting or shared ownership of your home, paid to the housing provider
- service charge: for home maintenance and communal facilities, paid to the housing provider
- care and support costs: for the Extra Care service, paid to us.
The amount required to contribute towards the cost of care will depend on your individual circumstances. We will do a financial assessment to work out exactly how much you can afford to pay. For more information, visit our paying for care and support page.
How can I find out more?
To speak to someone about the Extra Care service, please contact our customer service team.
For more information, please read our Extra Care factsheet
