Moving to a care home in a different area

Moving into a care home is a big step and many people choose to relocate to a different area when they do so. This may be to move closer to loved ones, to access specific care that meets your needs or simply because it’s a place you’ve always loved.

Whatever the reason, it’s important to know where you stand when it comes to fees and funding if you will be crossing a border, as each country in the UK operates differently when it comes to care.

Moving to a care home in a different area

‘Ordinary residence’, or being ‘ordinarily resident’ is a legal term that essentially means that you live in a UK country.

To be considered ordinarily resident, you must live there legally, voluntarily and ‘for settled purposes’, such as work, education or love.

The term is used to establish whether people are entitled to non-emergency NHS healthcare. In this case, it can also determine which UK country is responsible for a person’s care.

This term is not to be confused with ‘habitual residence’, which is used for social housing and benefits.

Cross Border Placements – which local authority pays?

A Cross Border Placement is when a local authority in one UK country places somebody in a care home in another UK country.

The reason for doing so is usually either:

• Because the person’s needs require them to go to a specific home that can meet those needs, and the home happens to be in a different UK country.
• Or, the person chooses to move to a care home in a different country for other reasons, and sets up a Cross Border Placement with their home local authority to facilitate this.

When this happens, the person retains their ordinary residence in their home country, so it is their home local authority that pays for their care.

What funding rules am I under if I move to a different country in the UK?

Each country in the UK has its own funding thresholds for care. Currently they are:

England and Northern Ireland

• If you have under £14,250 your care will be state (local authority) funded.
• If you have over £14,250 but under £23,250, you care will be partly state funded and partly self-funded.
• If you have over £23,250 you will need to self-fund your care.

Scotland

• If you have under £21,500 your care will be state (local authority) funded.
• If you have over £21,500 but under £35,000, you care will be partly state funded and partly self-funded.
• If you have over £35,000 you will need to self-fund your care.

Wales

• If you have under £50,000 your care will be state (local authority) funded.
• If you have over £50,000 you will need to self-fund your care.

“If you move to a different country in the UK, your finances are still assessed under the rules of your home Local Authority. So if say, you moved from Scotland to Wales, you would remain Scotland’s responsibility.”

– says Lisa Morgan, who is a partner in the nursing care fee recovery team at Hugh James, specialising in Continuing Healthcare

In January 2024, it was reported that people were moving across the Anglo-Welsh border to take advantage of Wales’s higher funding threshold. This isn’t a fool-proof plan, as a spokesman for Monmouthshire council confirmed to the BBC that they do look at where each person’s ordinary residence is when considering funding.

Do I qualify for free personal care if I move to Scotland?

In Scotland, you can have personal care for free if you are assessed as needing it.

Personal care is support with washing and dressing, going to the toilet, eating and drinking, and taking medication.

If you move into a Scottish care home from another UK country, you may be eligible for free personal care, depending on how long you have lived in Scotland prior. Each local authority has its own rules on this, so check with them.

If you don’t live in Scotland and want to move into a Scottish care home, you won’t be eligible for free personal care.

Can expats get funding for care home fees if they return to the UK?

If you are an expatriate and decide to return to the UK for good, you may be eligible for state funding for your care, depending on your needs and circumstances.

Lisa Morgan explains, “It is not possible to receive Local Authority funding for care fees if you are not ordinary resident in the UK. However, an expat could qualify for funding if they are originally from the UK and paid their taxes.”

Age UK has excellent advice for returning expats.

Can my parent who isn’t a UK citizen move to a UK care home?

Your parent or other loved one may be able to join you in the UK if they qualify for a family visa as an ‘adult dependent relative’.

It is unlikely that they will be able to receive any state funding for a care home because part of the visa’s criteria is that they won’t need to claim public funds for five years and that you can prove that you can support them financially. They should be able to move into a care home as a self-funder.