Postcode lottery of care home fees as London care home costs double of one in Wales

The weekly average cost of private residential care in the UK is £848, according to financial analysts, who have found fees are very much a postcode lottery with a care home in Wales costing just over £600 and one in London costing over twice that at nearly £1,500.

The data analysis by Legal & General Retirement found care home costs can vary by more than £800 a week which equates to £41,600 a year.

London, Windsor and Maidenhead and Elmbridge in Surrey are the most expensive for residential care.

While the cheapest care homes are situated in Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Merthyr Tydfil.

Dr Sam Roberts, managing director of Health and Care, Legal & General Retail Retirement, said: “The reality is that there is no national system of long-term care. It is a complex process that can be very different for individuals based on a number of factors, such as their benefit entitlements or health needs.”

The analysts found a care home in Blaenau Gwent can cost around £621 a week while one in Islington, London, can cost as much as £1,488.

On average, there is a £229 difference between the cost of weekly residential care and council paid fees.

Will Hale, chief executive at Key, an equity release adviser, said: “These Legal & General figures show that at an average cost of £848 per week the cost of private residential care is a massive challenge for most people. Also, there are stark regional disparities with the costs varying by up to £800 a week depending on where you live, which is important for people to understand as part of their individual planning.

“This is an issue that is only going to be exacerbated by the huge financial pressure that local councils are under which is forcing them to make difficult choices around how much help they can provide with care costs. Our own data shows a 10 per cent fall in the number of people receiving full or partial care funding from councils based on the most recently available Freedom of Information research we undertook.”

He added: “When you add to this the fact that the vast majority of older people are less inclined than ever to want to go into a residential care home, you are left with a hugely complex environment for individuals and their families to navigate.”

Weekly average cost of residential care

London £1,197

Edinburgh £900

Bristol £860

Cardiff £787

Glasgow £767

Leeds £746

Birmingham £724

Sheffield £723

Manchester £710

Newcastle £703

Bradford £687

Liverpool £678

Many care homes list their fees on carehome.co.uk and you can find these out by visiting the care home’s profile.

For advice on how to fund care home fees click here