Who pays for reablement care?

Reablement care can be paid for by the NHS or your local authority. This applies to all other intermediate care services as well. It might be that one of the NHS or your local authority pays, or they may work together to pay.

How long do you have to be in hospital before benefits stop?

If you receive benefits and are going into the hospital, you should tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Housing Benefit Office that deals with your claims for Housing Benefits and Council Tax Support (if relevant).It’s important to tell them, as entering the hospital could mean your entitlement to a benefit is affected and needs to be reassessed, due to changing circumstances. Benefits are often reduced during a hospital stay after four or six weeks.

Six Weeks Free Care After The Hospital | NHS Intermediate Care

Q: What happens after a six-week care package?

After a six-week care package ends, you’ll need to figure out whether care and support are still needed, and what care and support this is if so. Depending on your financial situation, you may have to pay for care beyond these six weeks. A care needs assessment and financial assessment will tell you what care you need and whether you’ll need to pay.

If your loved one has spent time in the hospital and still requires support, they could be eligible for six weeks of free care after this hospital stay. This is often referred to as intermediate care and can be funded by the NHS, your local authority or both in partnership.

This article explains whether you’re eligible for six weeks of free intermediate care after a hospital stay, how intermediate care works, what happens after and if it’s available in your area.

Kickstart your care search

Discover the best care homes in your area through Lottie.

Find your nearest care home

Can I Get Six Weeks Of Free Intermediate Care After a Hospital Stay?

In the UK, you can get up to six weeks of free care (often referred to as intermediate care) after leaving the hospital.

Before being discharged from the hospital, medical professionals will assess your loved one’s condition to see if they may benefit from temporary intermediate care. Your loved one may have had an operation, accident or illness, which is why they were in the hospital.

If eligible, this care can last for up to six weeks, but often lasts for just one or two weeks, depending on how long additional support is needed for and how quickly your loved one recovers. This care must be arranged before your loved one leaves the hospital, as hospital staff won’t get involved once you’ve left.

This care is arranged and funded by the NHS and/or your local authority. It may be one of the other, or they may work together to provide this care.

Short-term personal care

You may also be eligible for free short-term care if you’ve begun finding everyday tasks more difficult, such as household chores or personal care tasks like washing and bathing. If this is the case, you might want to apply for a care needs assessment by social services, where you’ll be told the support you need, such as care and equipment.

What Is Intermediate Care?

Intermediate care is short-term support that aims to make you as independent as possible. It could be given in a care home through care at home, or in a smaller, dedicated hospital (known as a community hospital). It’s available for free for up to six weeks, though people usually only need it for a week or two. It’s largely aimed at people who have been in hospital, potentially due to an operation, illness, or accident.

Staff will decide if you’d benefit from intermediate care services before you’re discharged from the hospital. If they think you would, they’ll set goals for you. You’ll be given support to achieve these goals, such as to become independent in your own home again or to re-learn skills you may have lost while you were unwell. You’ll work with teams such as social care workers and physiotherapists to achieve these goals.

Who you’re supported by depends on the setting you’re placed in. For example, you could be supported by care home staff in a care home or specialist home carers through care at home. You may also be supported by physiotherapists, who will help with your mobility, or occupational therapists, who will help you manage daily tasks more easily.

This type of care helps avoid re-admission to the hospital when you’re recovering, and it eases pressure on informal carers who may be balancing full-time work with an unpaid care role.

Intermediate care usually begins quickly, likely just a few hours or days after leaving the hospital. You’ll work with a medical professional to figure out your recovery goals and the best ways to reach them, such as through daily activities you now find more difficult. Across the weeks you receive this care, your progress will likely be tracked through a diary or journal.

Reablement

Reablement is the most common type of intermediate care. Reablement services aim to help you learn or re-learn essential skills for daily living, such as tasks like preparing and cooking meals, getting washed, getting dressed, getting in and out of bed, being able to move around your home safely, and being able to take part in social activities. By being able to perform these, you’ll feel more confident and comfortable navigating daily life.

During the reablement process, you’ll be observed by social workers. They’ll see how well you can complete these tasks and will give you any necessary guidance and encouragement.

Other types of intermediate care available

Along with reablement, there are three other intermediate care services. These are:

Home-based care - Care given in your home (or a care home if that’s where you normally live). You’ll spend time with health professionals and social care workers to determine the support you need
Bed-based care - Care given in a setting away from your home, such as in a care home, a community hospital or a dedicated intermediate care facility. This care usually begins quickly, such as within two days of a referral, as this increases the chances of success
Crisis response - Short-term care (up to 48 hours after a hospital discharge). After the 48 hours is up, carers may decide you’d benefit from receiving a different form of intermediate care, such as reablement

Templeton Place Care Home exterior

We’re here to help you find the right care home for you or your loved one. You can request a free list of care homes from our care experts, who will then share homes matching your budget, location and type of care needed. You can also search for a care home through our easy-to-use directory.

How Long Can You Stay In Intermediate Care?

You can receive free intermediate care for up to six weeks after you’ve been discharged from the hospital. While six weeks is the maximum, you may only need it for a week or two, depending on how quickly you recover and achieve your goals.

When six weeks nears, carers will consider if you still need more care. You could receive further intermediate care if they think you’ll make further progress from this. However, depending on your financial situation, you may have to pay yourself. You may also begin receiving permanent care at this point.

A long-term form of NHS funding is NHS continuing healthcare. This is for people assessed as having a ‘primary health need’. You may have intense, complex and unpredictable needs. If eligible, the NHS will fund and usually arrange your care. You can also choose your own care options by finding a care home that matches your needs with availability.

What Happens After Intermediate Care?

If you reach six weeks and still require care, your care team will work with you to arrange a new service, such as permanent care in a care home or in your own home. You may be given a care needs assessment and financial assessment to work out exactly what care you need and whether you’ll pay. If you’re eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, the NHS will continue to arrange and fund your care.

If your condition seems unlikely to improve any further, permanent care is likely the best option. If you’re assessed as needing additional care, a care plan detailing the care and support you require will be created for you.

Your care team should also tell you how to refer yourself again if needed, what to do if something goes wrong and where to find other support if you’re still finding some aspects of daily life tricky. In this case, they might point you towards things like the disabled facilities grant, where you can have larger home adaptations paid for.

For more information, you can speak to someone within the care team about what happens when intermediate care ends.

Arrange long-term care through Lottie

After up to six weeks of free intermediate care, you can use Lottie to find care homes and home care near you. We’re partnered with the UK’s largest care home operators and home care agencies, making it easy for you and your loved one to find what you’re looking for through our website.

To further ease your search, you can request a free list of care homes or a list of home care agencies. Our care experts will then send you relevant care options in your area with availability that match any other requirements, such as your budget and the type of care needed.

Acer Court care home exterior

Who Is Eligible For Free Intermediate Care?

Intermediate care is available to people who medical professionals have deemed as not yet well enough to live safely by themselves in their own homes. You might also be eligible if you’re unable to complete daily tasks you previously could, such as preparing meals and using the bathroom.

This short-term support isn’t means-tested, so your income and savings aren’t considered, and there’s no financial assessment involved.

Check if intermediate care is available in your area

Along with individual eligibility, whether you’re offered up to six weeks of free intermediate care depends on the services available in your area. It’s important to note that different NHS trusts offer different intermediate care services. For example, some can help you temporarily live in a care home, while others may support you to safely live in your own home, with the assistance of a visiting carer.

To learn more about intermediate care services available where you live, check out your or your loved one’s relevant trust’s website. Here are example links to patient advice from NHS England:

If you live in Scotland, find your local council’s website to learn what’s available. If you live in Wales, this factsheet contains helpful information about accessing intermediate care services.

If you’ve been discharged from the hospital and care hasn’t been put in place but you think it’s needed, get in touch with your local authority’s social services department as soon as possible. However, you may have to pay for this care if you’re assessed as being able to afford it through a financial assessment.

Lottie partners who offer intermediate care

A number of our care home and home care partners offer intermediate care, such as:

Care homes

Home care

Lottie matches care seekers with the best care homes for their needs. You can request a free list of care homes from our care experts, who will share homes matching your budget, location and type of care needed. You can also search for a care home through our easy-to-use directory.

Six Weeks of Free Care After a Hospital Stay | NHS Intermediate Care