Partnership launches new one-stop care funding consumer web site

Partnership has launched a consumer website offering details on all aspects of long term care (LTC) funding, from local authority assessments through to charity helplines.

The site, payingforcare.co.uk, has a search engine to indentify an appropriately qualified financial adviser alongside a combination of a range of advice.

According to Partnership, currently, while 69% turn to the internet for information on care (29m Google searches) 79% think that not enough is done to tell people about the care options available.

Just 11% would contact their local authority for advice and information about care fees, with only 4% contacting a financial adviser and 3% a care home. Over three quarters (76%) do not know about any of the funding products available to fund care.

Chris Horlick, Managing Director of Care at Partnership, said: "For people seeking to make sense of how to fund LTC, information about all aspects of care and particularly where to get appropriate financial advice is critical.

"Currently there is a chronic lack of awareness about which care costs people will be required to pay and how much the State will pick up, the typical costs of care, how long people will live in care and where to get advice. Without this information it is almost impossible for people to plan to meet their care costs."

"That is why we have worked in co-operation with many charities and expert advisers in the care sector to develop payingforcare.co.uk. We hope this will allow consumers to make informed choices."

Areas covered by the site are:
Local authority's advice
Where to get appropriately qualified financial advice
Cost of care calculator
Care home finder
Interactive Q&A section

In addition it provides videos and an expert panel providing practical and credible help from the perspective of charities, care homes, financial advisers and from the view point of someone with a power of attorney.

Commenting on the launch of payingforcare.co.uk, Caroline Bernard, Acting Chief Executive of charity Counsel and Care, said: "It is important that there are as many independent, accessible sources of information as possible and payingforcare.co.uk assists both self funders and state funded people alike in finding out about their care options."