Offering peace of mind

Frequently Asked Questions

Autumn Gardens is owned by Ourris Properties Ltd. Anastasia Lodge is owned by Ourris Residential Homes Ltd.

We are regulated by the Care Quality Commission.

Martina De Vizia is the Registered Manager of Autumn Gardens. Norma Dimaiwat is the Registered Manager of Anastasia Lodge.

Autumn Gardens is rated as Good by the CQC and has a Five Star Environmental Health Rating.

 

Anastasia Lodge is rated as Good by the CQC and has a Five Star Environmental Health Rating.

We are able to cater for the following care needs:

 

 

We offer:

No. Where an individual has minor nursing needs, it may be that the district nursing support team in Enfield may be able to provide the service.

 

Where an individual living at Anastasia Lodge develops nursing needs requiring a nursing placement, should you wish, we will endeavour to find you a placement at Autumn Gardens.

Any savings (including shares and investments), income (including a pension) or property that you own will affect whether you are entitled to any funding from your local authority.

 

You are likely to have to pay the full cost of your accommodation and personal care yourself if you have capital of over £23,250. This is the level for England. There are different levels in Wales and Scotland.

 

We recommend talking to a financial advisor to clarify whether you will need to fund all your care yourself and also to understand whether you’ll have the resources to fund your care in the longer term.

 

If your capital falls below the limits above, the local authority may contribute towards the cost of your care.

Where the value of your assets do not exceed the threshold for funding to be provided by the local authority, you may be able to have your placement or part of your placement funded by the local authority. You’ll need to contact your local council to organise a needs assessment to confirm that you require care. Once the local authority has confirmed that you need care, the local authority will undertake a financial assessment to decide how much they will contribute towards your care.
 
This may be sufficient to meet the cost of your placement in our home. However, where it is not sufficient, a relative or other source of funding (a charity or benevolent fund) can arrange to pay the difference as a “top-up”.
 
If you are funded by the local authority, you are likely to have to pay a proportion of your pension payment towards your care; this is called a ‘client contribution’. This is different from a top-up. The local authority will inform you if this is the case.
 
It can take a long time for local authorities to carry out their assessments and confirm placements, so it is recommended that you start this process as soon as possible.

It is very important that you inform us of this information as soon as possible and definitely before you agree to a placement in our home. It is important that you understand your potential financial liabilities in this situation.

It is very important that you inform us of this information as soon as possible and definitely before you agree to a placement in our home. It is important that you understand your potential financial liabilities in this situation.

Yes. We will ask you to provide evidence of your ability to pay at least two years’ worth of fees.

If you do not have sufficient funds for two years, you must inform us as soon as possible and in any event before agreeing to the placement, so we can discuss your options including the process and timeline for any application for local authority funding that may be required. Whether we will accept a resident who is unable to meet the minimum funding criteria will be at the discretion of the Operations Manager.

If during the two year period or afterwards your financial situation changes in such a way as to affect your ability to pay the fees including where this may result in you becoming eligible for local authority funding, you must inform us as soon as possible.

 

Our aim will be for you to stay in our homes. To facilitate this, we will need to work together to try to achieve local authority funding for your placement in our home. Where this funding from the local authority is achieved but is not sufficient to cover the full cost of your fees, a third-party top-up payment may be required in order for the local authority to agree to fund your placement. The placement must be fully funded throughout.

Where you are assessed as having a ‘primary health need’ and have a complex medical condition and substantial and ongoing care needs, you may be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding. Not everyone with a disability or long-term condition will be eligible.

 

Where you are eligible for Continuing Healthcare funding, you may be able to have your placement funded by the NHS, just as if you were being cared for in a public hospital. The NHS offers a fee which they adjudge covers your healthcare needs in a standard care home setting. If the level of fees that the NHS is willing to pay is insufficient to cover the cost of our fees for providing your placement, speak to a member of our team to discuss your options.

 

It is very important that you inform us that you are or may be eligible for Continuing Healthcare before admission so you can understand your potential financial liabilities.

 

It is also important to note that the NHS reassesses an individual’s ability to have NHS Continuing Healthcare every 3 months, and as such may remove access to this funding. It is therefore important before beginning your placement for you to consider the situation should the NHS determine that you will no longer receive NHS Continuing Healthcare funding. In this event, your placement would then be funded by yourself or through the local authority. Please refer to those sections for more information.

Where you are currently living with us and you become eligible for Continuing Healthcare during your placement with us, our aim will be for you to stay in our home. The NHS will offer a fee which they adjudge covers your healthcare needs in a standard care home setting. If the level of fees that the NHS is willing to pay is insufficient to cover the cost of our fees for providing your placement, speak to a member of our team to discuss your options.

 

The NHS reassesses an individual’s ability to have NHS Continuing Healthcare every 3 months, and as such may remove access to this funding. It is therefore important for you to consider the situation should the NHS determine that you will no longer receive NHS Continuing Healthcare funding. In this event, your placement would then be funded by yourself or through the local authority. Please refer to those sections for more information.

Where you are not eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding but you have nursing needs, the NHS may still make a small contribution towards your nursing home fees through the provision of NHS-funded nursing care (‘FNC’). The NHS pays the FNC directly to the care home. The remainder of the weekly fees would need to be funded either by yourself or through the local authority. Please refer to those sections for more information.

No. Where the NHS does not pay us the FNC element of your placement because you are in hospital, we will not charge that to you.

Where the FNC rate increases, your overall weekly fee will increase as the FNC rate reflects the cost of provision of a registered nurse.  Accordingly the fees you are required to pay will not be reduced.  Instead the overall fee will increase and the amount you are required to pay will remain the same. Please also refer to the question ‘Will my fees change during my placement?’ to understand where the overall fee may change during a placement.

The definition provided by NHS England of ‘discharge to assess’ is as follows: “Where people who are clinically optimised and do not require an acute hospital bed, but may still require care services are provided with short term, funded support to be discharged to their own home (where appropriate) or another community setting. Assessment for longer-term care and support needs is then undertaken in the most appropriate setting and at the right time for the person.” Commonly used terms for this are: ‘discharge to assess’, ‘D2A’, ‘home first’, ‘safely home’, ‘step down’.
 
In relation to our care settings, where a prospective resident is discharged from hospital to our home and is on a discharge to assess programme, the funding for the placement will initially be agreed by the NHS Integrated Care Board (NHS ICB) for a short period determined by them (generally 2-4 weeks). During that period, the local authority and/or ICB will carry out assessments and determine whether the placement is still required, and if it is still required, how it will be funded (self-funded, local authority funded, Funded Nursing Care, NHS Continuing Healthcare). It is therefore important for you to consider all possible funding eventualities. Please refer to those sections for more information.

Long-term placements:

The first payment of fees equivalent to 4 weeks is paid before the admission can occur. This payment will be four weeks of the following (where applicable to you):

 

  • Self-funding weekly fee
  • Top-up where agreed (only applicable to wholly or partly local authority funded placements)
  • Client Contribution where the local authority requires you to pay this directly to the home (only applicable to wholly or partly local authority funded placements)

 

We will also require the float payment for additional services before admission can occur.

 

The next payment shall be due at least 3 days before the end of the 4 week period for the balance of the fees payable for the remainder of the calendar month in which the 4 week period ends. Thereafter, payments will be per calendar month and will be due in advance at least 3 days before the calendar month begins.

 

Following the first 4 weeks advance payment, payments must be made by standing order.

 

Short-term placements:

Usually respite periods are up to a maximum of four weeks and the full cost of the placement must be paid before the admission, including any float payment. If after admission you would like the placement to be extended, the manager will let you know if this is possible. If the placement is extended, the full cost of the first four weeks of any extension (or the full cost of the entire extension if the extension is less than four weeks) must be cleared in our account before the extension can be agreed.

 

Should you wish to have a longer respite period from the outset, say of 10 weeks, this may be able to be arranged upon discussion with the manager. The first payment of fees of 4 weeks is paid before the admission can occur; thereafter payment of fees will be 4 weekly and payments will be due in advance at least 3 days before the next 4 week period begins.  

 

Day Care Services:

Payment for Day Care is made in advance of attendance in agreed block packages. 

Uplifts in weekly fee rates

We will review the weekly fee on an annual basis. Any increase in fees will reflect any increases to the costs we incur in providing the services including in relation to staff and other costs. In exceptional circumstances, such as a major government intervention leading to a significant and demonstrable increase in our costs or taxes, we reserve the right, following not less than 12 weeks’ notice, to increase the weekly fee to account for these high or additional costs. Should you decide to terminate your placement in response to such an increase, you will receive a pro-rata refund of any pre-payments, although the relevant termination notice periods will still apply.

 

Change in care needs

If your care requirements change at any time we will discuss with you whether and how we are able to provide the care you need in the light of your changed requirements. Where changes can be made to meet your needs we will discuss those changes with you and inform you of any consequential changes to the price of the services, the timing of the changes and anything else which would be necessary as a result of the change.

 

Request for an enhanced service

If you request an enhanced service, we will discuss with you whether and how we are able to provide the enhanced service requested.  Where changes can be made to meet the requested changed service we will discuss those changes with you and inform you of any consequential changes to the price of the services, their timing or anything else which would be necessary as a result of your requested change.

 

Changes in fees for accompaniment services:

The hourly rate for accompaniment services will be subject to increase from time to time and we will notify residents before those changes take effect.

If your loved one is fully or partly funded by a funding authority (e.g. local authority or Integrated Care Board), we will follow their guidelines and any element of fees that you are paying (e.g. top-up, client contribution) will be payable for the period set by that funding authority. Every funding authority is different but as an indication, this is generally between 0 and 3 days after the resident’s passing commencing the day after their passing. Please note that this may mean that the local authority or ICB may only allow you to keep your loved one’s belongings in their room for only a very short period of time. Please ask the manager to find out the terms that apply to your funding authority.

 

For fully self-funded placements, we are able to give you three days after your loved one’s passing commencing the day after their passing. If you take all your loved one’s possessions before the three days and another resident moves into the room within the 3 days, only the period until the room becomes occupied will be payable.

Scheduled appointments and outings: Where you have a scheduled appointment with a healthcare or other service provider, or require accompaniment on an outing or visit, we will ask your family or friends to accompany you.  Where you do not wish for this to occur, or your family or friends cannot accompany you, we may be able to provide a member of staff to accompany you between the hours of 8am and 8pm.  Where we agree to provide an accompaniment service we will charge the cost of travel (for you and accompanying staff member) together with the relevant hourly rate for the accompanying staff member.  This hourly rate will be updated from time to time with reference to the cost of providing a member of staff. 

 

Urgent appointments: Where you are required to attend hospital or other urgent care provider between 8am and 8pm on any day and you require accompaniment but your representatives or family members cannot accompany you, we will charge for accompanying you at the hourly rates then applicable.  We will not normally be able to provide accompaniment for more than one hour in these circumstances. If you or your representative request that accompaniment exceeds one hour then an additional fee of the relevant hourly accompaniment rate will be payable and must be requested when we contact you to advise of the urgent appointment and there must be sufficient funds for the entire period requested in your float.  Any additional accompaniment in excess of one hour is subject to staff availability. 

 

Payment for accompaniment services: Payment is required in advance from you in relation to accompaniment for visits.  Where you tell us that it is likely that accompaniment services will be required we will discuss this with you and include this as a consideration when stating the amount of float required to be paid and maintained.

This depends on the services you desire. As an indication,

 

  • where a resident would like hairdressing (not a tint) and chiropody, we will ask for a £50 float
  • where a resident would like hairdressing (a tint), we will ask for a £100 float
  • where you would like accompaniment services, we will ask for a £100 float.

 

Floats are held in our residents client account.

 

You must ensure that the float is provided before admission and maintained at that level, for example by topping up the float when services have been used. If you change the additional services or products you purchase then we will agree any change in the float amount payable with you.  If you do not have sufficient funds in your float to purchase any additional service or product you require you will not be able to purchase the relevant product or service. 

Short term respite placement: Should you wish to terminate the placement early, you may do so. If we are able to make use of the room after you have left, we will refund you for the period that the room stayed unoccupied.

 

Long-term placement: Where you are moving in for a long-term placement, the first six weeks from the admission date will be a trial period. If during the initial six-week period, we have not determined that we are able to meet your needs, the trial period may be extended by us. During the trial period, either you or we may cancel the placement on seven days’ notice in writing. If this occurs, then we will refund you any advanced fees paid which relate to the period after expiry of the notice period. If you leave before the end of the notice period and we are able to make use of the room after you have left, we will refund you for the period that the room stayed unoccupied. After the end of the trial period, you or we may terminate the placement by giving 28 days’ notice.

 

Other circumstances where you or we may terminate the placement either during a short-term placement, trial period or permanent placement, such as where we can no longer meet your needs, can be found in the Terms and Conditions.

No video, sound or other recordings of any kind are permitted in the Home by you or any of your visitors; photography is only permitted where authorised by the Home’s activities co-ordinator or manager in which case the activities co-ordinator or manager shall take the photograph on the Home’s equipment or shall take a photo at the same time as the photo is taken. This is important to respect our residents’ privacy.

We are not responsible for damage to your property and we recommend that you take out insurance to cover any loss or damage to your possessions whilst you are resident at our homes.

You are not permitted to have in the Home or bring into the Home any of the items listed below:

 

  • valuable (e.g. jewellery, crosses) or sentimental items;
  • electrical equipment (should you need anything, such as a radio or a television, please let us know as we may be able to provide you with one);
  • red clothing (please note we will accept white clothing but such clothing will become discoloured as for infection control reasons we are not able to separate clothes for washing);
  • clothing that is dry-clean or hand wash only or clothing that cannot be tumble dried;
  • furniture or furnishings (unless agreed in writing by us);

 

All items of property of any kind brought into the Home must be registered in the property register.  This includes birthday and Christmas presents. All food items must be approved by a manager or chef and taken to the kitchen for storage.

You may not bring in a pet to live in the home. Should you or your friends wish for a pet to visit, please speak to the manager or activities co-ordinator to arrange this. Our residents, staff and day guests love it when pets visit!

We will endeavour to meet your cultural requirements. It is important that you discuss these with us before admission so we can discuss whether we are able to meet them.

Visitors are welcome to visit and we do not specify particular visiting times but request that visitors avoid meal times and do not generally attend after 9pm.

If you have any further questions you can contact us via our contact form. Alternatively, don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team on 020 8344 2600 or at welcome@autumn-gardens.com