Fees

Paying your fees

Your fees are due in line with a four-weekly charging period. Before you first move in you will be charged in advance to the end of the current charging period. Subsequently your payments will be due by standing order for four-week periods.

Any additional services, such as hairdressers, physiotherapy, newspapers and escorts for social outings are billed at the end of each four-week period.

Fee increases

Fees are reviewed each year in March and fees generally increase in line with the rate of inflation according to the CPIH (Consumer Prices Index including Housing costs) unless major changes in legislation or sector regulations significantly increase our costs in providing your service. For example, where the fee rate is £1,000 per week and the CPIH 12-month inflation rate for March is 2%, the new fee rate will become £1,020 per week.

Residents and their representatives are consulted before fee increases are implemented and receive two months’ notice in writing of the amount of any increase. On receipt of the increase notice residents may either:

• Do nothing, in which case the fees will increase in line with the notification, or
• Give written notice that they wish to leave. In this case, we allow 28 days from the date of their notice, for them to move out before the fee increase will apply.

Deposits

For all stays at The Dower House, whether on a short- or long-term basis, a security deposit is required to be paid. This deposit is held in a separate bank account and is to protect us against the risk of your non-payment of fees or any damage which may be caused to our property by you. Therefore, it is only in these circumstances that we will seek to deduct any sums from this security deposit, and any deductions which we propose to make will be clearly set out in an invoice or final statement of account and supported by evidence. The resulting balance will be returned to you within 28 days of the end of the agreement.

Long stay residents

The deposit required from all long stay residents is £2,000.

Current room fees per week, for long stay residents, are as follows:

• Standard bedroom (Unfurnished, ensuite toilet and basin)- Assisted care £2270, Nursing care £2625, Complex care £2980
• Larger and Garden bedrooms (Unfurnished, ensuite toilet and basin. Garden rooms have patio and direct garden access)- Assisted care £2350, Nursing care £2705, Complex care £3060
• Garden Room with ensuite shower (Unfurnished, ensuite toilet, basin and shower. Patio and direct garden access)- Assisted care £2400, Nursing care £2755, Complex care £3110

Short stay/respite residents

Short stays are suitable for instances such as when you are recovering from an illness or operation, require general convalescence or simply wish to take a short holiday with the additional benefit of personal care and support.

Should you need to increase the length of your stay this is possible, subject to availability.

Short stays require a deposit of £700.

The room fee for any short/respite stay is £2,500 per week, unless you require complex care in which case this will be charged at £2980.

Additional services

All residents can choose from a range of additional services which are charged separately. These include, but are not limited to:

• Newspapers
• Hairdressing
• Physiotherapy
• Chiropody
• Guest meals
• Alcoholic beverages
• Purchases from the resident’s shop
• Dry cleaning
• Companion for social outings

Hospital stays

If you are admitted to hospital and are a permanent resident, your fees remain unchanged for two weeks. If you remain in hospital after that time, your fees will reduce by 15%. After six weeks in hospital, we will review arrangements with you, your family or next of kin.