The budget on Tuesday may well have pushed more people into the 'self funder' category of adult social care.  Self funders pay for their own care and do not qualify for financial assistance from social services - however, there are some benefits that they may be eligible for.

If this is the case and already 41% of care home residents are self funders, then the residents and their relatives who may be looking for the care on their behalf, need to be more savvy about what they are looking for.

In addition to this self funders need to be aware that they are preferred residents as the care home will generally charge more for a self funder than they are able to charge social services for a room.  Self funders are in effect subsidising residents from social services.

It is important when you are paying such a large sum of money for your care that not only is the care you are receiving supporting your needs, but that it is the best care available at the best price.

Best-care-home.co.uk is dedicating itself to the needs of self funders.  Self funders are people who fall outside the financial criteria set by Social Services for help with their care fees.  As a result of non qualification financially, many self funders also find that they are not given information that will help them to find the best care for themselves or their relative.

If you are a self funder you are entitled to a free assessment from Social Services, who will advise you what type of care might be most suited to your needs - either residential care, nursing, specialist or domiciliary care (care at home).  In addition to this you are also entitled to Attendance Allowance.

The only system that allows a comparison between care homes throughout England will be halted on the 30th June.  There are suggestions that an alternative system will be implemented, but with the inevitable government cuts that are coming our way it is anybody's guess how effective they will be.

A means of differentiating between homes for members of the public is vital - an overnight stay in a hotel offers 5 levels of quality and service to ensure your visit is of the standard you require;  but move into a care home for the rest of your life and you will have no way of knowing what standard of care you will receive.

In addition to this the care homes have worked hard to achieve their 'Excellent' rating and this is to be taken away.  What incentive are we offering to care homes to improve their standards if there is no way to gauge this improvement?

The Care Quality Commission is phasing out the star rating for Residential Care Homes and Domiciliary Agencies.  At the present time this is the only way that the general public can differentiate between a 'poor' and 'excellent' care home or home care agency.

At best-care-home.co.uk we hope that the CQC implements an alternative system that allows the public the ability to easily differentiate between the different standards of care homes and domiciliary agencies.

In the biggest change to the welfare state since the creation of the NHS, everyone who needs care when they are old or disabled will get it for free, Health Secretary Andy Burnham announced today as he launched the National Care Service in England.

The National Care Service will be based on a principle of shared social insurance and will be funded by contributions from everyone in a fair way. The National Care Service will ensure people get high quality care when they need it and it will give peace of mind that savings and homes will be protected from the expensive care costs that arise from serious long term conditions, such as Alzheimer's or recovering from a stroke.