Funding care in Slough

Step 1: the care needs assessment

The route to funding opens with an assessment by Slough Borough Council. It is at no cost, and qualifying needs lead to a personal budget, the council's costing of the support required. Adult social care: 01753 475111. Getting assessed in Slough: step by step.

Step 2: the financial assessment (means test)

Next comes a financial assessment, often called the means test. England's 2026/27 rules use two limits. With capital above £23,250, the person generally pays for all of it. With less than £14,250, savings are not counted at all, and any contribution is taken from income alone. In the middle band the council shares the cost, and every £250 of savings above £14,250 is treated as £1 a week of "tariff income".

When support is delivered at home, the value of the person's home is not counted; the person also keeps at least an income floor known as the Minimum Income Guarantee: £241.45 weekly if single and over pension age. When they move into residential care, property normally counts unless it is still home to a partner or to certain relatives. Where it does count, a 12-week disregard applies at the start, and they keep £31.80 a week for personal spending (the Personal Expenses Allowance).

Slough Borough Council: paying for care.

Slough in numbers

£1,590 a week: that is our estimate of a typical private fee for a room in a care home locally, against a regional £1,620 (South East) and £1,520 for England. It is not a quote. That splits into roughly £1,560 for residential places and £1,850 for nursing places. 70 home care agencies are registered with CQC in Slough. Of the 25 with a rating, 72% are Good or Outstanding, below the England figure of 88%.

CQC registers 16 care homes in Slough. 14 are rated, and 57% of these are Good or Outstanding; the England figure is 83%. Nursing homes make up 6 of the total, or 38%. Our modelled typical self-funder price for agency care at home in Slough is £32.00 an hour. The South East figure is £33.50 and England's is £33.50.

CQC published 7 ratings for services in Slough in the last 12 months (2 moved to a higher rating, 1 was first ratings). The most recent was on 29 July 2026.

Based on the register as of Oct 2026, with Q4 2026 fee estimates from our index.

Not having to sell the house

• When it applies: the property counts towards a care home place.
• The council's duty: Slough Borough Council has to offer eligible people a deferred payment agreement.
• The result: which avoids selling the property in the person's lifetime.
• The price: an administration charge and interest.

Funding you can get whatever you own

Attendance Allowance is paid to people over State Pension age who need help with personal care: £76.70 a week, or £114.60 if they need help day and night. Savings and the house do not count, and plenty of families miss it. Someone who cares for at least 35 hours a week may get Carer's Allowance. NHS Continuing Healthcare covers all care costs when someone's main needs are health needs, and NHS-funded nursing care contributes to nursing in a nursing home.

Find out what you could get.

Choosing your own care with direct payments

You can ask for the council's contribution to home care as cash, then pick an agency or employ a personal assistant. This works whether it funds part of the support or all of it. Slough Borough Council: direct payments.