A Bill from the Blue

chrisdee

Registered User
Nov 23, 2014
171
0
Yorkshire
My poor Mum passed away early March this year. Today,30th July, my brother got a bill for 4 weeks in a Nursing home, prior to her demise. Prior to this, the hospital social worker said that Mum [self funding] would get some financial help from our LA as she had never received the 12 weeks disregard of fees anyway. Obvs at the time we were pleased to get Mum out of hospital into a local NH, who were excellent. There is no breakdown as to how this sum has been arrived at. Has anyone experienced anything similar? it really shocked us to get a bill at this stage . . .
 

Pickles53

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
2,474
0
Radcliffe on Trent
If the bill came from the LA I'm not that surprised at the time lag. Other posts I've read on here have referred to long delays in getting bills. However, if you were advised that a 12-week disregard should have been applied I would simply write back to the LA and ask for a detailed explanation and breakdown of how this has been calculated. Then you can check out what they say with the TP experts who know the statutory guidance much better than me.
 
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Pete R

Registered User
Jul 26, 2014
2,036
0
Staffs
Prior to this, the hospital social worker said that Mum [self funding] would get some financial help from our LA as she had never received the 12 weeks disregard of fees anyway.

Hi Chrisdee,
What a pain this must be for you all. :( LA's can be awfully slow but as your Mum was self funding has this bill come from the NH? Whoever it is from send it back asking for a full breakdown.

The 12 week disregard you mention is only related to any property that was involved. If your Mum's savings were above £23,250 the LA would not help with funding at all. If below that then they would pay their set amount but would also want your Mum's pensions. Did your Mum not have a financial assessment when she was in a CH before her fall?

Sorry cannot be of much help.:(
 

chrisdee

Registered User
Nov 23, 2014
171
0
Yorkshire
Thank you both. The bill was indeed from the LA. Mum did have a financial assessment maybe 3 years ago. She was way over the limit in term of cash, and there was also a half share in her house. So it must be me who misunderstood the disregard rules. I will check up on the disregard rules, its not a huge bill so I think we shall just have to pay up! The irony is that probate is completed - but it was all her money after all. This could be really distressing for some families, for us its more annoying than anything.
 

Logan

Registered User
Nov 1, 2010
813
0
Attendance Allowance

Just a thought. If a person is self-funding in a CH then it is my understand that AA should have been claimed. I hope that you did that. I was given incorrect information from the LA assessment officer when I took over my Mum's financial management (had to go to the Court of Protection to be a Receiver) so I did not claim AA for quite a while and it was not back-dated either, despite many letters from me to themxx
 

chrisdee

Registered User
Nov 23, 2014
171
0
Yorkshire
Hi Logan, sorry that you were misinformed regarding AA, how unfair! yes I did get AA
for Mum and it made some difference and of course it carried through when she was at the care home stage. So much of this caring saga depends on getting the right info at the right stage. The biggest problem I found is the one of 'you don't know what you don't know'. Everyone I have come across on here seems intelligent, conscientious and caring, many intensively so - even then . . . well its fiendishly difficult isn't it? Actually, the biggest problem are the dementias themselves in their varied forms and the havoc they cause in the lives of all that come into contact. No easy answers should be made into a theme tune.