My mother has been in a CH for over 2 years now and I've just received a letter attached to the review of her care plan asking for proof that Mum can pay her fees on an ongoing basis i.e. a bank statement, pension income, etc (she's self-funding). It says this required on admission but I've never provided any sort of proof and I think it's a cheek has anyone else had to do this and do I have to let them have it? So long as they get their astronomical, extortionate fees each month why should I prove Mum can pay it.
Proving you can pay CH Fees!
- Thread starter Katie.white
- Start date
Myhusband is waiting for room at our care home of choice and we are self funding. There has been no mention of proof required.
When LA asked for financial figures we have always said we are self funding and never divulged pensions, or savings and they are happy to leave it, I feel the care home should be happy too.
Jeannette
When LA asked for financial figures we have always said we are self funding and never divulged pensions, or savings and they are happy to leave it, I feel the care home should be happy too.
Jeannette
I would say to whoever is asking to see bank statements etc that you are not at liberty to divulge such details as this would break confidentiality rules.
I agree with Lin1, social workers, care home managers etc should know better than to ask about a persons finances. My dad was in care for 2 years + during that time I was never asked anything about my dad's money. When he first went into care I received a phone call from Social Services reminding me to contact them before my dad's money got down to £23.000.
When we got the Service User form for my mum who was self funding it said under funding " Please note that all self paying and OLA ( other local authority?) service users must have at least three years' funding and that a four week deposit will be required on admission" . Their Service User form is still on their website and it still states this and they are a reputable form.
I did query it at the time and was told it was so people could not be placed in a CH as self funders when there was only very limited capital to cover only a few weeks care and then the LA would have to step in.
I was told informally recently that the three years' proof of funding has now been reduced to two in the current financial climate but we did have to show bank statements which they photocopied when my mum went in to care and this was not an expensive care home but was run on a not for profit basis.
Tre
I did query it at the time and was told it was so people could not be placed in a CH as self funders when there was only very limited capital to cover only a few weeks care and then the LA would have to step in.
I was told informally recently that the three years' proof of funding has now been reduced to two in the current financial climate but we did have to show bank statements which they photocopied when my mum went in to care and this was not an expensive care home but was run on a not for profit basis.
Tre
I think this is a way in through the back door to finding out the amount the client has in the bank. I would not have agreed under any circumstances to show my father's statements to CH, SS, PCT and they should know better than to ask no matter how professional their forms appear.
While I think it isn't unusual to be asked this at the beginning of a self-funded residency if you move to a new local authority area (because of the "ordinary resident" guidelines, and what makes a person considered to be resident in a new area), I find it odd and more than a little out of line to be asked after several years.
I suppose there might be a wrinkle if they thought a person was in care when they didn't need to be (unlikely I suppose but possible), but I would have said the stable door had closed on this particular horse.
If you feel the need to respond I would go with Marianne's approach: tell them that confidentiality prevents you sharing this information. Mummy was self-funded and I never showed a single piece of paper to anyone with regard to her ability to pay.
I suppose there might be a wrinkle if they thought a person was in care when they didn't need to be (unlikely I suppose but possible), but I would have said the stable door had closed on this particular horse.
If you feel the need to respond I would go with Marianne's approach: tell them that confidentiality prevents you sharing this information. Mummy was self-funded and I never showed a single piece of paper to anyone with regard to her ability to pay.
"...What do they propose to do with such information..."
It would be useful to estimate future fee revenue.
If self funders move to LA funding the fees received are likely to be reduced considerably - maybe even halved. In some cases the home will have rough idea of the life expectancy of a resident and with the information would be able to assess whether the resident is likely to become LA funded.
Not defending the request but giving a possible answer to "What do they propose to do with such information?"
It would be useful to estimate future fee revenue.
If self funders move to LA funding the fees received are likely to be reduced considerably - maybe even halved. In some cases the home will have rough idea of the life expectancy of a resident and with the information would be able to assess whether the resident is likely to become LA funded.
Not defending the request but giving a possible answer to "What do they propose to do with such information?"
Thank you all for your replies.
I am under no illusions about why they want to know how much Mum's got, it's because her money is funding the other dementia patients in the home who aren't self-funding! I get very bitter and twisted when it comes to the cost of care home fees, it's bad enough paying thousands of pounds out each month but being asked how much longer it'll go on for is a damn cheek. For the moment I'm going to ignore it, if it is bought up in the future I will as Marianne suggested say her financial affairs are confidential. Rant over!!!
Kate
I am under no illusions about why they want to know how much Mum's got, it's because her money is funding the other dementia patients in the home who aren't self-funding! I get very bitter and twisted when it comes to the cost of care home fees, it's bad enough paying thousands of pounds out each month but being asked how much longer it'll go on for is a damn cheek. For the moment I'm going to ignore it, if it is bought up in the future I will as Marianne suggested say her financial affairs are confidential. Rant over!!!
Kate
I agree - how rude to ask how much money is available. Like going to a restaurant and not being allowed to order unless you show your wallet!
The only thing I can think is that in the CH where my mother is, they say that it is an absolute nightmare and really stressful for the CH and more so, the family when self funding runs out. The CH she is in I am sure has no funded residents as it is so expensive but if the CH you are using has a mix of self funders and funded residents then it is none of their business what financial situation you are in, as presumably, the local authority would have to take over the payments if her funds ran out.
The only thing I can think is that in the CH where my mother is, they say that it is an absolute nightmare and really stressful for the CH and more so, the family when self funding runs out. The CH she is in I am sure has no funded residents as it is so expensive but if the CH you are using has a mix of self funders and funded residents then it is none of their business what financial situation you are in, as presumably, the local authority would have to take over the payments if her funds ran out.
