Care home costs

[Dianneya]

Help! I am by father POA and in December the care home he was in could no longer deal with his challenging behaviour. They called and said he needed moving ASAP and had contacted Social Services. Long story short he got moved 3 days later to a dementia specialist behavioural unit. His social worker had tried all the nursing homes in the area but nowhere would take him and his care home were insisting that he was moved straight away and it had to be within a week. He was not getting the care he needed in the care home and was losing weight, dirty and getting sores because they couldnt change him. I rang and found a nursing home that had a space. As Dad is self funding I kept asking his social worker for the cost and then asked the home. I was told SS were paying in the interim and they would sort the finances out after a CHC meeting and surprise surprise he wasn't entitled to it event though he needs 3 on 1 care because he gets violent, he can't communicate or walk. As this was just before Christmas his social worker was going to call me after christmas to sort everything out. (I tried calling him after Christmas when he hadnt called and never got a call back, he has since been "moved on".
6 months later I finally get a call from his new social worker saying we need a financial meeting as the care costs are £2041 a week!
Had I been told this when he first went in I would of worked with social services to find him somewhere else. He is now settled in and doing well but I feel social services had a duty to tell me the cost and give me the opportunity to move him.
Surely Social Services should have told me the cost of the care home or should I of tried harder to find out. Sorry I think I just needed to rant.

 

[nitram]

Have you signed any contract, although acceptance of service for a long period could be a deemed acceptance?

Try contacting https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementia-connect-support-line

 

[MartinWL]

The sort of care needed is without doubt going to be very expensive indeed. Do you actually know of a cheaper alternative that offers suitable care? If not, it is hard to see what you can do. In terms of contract law you cannot be required to pay for a service you didn't agree to. I do not understand how this can have gone on for months without you seeing an invoice.

How long will his funds last? Unless you do have an alternative up your sleeve the reality may be that he will just have to pay.