Hi, I am so angry I can barely speak! I placed my loved one (parent) in EMI residential 5 weeks ago and asked the weekly charges. Told a figure and informed that price would increase in April in line with benefits increase - no surprise there then. Told today, 5 weeks later the increase will be £45 per week from original quote! LO will be self funding from next week when made permanent. A tad excessive - L O will need deferred payments till house sold upon death. Can they legally hike up their charges by that much? Is it a breach of verbal contract? I'm so upset that I they feel they can do this to private paying residents.
Care home costs
- Thread starter middlemiss
- Start date
IT is indeed horrendous how much they charge. My husband is going into respite soon for two weeks. The charge to the individual is £1022 per week but the LA cost is £524 per week. We will get two weeks a year from the LA at a lower charge but if I need another break it will be the full charge. How many people can afford these prices?
Dad is self funding...expensive South East...his fees now £1200 per week...increase last January was 8% year before that 7%. I don't begrudge anyone who can't pay having the LA funding but it isn't fair as many have said before that the LA rate is heavily discounted and the self funders make up the shortfall until they are bled dry. Just about to complete sale on dads house so we can keep him safe and looked after. I looked at 16 homes some wouldn't take Dads moderate stage but most in this area were £1000+ 2 years ago when he entered care.
I'm just doing some work on this two tier funding. I think it is an unreasonable tax on people and probably the highest tax anyone will ever pay. I can't believe there hasn't been a legal challenge. LAs and self funders should pay the same rates for a place, there should be no discrimination and they have been getting away with it for years. I have put in Freedom of Information requests to a number of LAs across the country and will then analyse the data and see if I can get anyone to take up the case and will get a campaign group together. I think it is outrageous and it can't go on. They used to say it was because they block booked beds but the first authority I have contacted have just returned their data and I haven't had time to analyse it properly but they have well over 100 placements in different homes and only two homes where they block book beds, this alone proves that they no longer do this on a large scale. I happen to know that my own authority doesn't block book either. No excuses but it is a mammoth task. I have previously approached organisations but they haven't been willing to take up the challenge
Good luck to you but I wouldn't take up the challenge either. It will happen on the twelfth of never. If you want everyone to pay the same, then LAs would have to up their funding (as care homes are businesses and won't accept lower rates for everyone) and they simply haven't got the money for it. The change would have to directly come from the government with maybe declaring dementia a medical instead of a social problem, and providing billions more funding. Or they decide they haven't got the money for it but change financial assessments to include spouses and children. Which lots of people wouldn't be happy about either.
If every home could fill their rooms with those who self fund there would be no two tier funding. They are businesses and to fill their rooms they take LA funded patients. LAs can negotiate because they become responsible for a vast number of people needing care who cannot self fund.
It is better for them to have a lower income per empty bed than no income at all.
I don't think care homes are forced to take LA funded patients but fizzie might be able to throw some light on this when the information is available.
It is better for them to have a lower income per empty bed than no income at all.
I don't think care homes are forced to take LA funded patients but fizzie might be able to throw some light on this when the information is available.
Good for you, Fizzie! It will be interesting to find out how you get on. As you no doubt realise, I raised this very question when I was looking for a home for Mum. I was astounded that care homes could charge LAs one price and self funders almost twice as much in some cases. As you rightly say, this can't go on.
Well done fizzie for taking on such a daunting task. If this issue was publicised more it would be easier but I'm sure the vast majority of the population have no idea about what is going on.
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Fizzie - there is a research report online undertaken in 2015 by the Citizens Advice Bureau, I found it extremely useful. I'm definately planning to take up the issue of being mislead when chosing and agreeing to place my parent in a home that then decided to hike up the charges by a massive %. Also, I'm planning to see my MP about the issue. As far as I'm concerned, care homes seem to be the only provider of services that can charge differently depending on the resident's circumstances whilst receiving exactly the same as those who pay less. If I went for a coffee, I'd expect to pay the same, for the same goods, for the same service, same staff, same dining room. Care homes are making huge profits from the most vulnerable in society and no one seems to do anything about it. I'm a social worker working in older adult services, I go in lots of care homes and I've never seen anyone do a value for money exercise for self funders - they get exactly the same for much more and I don't believe they subsidise those placed by local authorities that have no money or assets. It's pure greed. Look at the CAB report about how much it actually costs to live in care. The rest is pure profit. I'm going to see my MP, the system is a disgrace.
I also have posted a couple of months ago regarding the huge increase in dad's fees with very little notice. No other business would get away with this. Impossible to financially plan anything when you are at the provider's mercy, really.
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I agree Gwendy1 - I can't move my parent because it would be extremely detrimental to her mental health to do so. It could be even be a safeguarding concern if I tried. I'm cross initially because they mislead my family and I with costs, but to increase it without explanation is not acceptable. I can't do anything until Tuesday but I will challenge it because as far as I'm concerned, they've breached the verbal contract and have not given sufficient notice for the increase. My parent is on a temporary placement, you'd think they would want to keep them rather than have an empty bed! When I looked at Company House to see their business accounts I was horrified at the profit made last year for the shareholders. How obscene to make this amount of profit from vulnerable people!
StanleyPJ, I intend to take it as far as I can - MP, change.org petition, TV, newpapers etc. Fizzie - let me know if I can help your cause in any way.
StanleyPJ, I intend to take it as far as I can - MP, change.org petition, TV, newpapers etc. Fizzie - let me know if I can help your cause in any way.
If it is illegal and I have reason to believe it is, then an alternative will have to be found. I believe, and have been told by investors in care homes, as another poster said that 50% money taken is profit and this is coming from the self funders. It simply doesn't cost that much and if for example it costs £700 (which it doesn't) and the council are paying £500 (more like the cost) then the profit comes straight out of the £1200 that the self funder is paying. If there is legal redress then the Councils would have to take care back into their hands, cut out the fat cat care home owners and bingo things become much more equal. Then if people choose to self fund in private care homes that is up to them but that is a completely separate issue. All the nonsense that the councils gave people initially about block booking is now a thing of the past, they don't. Just because it is going to be challenging doesn't mean it shouldn't be tackled and there will be massive support from it. Hard earned money is being swallowed up in profit and I agree that when you are paying for exactly the same product you should never be charge 60-70% more. However, I need to get the background work done and then I believe the press will take it up. Yes, Middlemass I would love your help when I start to get info together - I have to wait weeks for some Freedom of Info requests to be dealt with! - I will private message you with my details, thank you very much
Put like that fizzie, it's hard to see there is any defence. It would appear that self-funders are being required to provide the profit that private companies 'earn' from care homes.
Do we know if CHs run by charities (e.g. the church one) follow the same policy?
Do we know if CHs run by charities (e.g. the church one) follow the same policy?
I only have direct experience of one CH which is run by a Church (Methodist Homes for the Aged run their homes as a business although I believe their fees are lower generally but will be checking it out) - this is a smaller church group and the fees are much lower and the residents get so much more for their money too
Yes that is true, and you are so right MHA have a good source of volunteers which means they can offer more for the money too
I tried to get dad into a charity run home with terrific grades when we were looking around... They said, and I quote, ' oh no, we don't take them when they get like that, if they're already in, that's different.'!!! !!! Don't know what they were charging, never got that far with the shock!
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Thanks Fizzie, and yes, it was extremely harsh- astounding! ... I work for a charity for homeless people myself, and nearly dropped my phone, as I recall! ...If I also could offer my support, in any way, for your proposed campaign, please don't hesitate to contact me. G.x
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