care home fees

[oldsoulchild]

hi. i wondered if anyone has been in a similar situation or knows what i should do.
my mam passed away in december and had been living in a care home for a while. last week i was sent a bill for £996 for her care home and for the care she had at home back in 2010.
is it my responsibility to pay that, do i have to pay it?
can anyone offer me any advice, ive been googling to try to find out but it keeps taking me to american sites.
thanks
debbie

 

[jenniferpa]

So the care home bill relates to 2012 and the home care is from 2010? Not very fast are they?

Firstly, are the amounts correct? That is: was this money due at the time? You should have had a contract with the care home that spells out what fees are due and under what circumstances. Ditto the home care fees. Having said that - it's not your responsibility to pay these bills even if they are owed (and that's a big if): they should be paid from your mother's estate.

I just want to check something and I'll be back.

P.S. Who sent you the bill? The care home/ home care provider? The LA? Or what?

 

[oldsoulchild]

thanks jennifer
the bill is from the LA,
its the first ive heard about a charge owing from 2010,
the 2nd part is from the last 2 weeks she was in the care home before she passed

 

[Jo1958]

Debbie, hi
I would ring the contact details on the bill and speak to someone about this, if it's from 2010 then they are way out of line asking for it now so you need more information as to why this is being billed now.

The amounts of the last two weeks in the home are questionable in that how was it being paid for before your mother passed away, why is this amount now outstanding. I would try to get a friendly contact at the LA and start a conversation about what they expect you to do as you are not liable for these debts.

Good luck and I'm so sorry that you are having to deal with this on top of the loss of your mam.
With kind regards from Jo

 

[oldsoulchild]

thanks jo
while she was in the care home i had access to her bank account where her pension was paid. i took the money out of her pension to pay for the care home. i suppose they can argue that the pension was paid up until she passed and therefore i have had that money.
i wasnt expecting this and i also think they are out of order to bring up a debt 3 years later. its never been mentioned to me nor showing up on any statements
it comes to £996, i cant pluck that out of thin air nor do i want to!
thanks for the advice