Challenging care home charges

[ingrina]

After 7 months in hospital, we eventually found a care home that would accept our Dad on 3rd February.
We were advised the cost of Dads's care would be £934.44 per week and he was to have a CHC assessment on the 17th Feb. Dad passed away on 1st May.

We have received an invoice from the Local Authority for £11500. We have asked for a breakdown of the charges and the outcome of the CHC assessment, neither of which we have received.

In the meantime we have received an invoice from the company that took over the Care Home for £650.

We are currently applying for probate and have advised both the LA and the Care Home of this but are very confused as to whether the LA or the Care Home or both are owed money and obviously the CHC outcome is required.

Dad's savings were less than £23k but there is property which he joint owned with my Mum who passed away 2 weeks before Dad.

How does the 12 week property disregard work ? Why are there two invoices ? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Bunpoots]

Hi @ingrina .

My condolences on the death of your dad.

The 12 week property disregard means that for the first 12 weeks in care your dad should have been treated as though he didn’t own a property so he should only have to pay full fees after that date. My dad died just before the property disregard ended but because of his pension had to pay about £400 from his estate to the local council. The carehome didn’t send a bill. Had he not had the property disregard he’d have owed more like £7,000.

I wonder if someone in the local authority accounts dept. have missed the fact that he was given the proper disregard? From the figures it looks like this might be the case.