Is it normal to be charged this much?

[min88cat]

We are in the process of organising the transfer of my Aunt from hospital to a NH, and hubbie is currently visiting uncle to help organise POA so that he can pay her care bills.

The home (costing 850.00 per week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ) has asked for a deposit of £1,800 , which is to cover their admin fees - it's nothing to do with the room itself. Apparently when the room is no longer needed, he will get £800.00 back. Is this the norm? To be honest I was quite shocked.

 

[jenniferpa]

I would say, no, it's not normal - in fact I've never heard of anyone being charged "admin fees".

 

[PeggySmith]

I would be looking for a different home.

 

[flowerpot]

I have never heard of this either and I too think that you should look for somewhere else.

 

[min88cat]

I wish we could, but this is the only nursing home with a vacancy that my uncle can travel to easily from his home. He's 83, and we need to consider how he will be able get there during the winter etc. it's within walking distance for the decent weather and a bus ride when it's not.


I'm just wondering whether they're chancing their luck with him because he's elderly

 

[jenniferpa]

Can I suggest that you call the AS helpline - there are regulations that nursing homes need to follow, and this seems more than a little outside the norm.

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/helpline

 

[turbo]

Hello min88cat, when we were looking for care homes for my mum (January 2010) one chain of care home wanted a £5000 'bond'. I seem to remember that this was not returnable. Mum didn't go to that particular care home.


turbo

 

[Saffie]

Though I haven't heard of an admin. fee either, I notice that you have put a lot of exclamation marks after the £850 for weekly fees. Nearly every nursing home around here charges more than that and some are over £1,000 per week. That is after the £108 nursing component is deducted too, though, in fact, that is never mentioned in their quotes.

 

[Dill]

I will just say that when Dad went into the care home we had to pay for a fortnight (or maybe a month I cannot remember) in advance. The reason was to do with administrative procedures and it had to be done that way.

The home always said we would receive it back when the room was no longer needed which is what happened. Although Dad was only in a week.

I agree with Saffie, the fee of £850 sounds about right.

Hope you find the right home for your Aunt.
Regards
Dill

 

[leslee]

Good Lord! And I thought £670 was extortionate!

It must depend on where you live.

 

[Soobee]

The cheapest home in my area charges £750, the average cost for a nursing home here is over £1000 a week. I don't think you should be paying any sort of fees up front or a deposit or bond.

 

[at wits end]

WHen gran was accepted permanently, as opposed to the initial respite, I had to pay a deposit of four weeks fees, two weeks of which are refundable after she leaves. The other two were not refundable.

As it was the only Nursing Home locally, and part of a national chain, I didnt question it.

 

[Dill]

We didn't question it either at the time. The home said they ask for the money up front to cover the cost of the room being empty for a week or so after it is no longer needed.

It seemed reasonable but I do wonder now. Dad died one week after moving in there so we were in a daze but they did return most of what we paid up front.
Dill

 

[Witzend]

Good Lord! And I thought £670 was extortionate!

It must depend on where you live.

The OP is in a pretty expensive area of the SE.

Though even £850 a week doesn't honestly seem so much when you work it out per day, and then compare it to what you'd have to pay for a reasonable hotel or B&B in your area. £850 works out at just over £121 a day, for which you don't just get B&B, you get all meals and drinks, a lot of laundry, 24/7 care/supervision, usually some activities, and almost always greenhouse levels of heating.

The bottom line sums still look scary, though, I know.

 

[leslee]

It is £560 for residential care at my Mam's home and £670 for nursing care. It is one of the more expensive that we visited.

 

[jan.s]

Hi There. I visited a NH which wanted an admin fee. I cannot remember, but I think it was 4 weeks care fees plus a deposit in case anything was damaged!

The fees were over £1000 pw, and I remember they wanted £5000 up front. Thankfully this didn't happen. I wonder if your CH is part of the same group.

I admit I was horrified when told.

 

[jenniferpa]

In 2003 the office of fair trading published a document about unfair terms in care home contracts. It's here if anyone want to look at it.

http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/reports/unfair_contract_terms/oft635.pdf

 

[uselessdaughter]

Good Lord! And I thought £670 was extortionate!

It must depend on where you live.

I have just received my weekly email from Travelzoo with the latest offers. There is a cruise to Norway - £599 for 14 nights. Makes you think!

Linda

 

[wazzer]

Hi
I have been reading the replies to this thread and find it staggering the amount of Care Home Fees being charged. I must be one of the very, very lucky ones where I live in the north-west of England that my mums fees in a Residential Care Home are just under £400.00 a week.
My mum entered the Care Home 4 years ago with AZ and although she can still feed herself she is now doubly incontinent, in a wheelchair and there is no understandable speech. In spite of all this the staff at the Care Home have said that although she has reached the stage of being in a NH they are quite happy to carry on looking after her as they think a move would be detrimental to her health.
Four years ago we did actually look at another Care Home that where charging £600.00 a week and it looked the best in our area but what put us off this home was the fact that the nurse showing us around had only worked there three months and at the start of our tour a patients room alarm was ringing and it was still ringing when we returned half an hour later. Whereas the home where mum is now the staff have worked there for years.
Regional variations have a lot to answer for.

Kind regards,
Ken.