Harassment from care home manageress

If we could manage without care homes ………

MissAdventure

Inmate is an awful thing to call people in care homes, by the way.
I presume it was tongue in cheek, but still...

Can I make it clear that I did not call them inmates! The way Anniebach has quoted things, it looked like it was me saying it. However, if you ask my Mum on a bad day and one of the other residents at their very expensive Nursing Home, they appear to think they are prisoners!! The other resident gets really mad because he has to pay £1100 per month. I have to hold my tongue because my mother pays nearly 9 times that amount. She doesn't get any better treatment or a better room than him (not that I'd expect her to) but it does rather make me want to jump up and down shouting!!!!

mae13

icanhandthemback

Notjustaprettyface, it isn't a case of acceptance, it is a case of needs must. Believe me, if we had a choice we wouldn't want to pay the amount we do...part of our costs are to subsidise the people who can't afford to pay!

I found that out when temporarily shunted into a 'care' home during Covid: in conversation (of sorts) with another of the inmates she told me airily "I like being here - it's all free."
I had property so Social Services set my portion of the fees at £1100 per week. That was when I discovered that self-funders help to pay for the "free" residents.
Mmmmmmm..........

When I visited an Aunt in a care home there was a very vocal lady in her late 80s. Social Services had placed her there while they were doing renovations to her council bungalow.

She was so greedy and complained about everything even though the food was great. She took great delight in telling everyone that she was planning on staying in the home as long as poss as it was free and saved her paying out rent.

Point taken, Icanhandthemback and apologies for getting the wrong end of the stick.

That is correct Rosie.

The fees are exorbitant and I am surprised so many of you ´ accept’ it
We don't have any option but to accept it. The alternative is looking after the relative at home; are you prepared to do that? Many of the parents of my generation had a relative in the back bedroom, usually cared for by the wife or daughter. When my father was in the nursing home, pre-2000' he had to pay higher fees which apparently subsidised those who were unable to pay. The house went and most of his savings, which is why I am sceptical at all the talk of inheritance tax.
Most families' main asset is their house, and once sold the money vanishes into care home fees. Care homes are not the easy money spinners they once were, and are regulated and inspected regularly.

The point was, my father flatly refused to move to where I lived, and worked full time so I could not help him live independently, but by remaining where he was at least I knew he was safe, warm and well cared for in the nursing home.
Prettyface, you seem to have a most unrealistic view of the cost of patient care, and you must come to terms with it and the viewpoint of the nursing staff, for your husband's sake.

MissAdventure

I really can't believe that self funding residents pay for those who aren't sef funding but I don't know anything much about it all.

I've certainly never seen funds moved from one residents account's to another's, for anything.

Self funders subsidise others by something like 35%. Social services have set amounts they will pay care homes to look after residents. Let’s say £600 a week. But if a self funder comes along they will pay 35% more than that for basically the same care package.

I had no idea it was such a vast difference.
No wonder people get angry about it!!

OP they can only take money that’s in your husbands’ name to pay for his care so any accounts of your own can’t be included in the local authority financial assessment. Neither can your marital home - even if it’s in his name only. Once his savings fall below £23,250 the LA should start to contribute to care fees, and once under £14,250 they should pay them all.

But if you knew the CHC funding was going to run out you should have acted sooner. If your husband has capacity you need to get him to contact the bank so that funding arrangements/payment of arrears can be made until he reaches the threshold for LA care. If he doesn’t have capacity you need to contact the office of the public guardian so that they can appoint an independent official to oversee his finances and arrange funding.

If there is no further funding available you need to contact the local authority for an urgent assessment of his care needs and to financially assess for funding and any contribution towards arrears (which may or may not be forthcoming) . Be prepared for them to move him if the care home he’s in is not on their list - if CHC funding has stopped it suggests his care needs are now different so it’s possible he may not need one so expensive.

If you haven’t shown any evidence of how your DH’s care home fees are going to be paid no wonder they are chasing you!
I don’t think it’s harassment , you can’t expect them to keep him unless the fees are paid and /or provision is in place going forward.

Notjustaprettyface

Hello everyone
An update for you
Social worker was on holiday until yesterday , she has contacted me and SS are going to pay the bill until I get POA or court of protection sorted
POA application has been acknowledged but not sure will get it because husbands capacity fluctuates
It all takes time and yes it is taking a heavy toll on my health
I can’t talk to the manageress , she intimidates me and is not approachable at all
When payment is sorted I will probably move my husband to another care home
The fees are exorbitant and I am surprised so many of you ´ accept’ it
It doesn’t have to be like this , in many European countries , care fees are half the price
I am hopefully sending off appeal against chc decision today and then will have to wait and see
In the meantime, the social worker has promised me that the manageress will be off my back for a while at least
Nobody should be allowed to harass people and if she does it again , I have been advised to go to the police
Thanks for all your help

I am glad that you are appealing the CHC decision ... did you get help from Beacon CHC? They are the place to go for support in this process. Going it alone will not work ... the system will walk all over you.
I am sorry to hear the manageress is intimidating. Is she also the owner? If not you need to speak to her employer. You don't need this I know, but this is not acceptable behaviour. It is quite likely the that she is being leaned on my the company who owns the home.
I am sorry it is taking a toll on your health. I know how this feels.

A lot of good advice on here for you OP.Chasing you for the money may seem like harassment but this is part of her job, but I understand it can put pressure on a person.Sounds like you now have a plan in place which is good.

Money to be made from older people and children. It's all wrong somehow. The nicest staff where my relatives stayed were all on the lowest rung and paid the least. They showed some basic humanity at least.
The fees were eye watering and the home certainly made sure they extracted every penny.

My parents were paying £1500 a week each and that was 4 years ago. They were definitely subsidising those who weren’t paying as they had no savings.

Why did the CHC funding stop, did your husband’s condition improve within the criteria that initiated the funding in the first place?
If not then I would be asking for a review of the CHC funding.

I would also be contacting the social services dept at your local authority. Ask to be put in touch with a social worker who can navigate this for you.
They will probably have to a check on your finances to make sure that you really can’t afford the fees.
They will be able to help you from there.

I can’t understand why the care home hasn’t been more helpful in this respect, surely it’s in their interest to support you as well as your husband.

dragonfly46

My parents were paying £1500 a week each and that was 4 years ago. They were definitely subsidising those who weren’t paying as they had no savings.

Yes, that's how it works and it is wrong.

Why should some people pay far more than is necessary for their care to subsidise what the Local Authority will pay out for others? More than double in some cases.
Why should Local Authorities be expected to pay for this care anyway? Surely some radical changes in funding care for the elderly are needed?

Big Louis, that is hardly helpful! The OP must willy nilly pay her legal debt for a service rendered. She needs advice on how to do it.

Does your husband have the money to to pay it in an account? Is he capable of signing a cheque on that account? If so get him to do so. If he is mentally or physically incapable then you've left it too late for a POA. Go to your local Citizens Advixe, Help the Aged, Age Concern, local health Authority for advice on how to proceed. As much as it's a care home it's also a business, if residents don't pay their bills the business folds, it's as simp!e as that.