Financial Assessment

[racy tracy]

Hello everyone. I need some help/advice on a financial assessment that my mother recently had:-

 

On the 2nd June my mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. As a result of this she now has to have carers coming in to make sure she has taken her tablets, eaten, washed etc etc. Because of this she had to have a Financial Assessment done to determine as to whether she would have to contribute anything towards the cost of the carers.

 

This Financial Assessment was done on the 12th July. The outcome of it was that she has to pay £7.60 per wk towards the cost of this care. I was asked if my mum was in receipt of AA (Attendance Allowance) and at the moment she isn't but I have completed a claim form for her for this, and she is awaiting the decision. So another financial assessment was done to see what she would have to pay, once she was getting the AA, this then increased the amount to £51.12!!!!

 

I think this is absolutely disgusting :-......but what I don't understand is, on the assessment, under the heading 'Essential Expenditure' they have only taken into account her building/contents insurance, water rates and council tax. There is no mention what so ever of electric, food, heating bills........my mum has meals on wheels every day and I get an invoice every month for the cost, which is £107.00 this has not been included!!!.....what she pays in electricity has not been included!!....and because my mums only form of heating is a coal fire (there is no gas to the property so doesn't have central heating)...she has to pay for coal bills, which are £58.00 every 3 months, again this has not been included!!!

 

I simply cant understand why electric, food and heating would not be classed as 'Essential Expenditure' do they expect my mum to sit in the dark, be cold and not eat????? I would be grateful for any advice that anyone could give me.....to be perfectly honest, I am seriously thinking about cancelling my mums claim for AA, because its simply not worth it....im so fed up and angry at the same time. I have also been told that if she were to go into residential care, she would have to have another financial assessment done because then they would have to include things like 'assets'....to which I said "but she doesn't have any"....then I was told that if she owned the house she was living in (which she does) that would be classed as an asset, and she would be expected to sell it to pay for her care

 

I said that I have Power of Attorney for my mum for both Heath & Welfare, and Property & Finance....but apparently that doesn't matter.......is there anything that I can do at all......I think it is disgraceful, disgusting and down right pathetic, that my mum may have to sell her house, so that she can be cared for in her twilight years.....

 

If anyone can help point me i the right direction id be very grateful

Edited July 16, 2016 by Andyorch
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[reallymadwoman]

Age Concern are supposed to be excellent at providing this sort of advice.

[Mr.P]

Clearly an appeal needs to be made. As you say, food, heating, and lighting must surely be considered essential expenditure. Without knowing which council you fall under, I can only point you to one appeal policy in the hope that it is similar across England & Wales: http://www.carechoices.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions-about-charging/

 

If an assessment of clinical needs was not conducted before the financial assessment, it would be a breach of guidelines and something else to use against the Social Services department. That said, by the sounds of it, a clinical needs assessment wouldn't alter the outcome of who has to pay for the care (if there had been a clinical care need, then the NHS would pick up the bill).

 

Unfortunately, as a home owner, your mum's house would probably have to be sold to fund any long term residential care. However, if the house is also occupied by a partner, a juvenile, someone else over the age of 65, or a vulnerable/disabled adult, then property may be disregarded.

[racy tracy]

To Mr P....I don't know what an assessment of clinical needs is, so bearing that in mind I know that that hasn't been done. I have an appointment with the Citizens Advice on 19th August to discuss this....and with regards to my mums house having to be sold if she goes into care, would that be the same if she was to go to supported living housing?

[Mr.P]

If your mum has primary health need for nursing care, for example: A condition that requires injections to control, or feeding through a tube, or some other need that would normally be attended to by a qualified nurse, then a clinical assessment must be carried out. It may be that if the health needs are great enough, she qualifies for NHS Continuing Health Care.

 

Should the council perform a financial assessment before a CHC assessment, it could put the council in an unlawful position and see them being sued to recover the self funding fees that should have been paid by the NHS. These assessments should be carried out on a regular basis, and if she goes in to hospital, a CHC assessment must be done before she is discharged.

 

Should your mum move in to a supported housing unit, funds would need to be raised to pay for the move (it wouldn't fall under the NHS CHC funding remit). In this situation, I'm afraid the house may well have to be sold.