Age UK say middle classes face rip-off tactics from care homes
- Age UK says sharp practice by owners against home residents has risen
- Tricks against those who pay own bills include long notice periods
- Families also face arbitrary fee hikes and unexpected charges for extras
Steve Doughty Social Affairs Correspondent For The Daily Mail
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Middle-class families are facing rip-off tactics from care home owners desperate to stay in business, a report said yesterday.
The ratio of care home residents who pay their own bills has risen to 41 per cent, and sharp practice against them by owners and operators has been multiplying, Age UK said.
The tricks used to extort thousands of pounds from residents include demands that their families should take responsibility for paying their bill, and long notice periods that mean families must pay for weeks of care that have not been given.
Age UK say in a report that care home owners and operators are using tricks such as long notice periods, arbitrary fee hikes and unexpected charges to rip off elderly residents
Families also face arbitrary hikes in fees; and unexpected charges for extras such as providing entertainment or hospital visits.
Age UK’s criticism of unfair charges comes at a time when rising property prices mean more people fall within the band of those who must pay for their own care home place.
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Anyone who has assets of more than £23,250 in England and Scotland – £23,750 in Wales – must pay their own bills, and councils start to meet the costs only when the value of their property and savings falls below the threshold.
This means anyone who owns a home must pay their own bills, and if they have no cash, the council will order them to sell their home.
Age UK’s report, based on the concerns of callers to its advice lines, said 41 per cent of care home residents pay their own bills – compared with 28.5 per cent in 2005. Numbers paying their own costs went from 130,000 to 167,000 in the past decade, the charity said.
More than four in 10 residents pay their own bills as councils won’t pay for homeowners’ care
At the same time, ‘self-funding’ residents, almost always middle-class homeowners, are paying hundreds of pounds a week to subsidise the councils who pay the bills for residents without savings or assets.
This is because councils use their bulk-buying power to force down the prices they pay to care home owners.
Age UK said councils pay between £421 and £624 for each care home place, with the price depending on where the care home is and its standards of service. But care home operators make up for the low council fees by charging much more to self-funders – between £603 and £867 a week.
HOW BILLS CAN ESCALALATE
Unexpected fee increases: A 92-year-old woman saw fees rise by 5 per cent in April. Her daughter was then told there would be another increase of £40 a week. The home said the second increase was due to ‘high dependency needs’ which the daughter doesn’t believe her mother has.
Charges for entertainment: A mother was billed for an entertainer despite claims by her family that she did not want or receive this service. The home said this was a one-off, but she has been billed again recently for another entertainer.
Long notice periods if a resident leaves: One woman who was unhappy with her quality of care moved out after three days. The care home is demanding payment for four weeks of care worth several thousand pounds.
Relatives asked to guarantee care fees if residents’ assets fall: One daughter is unhappy with a contract which says both herself (classed as ‘notifiable person’) and her mother accept ‘joint and several liability’ to pay all fees and charges claimed by the care home ‘on demand’. The contract also states the care home’s ability to do this will not be affected by the failure of the client to sign the agreement.
They bump up the profits from self-funding residents further by adding on the ‘sharp practice’ extras.
The charity report said: ‘Self-funders are effectively subsidising the state and as care home providers are increasingly financially squeezed, the position of self-funders and their families is becoming more difficult.’
It pointed to a series of unfair methods used by care homes to inflate bills, including asking families to guarantee fees even if the resident’s assets fall below the threshold.
Others include long notice periods if a resident decides to move out, entertainment extras and unjustified price hikes.
The report added: ‘The decision to move into a care home is very difficult and often made in a rush following a spell in hospital.
‘At such an emotional time scrutinising the fine print in a care home contract and negotiating rates is probably the last thing on anyone’s mind – but the terms set at this point will have a huge impact on an older person’s quality of life and finances.’
Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said: ‘Too many older people who pay for their own care home fees are getting a raw deal and are unfairly being asked to pay the price for a failing care system.’
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