Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Dementia and Alzheimer's

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Care home bills

30 replies

HeadacheEarthquake · 09/02/2023 07:40

Hi there- my MIL's DM (divorced, and exH deceased) is being released after being sectioned for 6 months and has to go into a care home, but the NHS will only provide £700 of the £1600 needed on average locally. She has dementia.

We are in West Sussex if that helps.

I was wondering if anyone had managed to get extra help with this kind of thing via charities or other avenues, my MIL is on it but we have also got other family members in hospital/bereaved/needing help and it's all stacking up.

If I could give her any suggestions it would be great to help her get her thoughts organised and research in order.

Thanks for reading, it's so stressful for us as a family as you will know if you've been here.

OP posts:
Original poster
HeadacheEarthquake · 09/02/2023 22:58

DPotter · 09/02/2023 22:37

Had this with DP's DF. If the MIL's DM was sectioned under a section 3, she will be discharged under section 117 which requires the health authority to pay for aftercare for life. There may be a local limit. If that amount isn't enough to cover local homes, then money can be put to the fees from family contribution, the patients occupational and state pension, attendance allowance. Your MIL needs to alert the health authority and local authority social services that she has given the proceeds of her house sale away and it will be up to them to chase for deliberate deprivation of assets.

The health authority let us choose the home and DF's pensions topped up the fees. Not sure what happens if the HA awarded amount will be pay for fees and the patient only has their state pension & attendance allowance to fall back on. We used the Aged UK website and phone line service to help us with the financial situation. Because it's a section 117 discharge it's up to the health authority & local authority to sort it. Please whatever you do, don't offer to top up the fees until they have sorted themselves out - if you pick up the bill there's no incentive for them to do so and you are then tied to to topping up ad infinitum

Yes we thought it was upto them.. it was a full sec under 117 as far as I'm aware she has been in a unit for 6 months now. I will get her to gold off offering anything! Until I've explored all the channels mentioned with her

OP posts:
Iwantabloodypizza · 10/02/2023 03:59

LittleOwl153 · 09/02/2023 22:33

Do speak to the home about this. If your dad has been there for a significant period of time and it would be detrimental to his health to move him - they/you can argue the case with the local authority such that they take over the top up. There are time limits for when this applies that vary but definitely worth asking.

Show quote history

Yea they only took him on the basis that he had two years savings to cover it himself anyway anyway. Money grabbing bastards who run the home made my life hell over that.

So after those two years they could argue it’s best for him to stay there.

BUT the council they are under have refused two people who have been there for 4 years.

I’ve actually suffered significant mental health problems over my fathers illness and the last couple of years of hell. I won’t be arguing his case. I’ll be protecting myself and if he has to move, he has to move to be honest.

I have to protect myself now.

Iwantabloodypizza · 10/02/2023 04:01

HeadacheEarthquake · 09/02/2023 22:16

What will be your plan? What's LA funding?

Show quote history

My plan is nothing, I’ve had enough. And even if I was a millionaire, I wouldn’t be lining the pockets of a private care home owner and topping anything up with my own money.

The LA will just have to do whatever.

TriciaMcMillan · 10/02/2023 05:30

@DPotter section 117 doesn't entitle you to free aftercare for life, just as long as you need it to stay well and remain out of hospital. Obviously, in the case of a degenerative condition like dementia, it's likely the case, but sectioning for dementia, and for 6 months, is unusual.

DahliaMacNamara · 10/02/2023 11:40

Currently at the end of the same process as @DPotter , and can also confirm this. I think that technically section 117 aftercare only stays in place as long as it's clinically needed, but with dementia cases that's pretty much a given.
I don't know whether the local authority in our case were being deliberately obtuse about their obligations, but it took a while to get them to grasp what section 117 aftercare actually meant.
I asked one of the pricier homes what would happen if MIL's savings ran out and she could no longer cover the difference between the LA contribution and their fees, and they said there would be discussion with the LA about the resident's best interests, ie whether the gap could be bridged by the council. They said that in some cases the LA would continue to fund at the higher price. I suspect though that it would depend on whether a cheaper place was available locally. A patient who's been detained under section is not the easiest person to place in a care home.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page