Council want to move aunt to a cheaper care home after 4 years!

[Involuntarytwat]

My aunt moved in to a care home following the death of my uncle. She couldn't cope living on her own and went downhill fast. She chose to go in to a very nice home that had cared for other family members previously, including my uncle when he passed away. Aunt had plenty off money so the fees weren't an issue and she was happy there. In all truthfulness she was so ill we didn't expect her to last more than a few months anyway. The home have done a great job and looked after aunt well and she improved a lot under their care, so much so there is nothing really wrong with her now, apart from old age.

My aunt has been there for over 4 years and has now run out of money to fund her care, we have sold her house and she has used all of that already. The council have said that they will assist with aunt's fees, but they will only pay up to their normal rate of £400 per week. They won't pay for her to stay at her chosen home which is £1,300 a week unless we agree to make up the shortfall of which would amount to about £700 per week. We do not have this sort of money and we have told the council we cannot even consider this.

So the Council want to move aunt to a cheaper home. I haven't visited it yet, but I have heard that it isn't very nice.

Is there anything we can do to stop the council moving my aunt or is it a case of tough luck now she is out of money to pay for herself?

Don't think you can do anything unfortunately.

Have you had discussions with the home in light of the length of time she has been there etc? Would they reduce fees?
Could ageuk advise?

Definitely ask the home to reduce the fees, it happens often. They might meet you somewhere in the middle.

I greatly doubt the home will reduce their fees, and why should they if they have enough people who are willing and able to pay the full amount? Like everything else in life, if you can't pay for it you can't have it. And if you're relying on government funded care then unfortunately you have to take what's offered and be grateful you're getting it for free. It's sad that your aunt will have to move but there's nothing you can do.

Sorry OP but this is normal and the council are within their rights to refuse to pay. It's the risk your aunt took when she picked an expensive home.

Bluntly, why should the public purse pay nearly 3x their usual rate for one person when they could pay for 2 others on that rate..?

It's brutal but it's the way things are in the current climate. Council has to get 'best value'.

I doubt the home will reduce to £40w.

Sadly your aunt is another victim of our broken social care system. I’m so sorry for you all.

You can ask the manager if they could reduce the fee, does she claim pension which could go towards the cost or needs any nursing care which could be funded. You could go and visit the other home and ask social services if there are other council homes with vacancies. 700 pounds a week is a massive difference to pay.

Ahh sorry to hear this OP.

As a social worker I am explicitly clear with people that this is a risk if they choose to go into a care home that charges above social care rates and their money runs out. Did your aunt have any input into the move to residential care from social services or was it arranged privately by family?

Your best bet as others have said is to see if her current home may waive part of her fees, as a family it's worth working out what you could realistically afford to 'top up' each week on top of the council payment and approach the care home with that as an offer. You never know they might say yes.

Have you spoken to the care home?

My Grandma was in a lovely family run home for a number of years. They assured my Mum that she could stay if she ran out of money. She didn't thankfully but was there for seven years so £££.

Slightlyperturbedowlagain I disagree that this is a symptom of a broken social care system.

The social care system is picking up the cost of residential care and will provide that service to the OPs Aunt. But can only reasonably do that at the standard social care rates rather than 'private' rates.

It's like saying that someone who has previously opted to pay for private medical care but can no longer afford to so is now being treated on the NHS is a 'victim' of the NHS.

The OP's aunt has just become a standard service user rather than having the funds to pay for a premium service.

In my experience the council carehomes are often better, in a private home the decor might be nicer, the rooms a but larger but the food is no better, the staffing levels are no better and the staff are no nicer.

The care home my parents were in had a policy of allowing residents who had paid full fees for three or more years to stay at the LA rate if the money ran out. It's definitely worth a try.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your advice.