Care home 12 Week disregard - No clue what I'm doing!

[brightertimes123]

DM has been in a psychiatric unit for 4 months with delirium. Recovered to a good enough level she is now fit for discharge and has been for some time.
She has accepted that she can't go home and needs to go into care.

I have had zero help from the discharge team or ward manager - I feel like I am totally fumbling in the dark. All the responsibility has been put on me to find a suitable home without any guidance.
Just as I thought I'd finally found somewhere with an available room and had organised a needs assessment, at the 11th hour I have now been told I will need to apply for a "12 week disregard" from social services.
DM owns her own house which will be sold but no savings so would not be able to pay up front.

I am so angry that I've not been given any advice from or guidance on this. I've been waiting weeks to try and get DM moved (who is now incredibly frail and distressed at being in a psych unit). Just as I thought we were getting somewhere now this. I have now got to explain another delay to DM and risk losing the space at the care home.

Does anyone have any experience of this situation or the 12 week disregard? Does the application take long to be processed and agreed. I literally feel like no one gives a shit about DM and can't understand their attitude especially with demands on beds in psych units. You'd think they'd do everything in their power to get her moved

If you dont have POA you cant deal with her finances. I know it's hard but you need to push it back onto social services to deal with.

Yes she has capacity but she's currently only allowed 1 visitor and the hospital would not act as witnesses/counter-signatories. I imagine the same will be the case for a nursing home and possibly not even allowing me as a visitor. Nursing homes have a different remit. The hospital is merely concerned with returning your mother to a state where she can be cared for outside a hospital, whereas a nursing home is concerned with all aspects of her health and well being. So you may be able to get her one designated visitor to sign re capacity, and the nursing home manager to witness. But that doesn't get you over the hurdle of the solicitor.

I imagine the solicitor wants personal access because she will be wanting to ensure your mother has capacity to sign and isn't being pressured into this. It's normal for them to see the person on their own with the relatives out of the room. You don't know what's going on off screen in a zoom meeting.

But if you get 3rd party agreement with bank, it gives you breathing space, and time for testing and care home visiting to get a bit more organised.

PoA is still worth getting because it helps dealing with utilities and all other services involving money, and, of course, the house sale.

You can also request a statement via the bank cash mchine which you can go through with your mum.The banks helpline might help if the branch get funny about setting up 3rd party and you can always ask the hospital PALS team for help.

Quick update...
On the bright side, I Thankfully managed to access DM's bank account - found her old log in details and managed to reset password! So I can now download the required statements.

However, after being told she was eligible for covid funding and having a nursing home lined up for Monday, I got a call from the hospital today saying the home had rescinded their offer.
After hearing that DM had self harmed (cut her arms) whilst in the early throes of delirium they decided she posed too much of a risk to herself and other residents. Despite reassurances from the unit that this was very unlikely to happen again the home was adamant.
I am so cross; why they didn't just say no in the first place I don't know. Also both the hospital and I had told DM she was going on Monday so you can imagine how she must be feeling now.

Will be straight onto the SW Monday morning but am just so sick of it all

Thats frustrating but maybe they took that decision after a risk assessment. Did the hospital include this information in their initial referral..does your dm have a full care needs and behaviiur
assessment that the hospital show to potential carehomes.

Has her psychiatrist carried out a risk assessment