Paying care home fees

[Snowdrop2016]

My DF has just gone into a care home on a temporary basis, as he is out of area we've not managed to get an assessment from his local authority but he is over the £23k threshold and self funding.

I have just today got the POA through so now just trying to work out the contract and payments with the care home. Do I need to set things up to pay from Dad's bank? It feels like the best approach, assuming I can get access sorted with his bank.

My mum does have access to the joint account, but she doesn't have POA, I guess for the first payment she could write a cheque from their joint account.

Are there any pitfalls I need to think about? I'm very new to all of this! Thanks ☺️

Yes set up payments from his account. If you can roughly work out when funds will dip below £23,000 contact the council a couple of months before that to do a financial assessment and they'll cover costs when the time comes.

If there's a property in his name (that is now empty) that is also considered in the assessment. It's only excluded if a direct family member is living there still.

To add, we actually split DM & DFs savings 50/50 into separate accounts when this occurred, so DFs money only was assessed as his. The view being DMs half was there fur her care when she needed it

If your Mum is named on joint account she doesn’t need POA to operate it and make payments from it. The money is treated as joint asset.

Does his pension get paid into that account or into one in just his name?

Once POA is sorted might def be worth looking at separating finances as @flotsomandjetsome suggests. I’m not sure how LA assesses money in joint accounts. Age UK or citizens advice may be able to help.

Just send a cheque I always send cheques for my mum they are quite happy with that. I have never set up any payments from her bank.

Joint accounts are generally split 50:50.
My DM removed 50% from the joint account once DF was in a care home into her own personal account. She had a chequebook for the joint account (which in actuality was now all my DFs money) and wrote out a cheque each month when she had received the invoice from care home.

Sorry to hijack the thread but I have a similar situation.
I paid for for my Ms first care home bill with a cheque from parents joint account as direct transfer limit wouldn't cover the amount.
The only problem is that no one can access my mother's accounts, not even her.
Everything for decades has come out of the joint account and left my DF with very little (has has no sole account) whilst her savings are sizeable.

Can we at least split the savings fairly so he at least has some for his own care whilst still living in the marital house?

No LPAs at all set up but we've applied.

If it's joint it can be split. Savings in your mum's name at hers and hers alone basically. There must be away of getting access to her savings even if it's long winded and time consuming. Ring the bank?

If you've been paying for your mum's care home out of the joint account then when you sort out your dad's share that needs to be accounted for and added back to him.

I'm sorry I just realised I never replied to this, thanks for all of the advice, it is very useful