Summary

Mrs C complains the Council misinformed her about the charges for her mother’s (Mrs D) care in a care home.

The complaint

Mrs C complains that North Yorkshire County Council provided her with confusing information about the care charges which needed to be paid for her mother's care home. This meant she paid more money than she had anticipated.

Finding

The Ombudsman has upheld the complaint and found fault causing injustice.

Recommendations

To remedy the injustice caused the Council has agreed to:

• write to Mrs C apologising for its failings;
• refund the estate the top-up for the period 19 August 2015 to 16 June 2016;
• review procedures to ensure:
  • officers document all information given to customers about care charges;
  • the correct placement cost is on record and is communicated to the customer before they move in;
  • they minimise delays in financial assessments;
  • care and support plans include the client contribution in the personal budget;
  •  top-up payments are no longer routinely collected by care homes;
• • review cases where there is a deferred payment agreement and a top-up to ensure there is also a top-up agreement.

Ombudsman satisfied with Council's response: 18 July 2018.

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