Opened the post this morning to find a final demand for the money mum was asked to pay for her stay in the care home while I had my operation.

I tried to contact the social worker and was given her direct number, rang that and got told by someone else that it probably wasn't the social worker I needed and she put me through to finances.

They are going to phone me back in a bit but said that with Mum being paid all her benefits while she was in the home then she'd be expected to pay for her stay in the home.

I phoned up the people the bill had come from to explain to them that I had completed a form for a financial assessment and presumed this would mean mum wouldn't have to pay.

Mum now has seven days to pay a few hundred pounds for her time in the home for the time I was ill and unable to care for her at home.

Hugs
Owly x

From Owly x

"The harder you fall, the higher you bounce."

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Well the social service dept rang me back and said that the charge must be paid but they can arrange for it to be paid over six months. If I want to pay it over twelve months then I'd have to write in to the services manager.

I told the girl on the phone that when I came out of hospital and spoke to the social worker, she said that mum could stay in the home for another month so I had time to recover... at no time did she mention to me that there would be a charge or how much it would be.

The girl said all social workers know there are charges and shouldn't tell me that there aren't any. I said she hadn't told me there weren't any charges she just didn't tell me that there were or what they would be so I was in the dark.. (yet again).

Someone on the phone earlier briefly said that mum was receiving all her benefits while in the home and so should pay for the care in the home from that.

I said if I'd known what the charges would be I wouldn't have let her stay in for so long and would have brought her home.

How on earth can they expect Mum to pay so many hundreds of pounds for this out of a pension and benefits. The fact that it was an emergency because I was taken into hospital quickly made no difference.

They told me that in future if Mum goes into the home for respite it will cost £73.35 per week !
So no respite then !!! Can't afford it.

Hugs
Owly x

From Owly x

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Just found this on another website:-

Will I be charged for services?

Community care assessments and carers' assessments are free. However, social services can charge for some community care services and they have to charge for long-term residential care.

As a result, the person you care for is likely to be asked questions about their money e.g. wages, pensions, savings or benefits. They do not have to give this information, but social services may assume they can pay the full cost if they don't.

Carers can be charged for services for themselves and may be asked questions about their finances.

Charging varies, but all social services must make sure:
The charges are 'reasonable';
They only charge what people can afford;
No one is caused hardship, or denied a service they need because they can not pay;
They consider the person's extra costs as a result of disability or ill health;
They reduce or drop a charge that would cause hardship;
Disability Living Allowance mobility component is not taken into account.

Social services can make a 'reasonable charge' for services to disabled children and their families. The following must be provided free:
Advice, guidance and counselling services
Services to families on Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance.

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I have been in touch with a Carers helpline and they told me that I should be being regularly assessed and so I phoned a number she gave me to request another carers assessment. They are going to contact me when they can do it.

They also gave me a number to contact which was Wirral Welfare Rights Unit. Must check before phoning that it isn't the number Candy gave me as I sent them an email. Haven't heard anything back yet and don't want to duplicate anything.

So hard with my memory to remember who I've contacted already about what and what the outcomes were. I'm writing it down and having to put it into piles depending on the subject.

Hugs
Owly x

From Owly x

"The harder you fall, the higher you bounce."

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Hi

When grandad was alive Nan he went into respite for a week or two at a time to give Nan a break, this I know they didnt have to pay for as it was done through a social worker and the doctors. I found this http://www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/yourself/timeoff/Pages/Accessingrespitecare.aspx

dont know if it will help but should do. Another thing to think about is whether or not your nan gets pension credit as pension credit opens the door for other benefits.

I do know that nan had a nurse come to help her in the mornings washing grandad and this they had to pay £30 a week for and basically came out of nans carers allowance.

This is all so hard for you I wonder if you have considered having someone drop by a few times a week for an hour or so to give you a break?

In regards to any other financial problem you may have I work a (NICE HONEST!) debt agency and have been trained to help point people in the right direction when it comes to money problems. (see told you my company is nice). I also know all the rules and regulations so if you have any problems you wish to ask me about fire away and I will do my best to help. I also know alot about the benefit system.

Make a pregnancy ticker

Hi Nic,
This is what I keep hearing from people, that they don't have to pay or didn't have to. It's not like we have loads of money or assets or anything.

We have a social worker who just seems to have landed us with a huge invoice to pay rather than helped us out or made things easier. I felt so rotten this morning that I could hardly bare to take Mum into day care. I just wondered is it all worth it.
As it was I took her in late and I just feel so worn down by it all.

It seems everyone else gets everything for nothing and I have to pay hundreds of pounds for being ill which I couldn't help.

Mum does get Pension Credit. Nobody tells us anything about what we're entitled to.

I phoned a carers helpline yesterday and she said I should be being assessed regularly but I haven't been. So I arranged for another carers assessment and they are coming out to see me for that on Monday.

Thanks for your offer of help as well as the link. I have sent a letter off today to the Services Manager explaining the situation and I hope something can be done about it.

If only someone had told me at the start how much things would cost I'd know if we could afford it. Instead they go ahead and then bill you out of the blue. Just seems wrong, wrong, wrong to me. They should have told us from the start that we would have to pay and how much it would be. Someone should have written to us about it. Nobody did.

The way they are doing it, if I put mum into care for respite for me I'd be swapping one worry for another.. how to pay for it. I'm glad in a way that I didn't know how much it was while I was in hospital as I'd have been worrying about that while I was in there.

Will have a read through the website you found.

The only debts I have are from two credit cards. One was being used to buy Mum's stuff although it's my card. I had the balance down to nil but I only really shop online so it made sense to use one card for her and the other for me. I'm in the process of paying them both off and trying to get what I need from real shops or using my bank card instead. It's such a struggle and then to be hit with this £350 is just such a worry.

Why wasn't a financial assessment done before they sent out the bill ?

I just get Carers allowance. I've moved in with mum and gave up my rented flat in June this year. I was promised money for doing that as the flats were being cleared but I haven't had that yet so I'll have to sort that out too. I seem to spend more time on the phone sorting out other people's mistakes than I do caring for my mother.

Mum gets High Rate Attendance Allowance, State Pension and Pension Credit. She also gets Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

Hugs
Owly x

From Owly x

"The harder you fall, the higher you bounce."

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