Nursing home fees after death

bargainannie

An aunt of mine died a month ago in a nursing home :-(. We emptied the room the following day, but have received a bill today for over £1000 for the use of the unoccupied room for two weeks after her death.
We are appalled - is this usual practice?

dzug1

Yes - it's normal.

A notice period is specified in the contract. Looking at MiL's it's one week after clearance of the room, but I'm sure it varies between homes.

bargainannie

Thank you dzug. Unfortunately we don't have a copy of the contract.

welshmoneylover

So who has to pay if there is no money left in an estate?

Just wondering thats all ..

Sorry to hear of your loss

monkeyspanner

welshmoneylover wrote: »

So who has to pay if there is no money left in an estate?

Just wondering thats all ..

Sorry to hear of your loss

If there is no money (or under the lower savings limit of around £23000) the council would have been paying the care home fees (less any assessed income the resident was receiving) and the notice period would be determined by the contract the care home has with the council. This contract could well be less punitive as the councils generally get a better deal than self funders. Not sure what would happen about the assessed income as this is often primarily state pension which stops on death.

If in doubt ask the care home to privide a copy of the signed contract.

Westywoodpecker

I would also like to express my condolence to you & your family.

I too am appalled at your post! When my Grandmother passed away I paid just up to the day she died. To be completely honest I have no idea at the contents of the contract which I signed but this was with a Bupa home.

That sounds very harsh! :eek:

bargainannie

Thanks for your replies. Yes, it is a shame; we were so impressed with her care and this is a bit of a blow. The ironic thing was that she was funded for "full nursing care" in the last couple of months - so it was cheaper to have her there alive than keep an empty room for a fortnight.

bargainannie

Monkeyspanner - yes I will ask for a copy of the contract; it'll all be in there no doubt.

nigem

I would be surprised if there is no fee after her death, because the room will need redecorating etc before the next occupant. I think many places do charge. If I remember rightly my Dads was 1 week.

Savvy_Sue

I would not rush to pay it, because this money is due from your aunt's estate, not from your personal assets. And while it may be possible to get it paid by her bank, just by submitting the bill, it may have to wait until probate has been granted.

And it would be worth asking to see the contract, and to negotiate a shorter 'notice' period, especially as the room was cleared so promptly and may have been occupied in less than 2 weeks - you could ask them to confirm this.

Also - and I don't know the answer to this - if the LA were paying, who's liable for this two week period?

grannyjo

if your aunt was fully funded for the last 2 weeks-it sounds as if she was reassessed recently and been given a continuing care rating which means fully funded by the nhs as her condition had needed a lot of medical care
. if this is a legitimate charge, the nhs should be paying it. its as if she was in hospital, you wouldn't be paying 2 weeks after death there. contact the social services or ask the home who was doing the funding and then contact them. the home my mother is in tries to make us sign for 4 weeks notice if we leave. I pointed out to them that I have signed the contract through social services and their notice charge is 1 week.In the home my mother is in, when she dies they charge us for 3 days. The idea of having to pay for redecoration time is ridiculous in my opinion. definitely ask to see a copy of the contract from the home and definitely check up with social services about the validity of their claim
best wishes joanna,