Care Home Contract Sponsor

Bishy

I have been given a contract from a care home that my Dad is about to go into that has a section at the end for signature as follows:

The Sponsor I have read and understood my responsibilities as the Sponsor and understand that I am responsible for ensuring all charges incurred must be paid.

Does this mean that if I sign this, I am just responsible for signing a cheque or setting up a direct debit from my Dad's account to get the fees paid or does it mean I am responsible for actually paying the fees of £2,260 a month and that I am risking my personal money and house that I own?

Many thanks for any advice.

xylophone

How is the term "sponsor" defined in the terms and conditions?

Has your father been assessed by social services?

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS10_Paying_for_permanent_residential_care_fcs.pdf?epslanguage=en-GB?dtrk=true

Bishy

Sponsor is defined in t&c as "Sponsor means any person you have asked to speak on your behalf. This could be a relative, a carer or advocate. This person will be responsible for ensuring all charges incurred are paid. Where there is no sponsor the Resident is named as the sponsor and takes on the responsibilities defined within this role".

Dad has capital over £23,250 and has to pay for everything as far as I understand it until his capital drops below that figure.

le_loup

Some care homes will not take people who are solely paid for by councils. A sponsor will be responsible for any difference.

xylophone

Does your father have capacity?

Bishy

Dad does have capacity according to the Social Worker. When I visited the home with Mum, I was just presented with this contract and told to sign it as a Sponsor and that the fees would be £2,260 a month. I refused to sign. Dad is in hospital and the home have never met him.

xylophone

Do you have POA for your father? If you don't, it might be as well to obtain it while he still has capacity.

Being a POA makes you the agent of another but it does not combine your financial resources with his/hers.

Read the Age UK information in the link above and also

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS39_Paying_for_care_in_a_care_home_if_you_have_a_partner_fcs.pdf?dtrk=true

Has your father been assessed by social services in respect of fees?

davenport151

I'm surprised the home have not been to 'assess' your fathers care needs.
Where I work it is not essential for the 'sponsor' part to be signed.Especially if this is under local authority payment.

Bishy

Mum and I and solicitor have Enduring Power of Attorney (originally made in 2003) but only started the process of registering it last week.

As I refused to sign the contract, and neither Dad nor Mum were asked to, just me, Social Services are "putting" Dad into one of their beds in the same home instead of the private one I viewed. It turns out the home is owned by the County Council. They are going to assess him when he has moved in but the Social Worker told me he will have to pay the full fees to the Council instead of the home until his savings go down below £23,250. He was previously assessed when he was still at home but needed carers in each day and had to pay all the carers fees due to his savings. He then worsened, went into an acute hospital, then rehab and now into a home.

greenglide

So the fees paid by the council and charged to him will, presumably, be the rates negotiated by the local authority and lower than those "offered" to people off the street?

If it is the same home I would call that a result?

I assume the care will be the same?