Care Home fees

merrydance

My friend's father was sectioned 6 weeks ago, he has dementia. As they could not stabalise him within 4 weeks his section status went up. Now he is to be discharged and they are finding him a care home. She has been told all the fees for the care home will be paid by the government/council as he was sectioned. They are a very wealthy family. Is this correct?

BorisThomson

It may be, it depends.

Section 117 aftercare would cover ongoing residential care, whether he is eligible will depend on how he was sectioned.

He may also qualify for continuing healthcare, though this is rarely proactively offered.

Or it may be that they know he's not fit to be discharged but don't have the facilities to keep him, and this is the cheapest option.

Do they know where he is being placed? Social services/ the NHS will only pay for the cheapest option that meets his needs, so the family may want to consider other paid options if they feel their father will be better cared for elsewhere.

TELLIT01

The financial situation of the family doesn't come into it. It's the financial situation of the individual requiring care which matters.

merrydance

Her father is very wealthy

poppy10_2

TELLIT01 wrote: »

The financial situation of the family doesn't come into it. It's the financial situation of the individual requiring care which matters.

The financial situation of the individual requiring care doesn't matter either for s117 aftercare purposes. It's not means-tested

poppy10_2

The council will be obligated to pay for a care home if this is necessary to prevent the patient's mental state from deteriorating and avoid readmission to hospital. These are the conditions

...the Court narrowed the scope of accommodation as s.117 aftercare further by stipulating that accommodation only constitutes s.117 aftercare if:

1. The need for accommodation is a direct result of the reason that the patient was detained under the MHA; and
2. It is enhanced specialised accommodation to meet needs directly arising from the mental condition; and
3. The ex-patient is being placed in the accommodation on an involuntary basis (in the sense of being incapacitated) arising as a result of the mental condition.

They don't have to pay for any care home the family chooses though. They will be entitled to fund the basic level of care home that is sufficient to meet dad's needs. If they family are wealthy and want a posh care home they would have to pay top-up fees over and above what the basic care home would have cost