Carer wages for severely disabled

newUser12341234

Hi, Could someone please give me some advice? My mother (72) has been asked to sign up as a carer for my cousin's daughter who is severely disabled and requires 24 hour attention. My mother visits every week or so but only for a few hours so she cannot be seen as a valid carer. My cousin has listed herself, my mother and three others as carers who are now being paid wages to be carers (over £1000 each). My mother is under instruction to send the money to my cousin and keep £100 for the trouble. My mother is one of the kindest people you could meet and has spent her life working in nursing homes and caring for the elderly. I am concerned that by wanted to help she has been hooked into fraud and she could get into trouble. If anyone knows of this process, could you please leave some advice over what to do without getting her into trouble. I would not like her to lose her pension for instance as she barely gets by as it is.

[Deleted User]

Who is paying the carers £1000 each? It seems an odd arrangement.

newUser12341234

My mother is receiving wages from a local company who manage Personal Health Budgets.

tomtom256

It sounds in essence to be fraud via the direct payment scheme which is paid via social services or the NHS following a health assessment.


They then have to prove what this is being used for via wages etc.


I would stay well clear.

poppy12345

newUser12341234 wrote: »

My mother is receiving wages from a local company who manage Personal Health Budgets.

She receives over £1000 for a few hours per week? :eek: and then gives most of that to your cousin? :eek: Sorry but surely that's not correct?


What benefits does your mother claim?

Afraid_of_Kittens

newUser12341234 wrote: »

My mother is receiving wages from a local company who manage Personal Health Budgets.

...and they have passed the wage details to HMRC.

Your Mother is effectively conspiring in fraud.

Your Cousin is defrauding the company that manages the Personal Health Budget.

Through her naivety your Mother is part of this conspiracy and is as guilty as the ringleader of stealing money from the NHS budget - she is being rewarded financially.

She needs to extricate herself from this criminal conspiracy. I suggest she seeks urgent legal advice.

She will also be liable for tax of the £1000 wages. HMRC would have already received notification she is receiving a wage. If she receives any means tested benefits her details will already be in the system that she is earning. Official records will show she gets £1000 not the £100 she is keeping.

tomtom256

calcotti wrote: »

Information on personal care budgets
https://www.england.nhs.uk/personal-health-budgets/
https://www.england.nhs.uk/personal-health-budgets/what-are-personal-health-budgets-phbs/frequently-asked-questions-about-phbs/#9

Provided the arrangement is what has been agreed with the NHS I think it’s fine.

But surely only if they are actually providing the care they are being paid wages for.

calcotti

tomtom256 wrote: »

But surely only if they are actually providing the care they are being paid wages for.

Agree, having read the other responses that went up while I was writing mine I decided to delete it (while you were posting your reply).

[Deleted User]

I am sorry but yes, your mum needs to avoid this situation. It sounds like the disabled person won't even get the money, not that that makes any difference.

It is fraud. Your mum needs to make any excuse she can and walk away. Say she didn't understand and doesn't have the time free.

newUser12341234

Thanks for the advice, I'll try and get her out of it.

TELLIT01

The whole setup is screaming 'fraud'. Why would somebody be paid £1000 for just providing a few hours care? Why is that person then expected to pass £900 of that money to the cousin?

Cousin or not, your mother needs to contact the company she has been paid by to let them know what is going on. To do anything less certainly puts in an equally bad situation as the cousin.