Mum is now in a care home but her bank balance is increasing

pustit

My mum has a Local Council-funded place in a care home since February 2022.  Her financial position was assessed and she is required to contribute £595.80 every 4 weeks. However her bank balance is increasing every month by about £400 because her state pension and DWP PC total circa £980 every 4 weeks (and she has a small private pension via ppf of £51.00 per month).
The pension dep't at Wolverhampton were informed of her move into the home and in their acknowledgement letter they implied that I could leave it all in their hands as they would tell all the appropriate depts of this change in circs. and  amend payments accordingly.
Since she has been resident in the home her bank balance has grown from £9000 to £13,300 today.
My questions are:
Should she still be receiving full pension and pension credit (are they not reduced when living in a care home?)
Will the higher bank balance now affect her level of council funding?

p00hsticks

I can't comment on your particualr case but when my MIL was in a council-funded care home they took her entire state pension all but £25 a week which she was allowed to keep for personal expenses (toileteries, haircuts, chiropodry etc)

pustit

p00hsticks.  Yes, I thought that would be the case with my mum.
I know Covid has put everything behind schedule so am expecting the state pension and credit to be sorted out eventually so any overpayment will be clawed back and reduce the bank balance to below £10,000.
In the meantime, now her savings are over £10,000 will her council funding be reduced

Placitasgirl

Self funding care savings limits for those in a care home vary by country. For 2022/23 they are: England and Northern Ireland - £23,250,  Scotland -  £28,500 and  Wales - £50,000  so I don't believe your Mum's funding will change at this point based on the level of funds in her bank account. Our council do a financial assessment update each year and restate the amount of help with his fees Dad will receive for that year. 

My father is in a care home and receives a State and Private pension - both are taken towards his care fees with the exception of the weekly Personal Allowance which he keeps for his haircuts, chiropody etc. 

Hope that's a help pustit. 

elsien

This explains more about the pension side of things.
How Moving Into a Care Home Affects Your Pension - carehome.co.uk advice

I would suggest you contact the financial assessment department for the local authority directly to discuss your queries. They are not always as pro-active as they could be and as previous posters have said the pension would normally go towards the care costs, so what you don't want is for them to be accounted for as savings when they aren't, they are a payment waiting to be paid.