Some care home residents are being treated unfairly according to a report from the Competitions and Markets Authority.
Highlighted in a recent BBC radio programme, the report published by the regulator drew attention to several areas of concern. This included unexpected fees being charged, large deposits, as well as requiring residents to sign contracts where they have not been given enough time to read them.
This can have significant consequences for residents, given the scale of the powers that these contracts can hold.
Regarding these areas of concern, the regulator has stated that they will investigate further, given that some care homes may be breaking the law.
Highlighting the real life aspect of the issue was caller Robert, who spoke about a care home that requested payment for the month after his aunt had passed away.
The home stated that as Robert was an executor of his aunt’s will, he was responsible for producing the fees, stating that he would be taken to court if he failed to pay up.
Whilst it may be necessary to pay fees after someone’s death, Mike Padgham highlighted the need for a balance to be struck between the interests of the home and the consumer, stressing the need for fairness. The Chairman of three Scarborough care homes also drew attention to the importance of a complaints procedure for residents, bringing the interests of both parties into line.
The Health Department and Care Quality Commission also expressed their support for the CMA’s investigation, stating that the issues of concern were unacceptable.
However, Mike stated that if the organisations were to provide backing, they would need to be supplied with more resources to avert the risk of their own services being compromised.
He similarly drew attention to the lack of consumer confidence in the care system, and invited the new Care Services Minister, Steve Bryan, to discuss potential improvements.
Also commenting on the report was Chief Executive Officer at Papworth Trust, Vicky Mc Dermott. She focussed on the matter of price transparency in the care system, stressing the need for a general review in order to residents to avoid being faced with huge bills that they weren’t necessarily aware of.
