What is a social care top up fee?
A social care top-up fee is where third parties, usually family, are asked to contribute towards the cost of their care. They essentially ‘top up’ what the local council will be paying towards their care.
However, sometimes families and individuals may be asked to pay a third party top-up when they aren’t actually supposed to pay for it. The system can be incredibly confusing and it can catch people out.
Do I have to pay a social care top-up fee?
If your family’s financial circumstances have changed whilst in care, you or a relative may be asked to contribute towards the cost of care. However, the system is hugely complex and what people pay depends on their specific circumstances. In some cases, people are being told they must pay a social care top up fee yet, they shouldn’t be paying anything at all because the full cost of care should be paid for by the local council.
Occasionally, the procedures aren’t followed properly and families are informed by the care home that they must pay towards the cost of care. The families should only ever discuss finances with the local council. Due to the lack of information available, people often feel they have no choice but to pay towards the cost of care even if they aren’t lawfully obliged to do so.
What this means for families
Families and individuals can be shouldering the burden of care costs when they shouldn’t be at all. Care isn’t cheap. The fees can amount to between £250 – £500 per week, if not more. That is a significant sum of money and can cause huge stress for the family. Nobody should be forced to pay this out if they are not lawfully obliged to, and the system should be far more transparent than it currently is.
What Can Just Caring Legal do for you?
Just Caring Legal is a solicitors’ firm dedicated towards helping families with payment of care fees, and that includes reimbursement of third party top up fees. There are two services we can provide: for a fixed fee Rosalind can lodge a complaint with the local authority or with the Local Authority Ombudsman if you have wrongly paid top up fees, or the other option is to carry out the full process of recovering wrongly paid third party top up fees from start to finish.
If you want to check whether you should be paying a social care top up fee, or want to start the process of recovering care fees then contact Just Caring Legal today. Call Rosalind now on 0191 556 1078 or email us at [email protected]