People in care are being charged as much as £250 a time to pay for their own deprivation of liberty authorisation, according to Stockton North MP, Alex Cunningham.
Speaking during a debate on the Mental Capacity Bill, Alex highlighted this perfectly legal yet exploitative behaviour.
Yet when a complaint was lodged by Edge Training with the Care Quality Commission, they were told in response that it was allowed.
Further investigation revealed that the £250 was for “An application to the local authority requesting an assessment.” After this, there was an additional £125 annual fee.
The care sector is hugely underfunded and the Government appear to consider it appropriate to take financial advantage of the most vulnerable in society.
Care homes are allowed to charge this under the current Mental Capacity Bill, which is currently being amended by Parliament and Alex attempted to amend the legislation to stop care homes making such charges.
Alex said, “Individuals who are going through what can only be an extremely emotionally difficult process are being charged hundreds of pounds for the luxury It beggars belief that vulnerable people can be charged whatever a care home decides to charge them. I don’t blame the care homes who can be under considerable financial stress.
“I made the point that the Government needs to fund social care properly and do away with the need for such charges but sadly the Minister was not prepared to do that – nor put measures in place to stop this exploitative charges.”
