Mrs A complained about fees charged by the Care Home for her father’s care. The Care Home had charged from acceptance of the placement, rather than from admission. Mrs A said she had not been informed that fees would be charged from the date of acceptance and felt unfairly treated.
The Ombudsman found that the documentation provided to Mrs A from the Care Home was unclear and did not confirm the date from which the charges would apply. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Care Home’s agreement to waive the fee charged from acceptance to admission and provide updated correspondence directly to Mrs A to confirm this within 2 weeks. In addition, the Care Home agreed to, within 4 weeks, review the documentation provided to all new residents regarding fees and amend aspects of the contract and policy relating to fees to ensure that they are clear on when fees chargeable.