Council ordered to drop £7,500 in care fees after failing vulnerable man who did not understand bills
08.06.2022 - 17:29
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Rochdale council has been ordered to waive more than £7,000 in care fees after failing to provide adequate support to a ‘vulnerable’ man who was ‘unable’ to manage his own finances. An ombudsman’s investigation found the authority’s failings not only led to ‘Mr Y’ - who has autism, depression, anxiety, and short-term memory issues - racking up a ‘significant debt’, but also caused him distress.
A scathing report says the council had been aware of Mr Y’s inability to manage his finances and paperwork since 2015, yet ‘had not done enough’ to put adequate support in place’. This, it adds, had left him with a large debt which was ‘primarily of the authority’s making’.
The council must now forgo £7,558.17 in charges dating back to October 2016. It was also ordered to apologise to Mr Y for failing to maintain proper oversight of his care package and for not carrying out adequate financial reviews.
READ MORE: Axing of lifeline service for brain injury victims left users feeling 'hopeless'
The report, published by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) adds: “The outcome here is a substantial debt and associated distress because Mr Y did not receive adequate support in real time. The support was designed not only to support Mr Y to manage his finances and paperwork, but also to help him live independently.”
It also dismisses the council’s June 2020 finding that Mr Y understood information he had been given about arrears, and that he knew he needed a payment plan to repay the debt.
“Regardless of the result of the recent capacity assessment, Mr Y is a vulnerable person and the support the council put in place failed,” the report adds.
The council assessed Mr Y’s needs in June 2015, noting his diagnosis and the fact