Council pays out £18K to woman charged for free care

Kent County Council has been recommended to pay more than £18,000 and has since updated processes

An elderly woman charged for years of care she should have received for free has received a refund from Kent County Council (KCC).

KCC was recommended to pay more than £18,000 and has since updated processes.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) found for the complainant, Ms F, who said her mother was charged a contribution for her residential care fees between 2002 and 2021.

KCC said it "regrets any distress this matter has caused" but it declined to comment on an individual case.

The ombudsman ruled the patient, known in the case as Mrs B, was entitled to free mental health care.

The ombudsman’s report said Mrs B was originally detained by another local authority in the 1980s.

In 1992, she was placed in a facility in the KCC catchment with her care funded under previous social security benefits rules.

Having assessed Mrs B’s financial situation, she was charged a contribution to the costs of her residential care.

After Ms F complained to the Ombudsman, KCC was found to be at fault.

The Ombudsman noted: "It took too long to respond to Ms F’s queries and did not provide her with enough information."

KCC added: "The council has recently reviewed and updated its procedures in relation to Section 117 aftercare to improve the accuracy of the recording and monitoring of people."