Debt with Disability News Articles

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B][URL="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/undercover-boss"][IMG]http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dynamic-text/undercover-boss?maxPixelWidth=625[/IMG][/URL][/B]
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Pam Finnis, managing director of one of Britain's biggest [B]care home firms[/B], goes undercover to investigate standards of care. The private care home industry has been plagued with problems. Last year, scandal-hit Southern Cross - then Britain's biggest care home operator - collapsed under £50 million of debt......[URL="http://forums.all-about-debt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=217228&posted=1#post217228"]Consumer TV Series on television - Page 4 - allaboutFORUMS[/URL]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[B]Benefit cheats 'colour attitudes to disabled people'[/B]

Many disabled people in Britain feel media coverage about benefit cheats has negatively affected attitudes towards them, a survey suggests. Almost half of the 500 disabled people and carers polled for charity Scope said attitudes to them had worsened. It comes after ministers released data suggesting 55% of sickness benefit claimants were no longer eligible for it. The government said it was restoring integrity to the benefits system. It is changing the welfare system to try to get more people into work and is scrapping the three main benefits for disabled people in the process. Anyone receiving these benefits will be reviewed to see if they are capable of work or eligible for other benefits....[B]Read more here: [URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19048294"]BBC News - Benefit cheats [/URL] [/B]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

Anyone heard of 'Carehomeclaims' ? never knew that you can claim back carehome fees, as it should be paid by the NHS? If the person suffering from Dementia, Alzemiers etc

Or if someone knows 'IF' you can claim back these fees (If you have a Home Carerer once a week), or when you put your Grandma in care home when you have to go away on holiday for 2 weeks a year.

[vint1954]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

Hi Scorpio,

It seems that you can claim back care fees for Dementia and Alzemiers as the NHS or local council should have been picking up these fees.

I understand that it is a complicated process.

Undercover Elsa and P1 are discussing it here:

[url="http://forums.all-about-debt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6049"]Dementia.... re-claiming care home fees. - allaboutFORUMS[/url]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[QUOTE=5corpio;209313][CENTER][B]Social care cap delayed as cheaper option sought[/B][/CENTER]

Ministers have refused to fully commit to a cap on care costs which the elderly and disabled must pay in England, saying they need to explore cheaper options first. A review last year proposed capping lifetime costs at £35,000 - but ministers said the current climate meant it had to look at other options. Other funding ideas include a higher cap or a fee to opt in to the system. The move has disappointed those involved in the social care system. The announcement on funding - unveiled alongside a white paper and draft bill which sets out other changes to social care - has long been anticipated....[B][URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18783157"]Read more here[/URL][/B][/QUOTE]
[B]A £35,000 cap on care bills: PM pledges to end heartbreak of elderly forced to sell homes[/B]

[LIST][*]Cameron has told Nick Clegg that he will implement recommendations that cap the amount individuals pay at £35,000[*]Senior Coalition sources say the Prime Minister will find the £1.7billion annual costs of the plan in the next public spending review[*]Last year more than 24,500 people had to sell their homes to pay the bills – a rise of 20 per cent in a decade[/LIST]
[B]Read more here: [URL="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article-2188952/David-Cameron-A-35-000-cap-care-bills-PM-pledges-end-heartbreak-elderly-forced-sell-homes.html"]David Cameron: A £35,000 cap on care bills: PM pledges to end heartbreak of elderly forced to sell homes | This is Money[/URL]

[/B]David Cameron has pledged to end the heartache of tens of thousands of elderly people who are forced to sell their homes to fund long-term care. He has told Nick Clegg and senior Tories that he will implement recommendations that cap the amount individuals pay at £35,000 – with the taxpayer picking up any further bills. Senior Coalition sources say the Prime Minister will find the £1.7billion annual costs of the plan in the next public spending review. Last month Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced that the Dilnot proposals were being put on ice after the Treasury said they were unaffordable.

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]Court rejects Barclays move to delay Libor test case[/B]
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[B]Barclays has failed in an attempt to delay a legal claim over allegations it mis-sold an interest rate swap to a care home operator. [/B]

Barclays is facing its first court battle over Libor-rigging allegations after losing an attempt to have a case delayed over claims it mis-sold an interest rate hedge to a business customer. Judge Simon Brown QC yesterday rejected Barclays’ move to have a mis-selling claim brought by care home operator Guardian Care Homes pushed back and ordered the bank to file a defence by the end of next week. Mr Brown said Barclays request to have the case delayed until Guardian’s claim had been investigated as part of an Financial Services Authority compensation scheme was an “impossible argument”......[B]Read more Here: [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/9447803/Court-rejects-Barclays-move-to-delay-Libor-test-case.html"]Court rejects Barclays move to delay Libor test case - Telegraph[/URL][/B]

[CENTER] Visit our AAD Blog pages of latest 'Libor Fixings' [B][URL="http://forums.all-about-debt.co.uk/blog_search.php?do=searchresults&searchid=481"]allaboutFORUMS[/URL][/B][/CENTER]

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

£35k will not go far when care home cost is in excess of £1k a month.

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[B]Older people needing long-term care warned not to place hope on government's promise to limit bills[/B]

OIder people needing long-term care are being warned not to pin their hopes on any new Government promise to limit bills. Reports last week suggested a Coalition U-turn, with David Cameron set to announce a £35,000 cap on the sum anyone should pay towards the cost of care. This could save families tens of thousands of pounds if care is needed for a long period. Under current rules, the State helps with care bills only after assets fall below £23,250 in England and Wales (£24,750 in Scotland). This means thousands of older people are forced to spend most of their life savings – including the proceeds from selling the family home – on care bills.

The weekly bill in a residential home in the [B]South-East can top £1,000.[/B] However, any reform is still years away. Depending on the detail of what is announced, the new cap may not come in until 2017. The vast majority of those who need care today are unlikely to live to see the benefit of any change.......[B]Read more here: [URL="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-2190335/Older-people-needing-long-term-care-warned-place-hope-governments-promise-limit-bills.html"]Older people needing long-term care warned not to place hope on government's promise to limit bills
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[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]As Paralympics begin, insurers deny discrimination against disabled people [/B]
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As the [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/paralympic-sport/"]London 2012 Paralympics[/URL] begin today, the [URL="http://www.abi.org.uk/"]Association of British Insurers[/URL] has denied allegations of discrimination against disabled people. The [URL="http://www.theaa.com/insurance/car-insurance.jsp"]AA[/URL] also refutes claims that disabled motorists and holidaymakers are often unfairly charged more for cover than able-bodied policyholders. But critics argue that disabled motorists who modify cars to cope with their handicaps attract higher premiums, as if they were ‘boy racers’ fitting alloy wheels and tail fins, while disabled people who travel overseas are charged more for holiday insurance than other people. “We have seen cases where disabled people have been quoted £1,000 for travel cover which we arranged for about £100 on a fortnight’s trip to Spain,” claimed Warren Dickson, managing director of [URL="https://www.fishinsurance.co.uk/"]Fish Insurance[/URL], a specialist insurer set up in 1975 which now has 70,000 policyholders.

He added: “Mainstream insurers and price comparison websites aren’t geared up for disabled drivers and their modified vehicles. For example a vehicle adapted with, say, hand controls, may simply be lumped in with vehicles modified for performance or aesthetic reasons and a higher premium charged. “We believe disabled drivers and their vehicles present a lower risk – and we offer discounts to reflect that experience. For example, our average annual motor premium is £430 while the AA reckons the market average is nearer £700.”....[B]Read more here: [URL="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ianmcowie/100019663/as-paralympics-begin-insurers-deny-discrimination-against-disabled-people/"]As Paralympics begin, insurers deny discrimination against disabled people[/URL][/B]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]Disabled benefits claimants face £71 a week fines for breaching work plan[/B]
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Government wants to increase penalties for sick and disabled claimants who fail to adhere to back-to-work agreements. The government has drawn up plans to withdraw £71 a week from sick and disabled benefit claimants if they fail to take steps to get back into the workplace. A leaked draft of a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) template letter warns sick and disabled claimants they will lose 70% of their weekly employment support allowance (ESA) if they refuse to take part in work-related activities, more than doubling the current fine. The DWP has also told the Guardian that it is finalising plans on whether to make unpaid and unlimited work experience placements part of work-related activity.....[B]Read more here: [url="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/sep/03/disabled-benefits-claimants-fines-work"]Disabled benefits claimants face £71 a week fines for breaching work plan | Society | The Guardian [/url][/B]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]OFT secures changes from Fairhold in retirement homes transfer fees investigation[/B][/CENTER]

The OFT has secured undertakings from Fairhold Homes Limited and associated companies (Fairhold) to change how they charge and enforce transfer fee terms in their 53,000 retirement home leases.
The OFT has been investigating these fees, also known as exit fees, which are payable when a tenant sells or lets out their retirement home and in some other situations. Typically calculated as a percentage of the value of the property, these fees can amount to thousands of pounds. As a result of the OFT's investigation, Fairhold has agreed to make a number of substantial changes to the way in which it conducts its business. Fairhold has undertaken that it will not charge a transfer fee in any new leases it obtains through the acquisition or development of properties, unless the fee is for a service and represents its reasonable costs. Fairhold has also agreed, amongst other things, to change how it enforces terms in the leases of its existing retirement home properties:.....[B][URL="http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/77-12"]Read more here[/URL][/B]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[B]Tax breaks for disabled under threat amid government plans to revamp benefits for people classed as vulnerable[/B]

More than a million people could lose the right to valuable tax breaks when the Government revamps disability benefits, it has emerged. Trusts aimed at providing assets and income for people classed as vulnerable have enjoyed generous treatment from Revenue & Customs for decades. The concessions recognise that disabled and other vulnerable people often need to use trusts to protect what are sometimes limited income and assets. But the pending abolition of Disability Living Allowance – until now the main yardstick used to decide who counts as ‘vulnerable’ and is therefore entitled to set up a trust – means the Revenue has to find a new measure....[B]Read more here: [url="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2203831/Tax-breaks-disabled-threat-amid-government-plans-revamp-benefits.html"]Tax breaks for disabled under threat amid government plans to revamp benefits | This is Money[/url][/B]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]Mental health-care group Cambian plots £500m hospitals exit[/B]
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[B]The UK's largest mental health-care provider is set to be put up for sale after its owner appointed investment bank Rothschild to explore a £500m deal. [/B]

Cambian Group, owned by private equity investor GI Partners, could be sold as the result of a strategic review undertaken by the bank. It is understood that, while no time-frame has been placed on an exit, GI is keen to achieve full value for the business, which it has backed for eight years. Cambian provides services to more than 1,100 patients in more than 60 facilities across the UK. As well as specialist mental health care, it also offers educational services to people with learning disabilities and operates special schools for children with autism and Asperger's syndrome. It works with 140 local authorities, with all services publicly funded. GI has built the business up since 2004, when it started with a single 18-bed rehabilitation unit, via organic growth and acquisition, most notably buying Care Aspirations in a deal valued at £60m-£70m in summer 2008. Sources indicated that about £500m would be acceptable to GI but added that, due to a lack of recent deals of this size in the sector, it was difficult to assess accurately.....[B]Read more here: [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/supportservices/9560360/Mental-health-care-group-Cambian-plots-500m-hospitals-exit.html"]Mental health-care group Cambian plots £500m hospitals exit
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[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[B]Atos Nurse Joyce Drummond Apologises Over 'Ridiculous' Disability Benefits[/B]

A nurse who used to work for government contractor Atos has apologised after describing how she was forced to “trick sick people out of their benefits”. Joyce Drummond from Glasgow, told the [URL="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/nurse-makes-heartfelt-apology-after-1340838"][I]Daily Record[/I][/URL] of the “unfair” ways health professionals were forced to grade benefits claimants. “Atos went by the philosophy that if you had a finger and could push a button, then you could work,” she told the newspaper, labelling their grasp of disability “ridiculous”. She told the newspaper if a woman wore makeup or dressed nicely, this would count against their claim for benefits. If a person could care for a child or....[B]Read more at AAD Blog pages: [URL="http://forums.all-about-debt.co.uk/blog.php?b=1544"]Atos Nurse Joyce Drummond Apologises Over 'Ridiculous' Disability Benefits - allaboutFORUMS[/URL][/B]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[B]Care home bosses banned after losing £60,000 of vulnerable residents' savings.[/B]

Two care home bosses have been banned from being directors after the savings of vulnerable residents - totalling nearly £60,000 - was lost when the nursing home went bust. Deepak Mohan Mirpuri and his nephew Arun Mirpuri were appointed 'corporate trustees' of the finances of seven residents in their care who were suffering from dementia or similar conditions, but failed to ringfence their money. Larongrove Ltd, which ran the Abbey Grange Nursing Home in Sheffield, instead pooled the money for 'working capital' to meet the costs of running the home. But the business went into administration in August 2009 and the accrued savings - £58,914 paid largely from pension and welfare payouts - were lost.

The Insolvency Service sought bans for Deepak Mohan Mirpuri and Arun Mirpuri from Croydon County Court. They were disqualified from running a company for seven and four years, respectively. Robert Clarke, head of company investigations at the Insolvency Service, said: 'Actions which impact upon elderly and vulnerable people in the community are amongst the most unpleasant. 'Larongrove and its directors were placed into a position of trust by these seven residents who, through no fault of their own lacked the capacity to handle their own finances. They behaved with an unforgivable lack of responsibility towards the finances of the elderly people in their care.....[B]More on this story here: [URL="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2228665/Care-home-bosses-banned-losing-60-000-vulnerable-residents-savings.html"]Care home bosses banned after losing £60,000 of 'vulnerable' residents' savings
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