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As the overall population of England and Wales ages, the beneficial task of protecting a client’s assets against fees for residential care will become more and more common. The most important asset to protect is generally the family home.

On 11 July 2012 the Government published its response to the Dilnot Commission’s Report in July 2011. Sadly the draft Care & Support Bill does not address the extent to which public funds will be used to support care funding costs, leaving the decisions on finance until the next treasury.

In the previous articles we have considered the law relating to the discharge of still vulnerable patients from hospital. Admission to hospital can be traumatic, leading to disorientation and a loss of confidence. But with proper support during a transition period, a person may be able to return home.

It is very common for the frail elderly to be admitted to hospital for bony injuries. An orthopaedic surgeon will treat the bony injury and having done so to the point where the patient can no longer benefit from in-patient care, may consider that they are ready for discharge.

It’s a stressful time when mum or dad can no longer live in their own home either at all or without carer support . Often this becomes clear upon an admission to hospital.
It is usually one of the children who is then catapulted into the unfamiliar world of social services and NHS bureaucracy, made all the more frustrating by the general recognition that the discharge process is dysfunctional.