Ombudsman rules man was overcharged by council for social care

A complaint against Trafford council that it overcharged a man for his social care at home has been upheld. The local government and social care ombudsman found the council to be at fault because it sent bills to the wrong address and overcharged him by more than £1,000.

"This caused significant distress," the ruling said. "To remedy this injustice, the council has agreed to apologise, cancel the outstanding invoice and carry out a review of the care provider's charging practices."

The man, referred to as Mr X in the ruling, also complained that he was charged for care that he did not receive. In August 2020, he was discharged from hospital with a package of home care. Mr X was assessed as needing two care calls of 45 minutes each, seven days a week.

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This was initially funded by the health service. Mr X was told he may have to pay a contribution towards his care in the future. When the health funding came to an end, the council took over responsibility for commissioning the care package.

Mr X was asked by the council to complete a financial assessment form, which would determine what, if anything, he had to pay. He returned the form to the council in October 2020.

He did not hear anything about paying for his care until august 2021, when he received a phone call from the council telling him he owed more than £3,000. "This came as a tremendous shock to Mr X," the ombudsman wrote. "He assumed that as he had not been told what he had to pay, it was free.

"He had spoken to his social worker several times since the care started and he was not told he had to pay or that there was money owed. Mr X was so distressed about having to pay this