Daughter fears mother’s death if compelled to move care homes

A south-east London resident has expressed concerns that her 98-year-old mother’s life could be at risk if she is compelled to relocate from her current care home, a move requested by the local council. Deborah Crisp, residing in Bromley, stated that her mother, Betty, who suffers from dementia, had expended nearly £200,000 on care services. However, as Betty’s funds diminished, Bromley Council reportedly declined to cover the costs for her to remain in the nursing home she was accustomed to. Regarding the prospective relocation, Ms. Crisp asserted, “It would kill my mum.” She further emphasized, “It would be the death of her.” Bromley Council indicated that various alternatives had been evaluated, but confirmed that “this matter is currently ongoing and we will continue to engage with both the family and the resident.” Mrs. Crisp, aged 66, informed BBC London that Betty, who also contends with hypertension, heart failure, and kidney failure, had resided at her present care facility in Sidcup for a period of three years. According to Mrs. Crisp, when her mother initially entered care, she was required to transfer ownership of her home to the council. The authority then “loaned her the amount of money that they deemed her property to be worth,” totaling £180,000. She further commented, “We honestly thought that there would be enough there for the years that we would need.” Nevertheless, Mrs. Crisp reported that once these funds began to deplete, the council informed her that the expenses for her mother’s care home surpassed the sum it was prepared to finance. The council advised her that she would either need to cover the cost difference personally or agree to Betty’s relocation to an alternative care facility, Mrs. Crisp noted. Correspondence from the council, reviewed by BBC London, indicates that the discrepancy would be approximately £80 additional per week; however, Mrs. Crisp stated her inability to afford this increase. She elaborated, “I’m on a pension, and my husband has Alzheimer’s, and he will be self-funding before very long,” also mentioning that they currently allocate £2,000 monthly for his daycare. “I can’t commit to taking that extra on because, quite frankly, we’re going to need it here,” she stated. She described the situation as, “It is already stressful… all of this battling to get a little bit of help is the last layer of hell.” Mrs. Crisp reported being “bombarded” with telephone calls from Bromley Council regarding the prospective relocation, but noted that neither of the care home alternatives proposed by the authority were deemed appropriate. She contended that one option lacked sufficient security to prevent her mother from wandering, while the other had received an “inadequate” rating from the Care Quality Commission. Furthermore, Mrs. Crisp asserted that her mother would endure significant distress if compelled to leave her present residence. She recounted an instance where Betty required medication due to being profoundly upset during a visit to her doctor’s surgery. She concluded, “It’s not the amount of money that we don’t have; it just matters that she is happy and safe where she is.” A spokesperson for Bromley Council stated: “There is agreement in place for the resident to remain at the care home where she has been residing whilst we continue to assess the situation. Various options have been considered but this matter is currently ongoing and we will continue to engage with both the family and the resident in future discussions.” The spokesperson further commented: “Regrettably cases like this are likely to become more commonplace moving forward as a result of inadequate funding for councils care services and increased costs for care providers in terms of national living wage and national insurance increases.” A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government remarked: “At the Budget we announced £1.3bn to help councils deliver essential services, of which at least £600m will be for social care, which can be used to address the pressures facing the sector.” They added: “We will soon set out further steps, including providing more stability through multi-year funding settlements, so we can get councils back on their feet.”