
Luton Borough Council was prosecuted by the HSE late last year following an incident at a high school in which an assistant headteacher was attacked by a pupil and left with life-changing injuries.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has now published final advice to help care homes understand and comply with their responsibilities under consumer law, in these circumstances. The CMA confirms that:
There are benefits that can arise from keeping a room available after a resident has passed away. For example, it provides friends and family with time to make suitable arrangements to attend the home without feeling under pressure from a home to make the room available as soon as possible. However, the guidance makes clear that providers should avoid charging twice for the same room.
If your contract terms allow you to clear the deceased’s room of belongings, you should clearly state what you will do with their possessions plus what (if anything) you will charge for clearing and/or storing the items. Any fees charged to the estate should reflect your reasonably incurred costs, and you should return any monies received from the sale of items to the resident’s representative within a reasonable timeframe (i.e. within 30 days).
Now that the advice is final, the CMA expects all care homes to review as soon as possible and, where necessary, change their contract terms and practices or risk enforcement action. A contract term that is unfair is not enforceable against a resident and any money paid may be recoverable by them. Additionally, a consumer may be entitled to receive a discount or seek damages for detriment caused by a breach of consumer protections.
Whilst it can feel uncomfortable to discuss what happens next in the event of a resident’s death, it is important to ensure your contract terms are clear and that individuals understand their rights and obligations, whilst also treating the topic with appropriate sensitivity.
The CMA is now consulting on its general guidance for care home providers. You have until 12 July 2018 to submit your thoughts on what is fair for consumers purchasing residential care for the elderly.
We are considering the potential impact of this second consultation and the amendments that are likely to be required of customer contracts going forward. For more information on the above or, if you would be interested in a self-assessment toolkit for your customer contracts when it becomes available, please contact Emma Watt or John Wearing.
Luton Borough Council was prosecuted by the HSE late last year following an incident at a high school in which an assistant headteacher was attacked by a pupil and left with life-changing injuries.
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