A near-blind elderly man was ordered to pay £60,000 in care costs after the council sent him letters he could not read.
Worcestershire City Council sent the man, referred to only as Mr C, multiple letters about the cost of the care he had been receiving at his home since January 2023.
By November 2024, his debt had built up to over £60,000 and his daughter, who had lasting power of attorney, was given two weeks to pay the sum.
At this time, his care records showed he had lost 90 per cent of his eyesight, a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report states.
The council first sent a letter to Mr C upon the start of his care treatment offering to carry out a financial assessment and requesting financial details.
They followed up on the matter two months later when it did not receive a reply, saying Mr C would have to pay the maximum amount for his care.
Mr C “expressed confusion” during a nursing review over whether he needed to pay for his care and a social worker suggested he call the council.
During the call in August 2023, Mr C told the council he did not wish to be registered blind and did not want any support.
The ombudsman ordered the council to apologise to both Mrs B and Mr C
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He told the council worker he understood he did not need to pay for his care but had now received a letter saying he owed over £1,000.
During that same month, he phoned the council again and expressed concern over a bill for his care he had received.
The council worker phoned back confirming he must pay the care cost in full and noted his visual impairment, suggesting this could be why he hadn’t responded to letters.
They suggested the finance team should phone him over the matter, the ombudsman report states.
The following month, the council carried out its financial assessment and said Mr C must pay the full of his care.
After receiving notification from the council of Mr C’s over £60,000 debt, his daughter, Mrs B, made a formal complaint, arguing that the two-week payment deadline was “unreasonable”.
The ombudsman noted that no council staff “took responsibility for properly considering Mr C’s communication needs and whether reasonable adjustments should be made”.
It wrote in its findings: “It could have anticipated those needs and made simple adjustments as early as January 2023, but it failed to do so and missed many further opportunities over the next 22 months to put matters right.
“This was fault which caused Mr C confusion and uncertainty. It also meant that a large debt accrued unnecessarily which caused Mrs B distress when she received the invoice in November 2024.”
The ombudsman ordered the council to apologise to the pair and pay Mr C £300 and Mrs B £150.
It also said by the end of March it must arrange training for its adult social care staff on its reasonable adjustment duty.
A Worcestershire County Council spokesman said: “We are unable to provide comments on individual cases, however we are aware of this report and the actions given to the council by the ombudsman.”