A council has been ordered to apologise after giving a near-blind man and his daughter just two weeks to pay a £60,000 bill sent to him in letters he could not read.
Worcestershire County Council sent the man, named only as Mr C, multiple letters and invoices over two years, despite having carried out a care assessment noting he was visually impaired.
His debt mounted to £60,000 and reached a head when, in November 2024, his daughter – who had lasting power of attorney over his affairs – was given just two weeks to pay the fees. At the time, it was noted he had lost around 90 per cent of his sight.
The council first wrote to the man when he started to receive care at home in January 2023, offering to carry out a financial assessment for his care needs, according to a complaint filed with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSO).
When he failed to reply to the letter, the council sent him another informing him he would have to pay the full cost of his care. Mr C told them he was confused about whether he needed to pay for his care on several occasions, including during a nursing review in May 2023 and a telephone call in August 2023.
During that call, Mr C said he did not want to be registered blind and did not want any support. He told the council he understood he did not need to pay for his care but had received a letter saying he owed £1,000.
Later that month, he also called the duty team to say he was concerned about the care bill. The duty worker rang back and noted that he was visually impaired, suggesting this may be the reason he had not responded to letters. The council then carried out a financial assessment, but notified Mr C he had to pay for his care in writing.
In July 2024, Mr C’s three children, including one known as Mrs B, were granted lasting power of attorney for his property and finances, meaning they could make decisions over Mr C’s finances.
Mrs B then complained to the council after she received a letter on 27 November 2024 saying she had just two weeks to pay the accumulated debt of £60,000.
She argued the council’s action was “unreasonable” and that it had failed to take into account her father’s visual impairment, which at that point had affected 90 per cent of his vision.
The ombudsman said nobody in the council took responsibility for “properly considering” Mr C’s communication needs and whether reasonable adjustments should have been made.
“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,” the report said.
It ordered the council to apologise to Mr C and Mrs B in September last year and pay them £300 and £150 respectively, and to discuss with them a suitable repayment arrangement for the debt. It also said the council should arrange training for staff on its reasonable adjustment duty.
A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson 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.”
