Hi, this is all new to me so please bear with.
I have a 22 year old daughter with Downs Syndrome and she is given direct payments via the local council.
We had a phone call last week to do a financial assessment and I gathered together what receipts I had as what with everything else you don’t always remember to save them when in your caring roll. I listed the extra clothing due to incontinence but this and extra washing has not been included.
Is there a list anywhere that outlines what is classed as a DRE please as this council have given no time to really sort through and they have made their judgement already. What I found in 3 days from the phone call I sent in and the ‘judgement’ came back the following day
Any help would be gratefully recieved at the moment
Many thanks
Hi Melly2 and welcome! First of all, local authorities must publish their DRE guidelines - so you can request a copy as they are a matter of public record.
Quick aside: don’t look up DRE online, the search engine comes up with Digital Rectal Examination…
The potential list is huge, but many things can count as “DRE” - for example, spare pads and batteries for TENS machines where someone has significant pain, additional insurance costs for equipment used for the person you care for, PPE if you’re providing intimate care, and definitely additional washing/clothing costs - you need to be clear about the amount of washing that you’re doing extra, though. With our son, we were doing two loads a day, for example, and I know of others who were getting through three loads. There’s a good list to give you some ideas here: Disability-related expenses | Carers UK
The important thing is to tell them that you disagree with the assessment and will send in a detailed list of expenditure within a (number of days). And then start working it out!
Hi Charlesh47
Cheers for your reply
I did send in the receipts for extra clothing and nightwear with an explanation but it just fell upon deaf ears as always. I gave the explanation for the washing of the bedding and clothing but there was no response to that. The answer I got if there wasn’t a receipt it didn’t get looked at but I sent all receipts to them.
I feel this is a form of bullying the vulnerable and then to be told that if I don’t pay it then I will be prosecuted yet no ‘legal paperwork’ has been signed to even warrant the comment of prosecution.
Life is stressful enough for us all looking after our loved one but this bullying tactics are a step too far for me.
The problem is that the people who do the charging are financial bods. They don’t understand the Care Act. You can’t possibly have extra receipts for washing of clothes, for example. However, the main thing is to get a copy of their rules from them - not their interpretation, but their actual written rules. That should show what evidence is acceptable, not what they tell you is acceptable…
But whatever you do, tell them you have every intention of making sure your daughter pays what she owes - but you want to make sure that she does not pay a penny more than that, and that the rules they apply are a matter of public record, by law.