Revealed: Dead people invoiced for domiciliary care and KCC refuse to release time clipping data.
Evidence has emerged that dead people are being invoiced for domiciliary care they could not have received; and persons moved to care homes are still being invoiced by domiciliary care companies even though they are no longer providing care to them.
Domiciliary care is care provided to individuals in their own homes, for which they pay more often that not.
Both Kent County Council (KCC) and the domiciliary care providers are in some instances threatening legal action to recoup monies for care not provided, due to the fact the clients are dead. This has been causing monthly anguish for families who receive the invoices, who each month are reminded of their loved ones via incorrect invoicing.
In 2019/20, KCC revealed in an FoI response, the number of people who died between the ages of 16 and 65+ was 765 while in receipt of domiciliary care.
In 2020/21, deaths of those in receipt of domiciliary care during the pandemic rose to 1,293.
This is a 70% increase of deaths for thos receiving domiciliary care between 2019/20 and 2020/21.
However, figures from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) say that in 2019/20, seven hundred and twenty six individuals (726) in Kent passed away while in receipt of domiciliary care. In 2020/21 that figure the CQC say rose to 1156. So the data between the two bodies is vastly different.
Not all those being supported at home who died are captured in the figures. By law, deaths have to be reported to the CQC by a care provider if a person died as a result of their care, or if a care worker was in their home at the time. But that fails to take account of those who die when only family are present, or the millions of people who are solely cared for by unpaid family members and friends.
This was reported on by the Bureau Local back in May 2021
To date 84 families – and rising – have contacted us providing unassailable evidence they continue to be invoiced for care – even though it could NOT have been provided – as both KCC and the domiciliary care providers have been notified; and more often than not been given certified copies of the death certificates to both parties, or evidence loved ones have moved into care homes.
The image above is an invoice for an individual who died back in March 2021 and the family are still receiving invoices. Each month they are reminded of their loved one’s death. Each month they inform KCC and the care provider their loved one is dead, yet still the invoices arrive. It is beyond insensitive.
As we said it is not just dead people being invoiced. Families who’ve placed loved ones into care homes, as they can no longer manage the complex needs of their family members are also being invoiced for care they were not provided with.
On June 9 2021, we wrote that there was anecdotal evidence of overcharging by KCC and domiciliary Care companies. Now the evidence is unequivocal. Approved domiciliary care companies are sending invoices to KCC to pass onto families for care these family members could not have received as they’d moved into Care homes.
Domiciliary care companies have also been time clipping calls and this too has raised millions for care companies over the last five years.
Time clipping occurs where calls are systematically cut short due to care workers not having enough, or any, time to travel between calls. This means where a service user has a 30 minute call, the care worker would not be with the service user for 30 minutes but would use, for example, 10 minutes to travel to the next call. The service user would then only have 20 minutes of domiciliary care and not the 30 minutes s/he should have.
Information sourced under the Freedom of Information (FoI) implies that time clipping has happened and continues to happen and KCC are fully aware of it.
An FoI asked the following two questions:
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How many of the domiciliary care providers [used by KCC], have been investigated by the KCC counter fraud team for “time clipping” – include names of companies
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Please provide the financial amounts lost and/or recovered per domiciliary care provider
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I’m one of those of families who continue to receive invoices from KCC even though my beloved John has gone.
I’ve emailed them, phoned them, spoken to my local KCC Cllr and KCC still persist to insist money is owed, even though my husband passed away in June 2020.
I am at my wits end and being reminded each month by KCCs invoices just compounds the mental anguish and distress I already feel after losing my husband of 53 years.
Yep recognise this. Wife went into care home in April 2021, care provider informed and KCC are still sending me invoices which I’ve not paid and they are now threatening possible legal action.
I’m not surprised by KCC emphatic response regarding time clipping. It happened to me and I refused to pay my bill. Eventually the provider and KCC backed down, the bill was lowered by more than half and I felt vindicated after my exhausting sixteen month battle with them.
As for invoicing the dead, my neighbour is experiencing this issue and not being able to use computers I’ve had to step into help.
In today’s world this should not be happening and all it demonstrates to myself and Jackie is how incompetent some people are who work at KCC.
So KCC want to protect the commercial interests of the providers first and foremost rather than tell us all how much time clipping has gone on.
This means that over billing has happened due to the consequences of time clipping
No wonder they won’t say a thing, it could all get very messy for KCC and their care providers.
Finally, somebody who is listening. My dad died from Covid in June 2020, while receiving domiciliary care. Given to him by a care worker as he couldn’t get out. Anyway both KCC and the care provider continued invoicing us until March 2021.
By January 2021, my husband and I had had enough of KCC and the provider invoicing us, so instructed a solicitor to write a couple of letters.
Since they did, no more invoices. No more threatening letters.
But boy what a struggle it was. Nobody in the invoicing department wanted to listen.
Great article.
I’ve sent evidence to the local newspaper time and again about the overcharging and invoicing of my late deceased husband Charlie,; which continues 9 months after his death.
Not once did they bother to investigate. I suppose they don’t want to bite the hand that feeds them.
Thank you for giving this issue the light it deserves.
What a bunch of shyster’s KCC are.
The commercial interests of the providers outweighs those who’ve been overcharged by time clipping. These vulnerable adults need that care and pay for it, but don’t get it.
Isn’t this fraud?
Move along nothing to see here.
I’ve not long got home from work and my wife pointed me to this article.
All I can say is I personally got incredibly stressed over the continuous invoicing of my dead father. It continued for a 14 months. I gave them the death certificate, the probate details and still they continued to bill.
It’s great somebody has finally shone a light on this murky part of KCC, as they and the providers must be making a pretty sum, as most people will just pay rather than go through the hassle I did.
Thankfully after I hired a solicitor then the matter was resolved pdq, but KCC are dragging their heels about returning the money they owe me personally.
Thanks for making the effort and bring this issue to a wider audience.
KCC and the care provider carried on billing my mum for seven months, even after she went into a care home. These people have no shame.
I would also suggest that (with the consent of the families concerned) you forward this information to Kent Constabulary. On the evidence you have obtained KCC and the Care Companies concerned are in breach of Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006 (link below). They are committing fraud by making false representations when they are billing families where the family member in care is no longer alive and they have been notified to that effect.
https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/fraud-act-2006
In addition, the actions of Kent County Council could also represent misconduct in public office (link below).
I would suggest that those affected should write to the Chief Executive of Kent County Council (by recorded delivery post) and they should ask him to justify the actions/inactions of his staff. Any responses could then be shared with Shepway Vox.
https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/misconduct-public-office