WP is a young man with a learning disability and a variety of medical issues that impact directly upon his quality of life and ability to live independently. I was made aware of WP by the Financial Advisor managing his trust fund left to him by his late father. It was clear that there were a variety of issues and concerns relating to charges and payments to his care provider that needed to be investigated and managed. I requested care plans, timesheets, staff training records, policies and procedures. Having scrutinised fees, hourly rates, care delivery and recording, it became clear that WP was being charged for care that he was not receiving, was being charged one off payments for support that he didn’t need and that there was third party prompting and collusion relating to some of his expenditure.
Outcome
I was able to challenge the care provider and work closely with WP’s Social Worker and ultimately question whether he had financial capacity. This enabled his Trust Fund Manager, myself and a specialist legal team to request a full assessment by an independent private psychiatrist who was able to determine that WP was unable to manage his own finances and legally declared that he did not have capacity. In turn, a new care provider was commissioned, clear and concise audit procedures were put in place and WP is now safeguarded for the future with regards to his finances, his care provision and remaining in his supported accommodation for the foreseeable future.