Testimonials:
"Thanks so much for all your help, advice, patience and effort from day one to today - I can’t imagine how this would have turned out without your skill and stamina."
- A son acting for his mother in a care fees dispute
"Your impact has definitely been felt by all involved, it’s efficient, intelligent and dynamic. I can feel that the opposing party are raising their standards, as soon as they hear from you."
- Sister of disabled man challenging care package
As we are living in an aging society, you may have many clients who are retired and have been so for many years.
Often such clients can start to suffer signs of confusion or forgetfulness or even sudden hospitalisation.
You may also have clients who have unfortunately suffered a stroke that has left them needing care and support.
In these and many other situations, as their trusted adviser, the family may turn to you for help.
Whilst you are obviously best placed to provide any financial advice that they need, there will be legal advice that they require in relation to their care journey from the point of hospital admission onwards. This is where the Wrigleys Care and Support Legal Service can work with you and your client.
Wrigleys can help with all aspects of the journey, both from hospital admission through to discharge, Social Services assessments, etc.
Common issues that may come to your attention are:
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Institutions are increasingly bound by bureaucratic red tape, which can lead to frustration, unless your client has the right legal paperwork in place.
Situations where we advise a power of attorney is used include:
- Travelling or working abroad - appointing an attorney to sign paperwork on your behalf may save delays and expense.
- Preparing for old age, unexpected illness or an accident – an attorney could help to access your funds to pay bills and otherwise run your personal and business affairs.
- Grown children who are unable to act for themselves -you may be a parent of a child, who has now reached 18, but whose physical or mental disability prevent your son or daughter from dealing with official matters.
- Executors –assisting you to exercise your responsibilities under the appointment.
Our range of services include:
- Making applications to the Court of Protection for a family member, friend or professional Deputy to be appointed.
- Acting as a professional Deputy, assisting and supporting our clients with regard to the management of their property and affairs.
- Completion of Deputy’s annual accounts and/or tax returns.
- Providing Witness Statements of Court of Protection and Deputyship costs where these may be recoverable in a personal injury or clinical negligence claim.
Many residents and their relatives feel under pressure to sell up. But there are other options.
Wrigleys combine social care law, property and independent financial advice to make sure the resident and their family can choose the right option for them.
Has a resident made a significant gift? Often an entirely innocent act of goodwill and benevolence is misconstrued by a local authority as an attempt to avoid paying care fees and the resident is treated as still possessing the gift taking them outside of support. New powers under the Care Act 2014 allow a local authority to send the recipient of the gift the bill for the resident's care however long ago the gift was made. Legal advice is essential in what are frequently matters of great financial value.
If a resident's home is empty and owned by more than one person, many local authorities will just assume the resident has too much capital to qualify. But often this is not the case. The right legal advice can ensure that valuation is done properly and this very often results in significant savings that greatly outweigh the cost of the advice.
There may be a fundamental disagreement between family members and the local authority over the arrangements for care.
Sometimes longstanding disputes within families are played out in the care home setting when discussing matters such as the arrangements for care or contact with the resident or over financial matters.
Wrigleys health and care team advise and represent family members in such matters to bring about a solution. But if no solution can be agreed, we will assist and if necessary represent in Court of Protection proceedings.
