The Ombudsman service has issued advice about the management of care home top-up fees, following appeals against its decisions recently. If you are currently paying top-up fees for a relative, or are planning long-term care for someone, please follow this link for advice.
Category Archives: Finance
TV licences going up for the fourth year running.
Less than 4% on low incomes take up high interest saving scheme
According to the Government, only 312,000 people, out of the 3.5 million who are eligible, have participated in an saving scheme which could earn them a 50% interest rate. The scheme known as ‘Help to Save’ rewards low income earners who save from £1 to £50 per month, even if they are claiming pension credits of universal credit. To find out more, please see our Finance page.
Warning about post-Brexit scams
The Consumer Association (Which?) is advising people to be on the alert for scams, as criminals prey on consumers’ uncertainty about their rights following Brexit. Remember legitimate organisations will not telephone you and ask you to move your money. If you’re not sure what to do, contact the organisation on an official line and check the information you have been given.
Pension credit and associated benefits
Claiming Pension Credit could unlock a range of other benefits including:
- Extra money each year
- Rent and council tax covered
- Free sight tests
- NHS dental care
- Extra money when it’s cold
Find out if you’re eligible Travel to hospital appointments
23 million hours of unpaid care provided by over 80s
A report published by Age UK indicates that 23 million hours of unpaid care is provided by people over 80. This is equivalent to 1.2 billion hours of care a year at a saving of £23 million to the healthcare system.
Unfortunately this comes at a personal cost to the health of the carers, who are often living with long-term health and mobility problems and who are unable to get any breaks or respite from their duties.
For further details, please follow this link.
New BT Brexit e-mail scam
At a time when information about Brexit is proliferating, scammers are taking advantage of this to try to obtain personal information. The e-mail supposedly from BT warns about the need to accept new terms and conditions with reference to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For more information go to our Alerts page.
Who is a Carer?
Community First Yorkshire states that ‘a carer is someone who, without payment, provides help and support to a friend, neighbour or relative who could not manage otherwise because of frailty, illness or disability. They may even be juggling paid work with caring responsibilities at home’.
Following Carers’ Week, it is important to ensure that carers are aware of the resources available to them. Carers’ Resource has gathered some quick information about each allowance and benefit. Also, Carers UK has an online tool to guide you to information about benefits and other entitlements.
British Gas refund scam
From North Yorkshire Police : ‘Please warn people about this email scam supposedly from British Gas to encourage people to claim back money they say they owe you. It looks genuine. It isn’t. We don’t have gas! Be Careful!’
To see what the communication looks like, please see our ‘Alerts’ page.
What is impersonation fraud?
A really useful explanation from North Yorkshire Police about how impersonation fraud works. Make sure you don’t get caught out. https://youtube.com/watch?v=fy-RSQfwLDw…