Having your cultural needs met

03/04/2025

A woman was going into residential care when the local authority failed to consider her cultural needs when choosing her placement. She is from a South Asian Hindu background and does not speak English. Therefore, in the local authority’s placement, she would have been totally isolated and not been able to communicate even with care staff.  

In addition, the care home could not provide culturally appropriate meals for her, only offering to purchase ready-made meals from the local supermarket. This was not acceptable, so her daughter-in-law looked for other more suitable options but was told by the local authority that they would have to pay a top-up fee to cover the extra expense. Her daughter-in-law contacted our adviceline for support. 

Our adviser helped the client to write a letter to clarify her mother-in-law’s right to choose a care home placement that meets her needs under the Care Act 2014. The adviser also emphasised that the local authority should not set arbitrary rates on care home budgets, but should include all the person’s eligible needs in the budget. 

To make matters worse, the family received information from the local authority delaying the process by undertaking a 5-week due diligence process on the care home, which would have jeopardised securing the home of their choice. 

We advised the client that she should write to the adult care directorate to complain, highlighting the adverse impact on her mother-in-law's wellbeing and to try to go through complaints process. 

However, the client called shortly afterwards to say they had received confirmation from the local authority that they are in support of the care home and their mother-in-law would be able to move shortly into her preferred placement. 

Even though the family will still have to pay a slightly reduced top up, they were happy with the decision and their mother-in-law moved swiftly into her new home where she has happily settled in.