A LAW firm has outlined a warning to Wyre Forest residents.

Mfg Solicitors, which has an office in Birmingham Road, Kidderminster, believes local families could, unwittingly, be paying for the care of an elderly relative when they are actually entitled to it for free.

Tracy Ashby, an associate solicitor at the company, believes people often do not receive the correct advice from hospital staff or social workers and can run out of time to claim back overpaid fees because of strict six-month time limits.

She said: "Putting someone into care is a tough decision and we are seeing more and more people who have made arrangements without the right support.

“It is a sad fact that people discharged from hospital to a care home frequently do not get told of their rights to potentially receive continuing healthcare, which is free.

"I am seeing many people paying needlessly for the care of a relative as there simply has not been enough attention given to the correct health or financial assessments.

“Families I see across Wyre Forest are having to deal with the stress, guilt and upheaval of a family member going into care and, in some cases, they are given poor advice.

“Paying for care can be a complicated process and I really do urge people to seek advice and take the time to research their situation further. Some savvy families are making huge financial savings through successful claims.”

Another legal specialist at mfg Solicitors has issued a similar warning to the public regarding changes to inheritance laws that will take effect from October 1.

Updates to the intestacy rules outline who will benefit from a person's estate if they die without a will and Will Jones, assistant solicitor at the firm, has urged Wyre Forest residents not to be lulled into a false sense of security.

He said: “The intestacy rules have been in place for many years and an update and clarification has been a long time coming.

"We welcome it but it is still a very general set of rules that don’t work for everyone.

“If someone dies without a will then, under the new rules, their estate passes to the closest family members where things are set out in an order of priority, defining which family members should inherit before others.

"If there is no family member entitled under the intestacy rules, then the deceased person’s estate will automatically pass to the Government.

“In many cases this does not achieve what people want and underlines the importance of a will, especially if people own property, a business, wish to leave something to friends or charities or have relatives whom they would not wish to benefit.

“Despite the update to the rules they remain generalised and if they do not reflect what a family expects to happen it can result in unbearable distress and financial burden from trying to challenge the outcome through the courts.

“Wills set out exactly what you want to happen to your estate and your possessions.

"It is much more personal and reassuring than the broad brush approach of the intestacy rules.”