The former Dorset County Council has been criticised for wrongly charging for care of the elderly and vulnerable.

In one case, an elderly person was left in debt after the council failed to properly explain the financial costs of their care, and failed to put proper care in place so they could return home after a respite stay in a care home. The council agreed to write off the debt after an investigation was started by the ombudsman.

In another case relating to care costs, the council was ordered to refund legal and consultant fees and apologise for 'confusing and misleading' a woman who was told to sell her mother's home below the market rate to fund care. Meanwhile, she was left struggling to care for her mother who had dementia, telling ombudsmen she was “so lost and exhausted and thought someone somewhere might support me and help me out of this terrible mess."

In another case, an elderly woman detained under the Mental Health Act for depressive psychosis was wrongly charged for aftercare. The council had initially refused to refund any of the charges due to a lack of evidence because the woman had not been provided with receipts.

The council was also found to have overcharged a man with dementia and kidney disease for care costs, and was ordered to reassess him after his daughter complained to the ombudsman. She also complained that he was not provided with adequate facilities at a residential care home.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said:“The care system is hideously complex and councils haven’t got enough cash to go round, so this is a sure fire recipe for some unfortunate older people and their families to end up paying more for care than they legally should.

“At Age UK we have come across numerous examples of the law as regards care being breached by councils, sometimes deliberately, at other times by mistake.

“It’s yet another reason why the Government must keep its promise to fix social care.”

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society which is why we will seek to build cross-party consensus. We will bring forward a plan for social care this year.”