'The final indignity' - Families battle to claw back care home cash

'The final indignity' - Families battle to claw back care home cashJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleCatriona MacPheeandMona McAlinden,BBC DisclosureBBCIt took four-and-a-half months for Jack Kirkland's family to get his money backFamilies have voiced their anger and frustration after spending months, and in some cases over a year, battling to get back thousands of pounds they were owed by a care home operator.The relatives of 10 former residents say Morar Care Group withheld sums of up to £19,000, which had been paid as deposits when moving into the homes.Some had to instruct lawyers and debt collectors and pursue taking a civil case against the operator, which runs a home which was at the centre of an undercover BBC investigation last year.The operator described the allegations about contracts and fees as "incorrect and misleading".All the families who spoke to the BBC were threatened with legal action by the care provider for taking part in the programme Disclosure: Cashing in on Care.Lawyers representing the care homes wrote to them saying that the allegations were "clearly very serious" and were likely to cause "serious harm to our client" if they were broadcast.Morar - whose parent company is Simply UK - operates Castlehill in Inverness, where a BBC investigation revealed poor care standards last year.It was subject to an improvement notice by the Care Inspectorate, and special measures were imposed.The home has since changed its name to Morar Highland and is now rated adequate by the Care Inspectorate.Castlehill Care Home in Inverness has changed its nameIn the wake of the undercover investigation, the BBC was contacted by dozens of families with allegations about Morar homes, including new claims about financial problems for self-funding residents.Some raised issues around reclaiming thousands of pounds in deposits, which the home calls "initial fees".Self-funding residents have to pay most of t...