Consumers warned over belongings in care homes

Consumers have been warned to be careful about belongings that are in care homes, as they may not be automatically insured against theft, loss, and damage. The report claims that many elderly people that have moved into care homes and taken their belongings with them may actually have no protection against such eventualities because the insurance cover may not extend to covering belongings in care homes.

An official from Bupa said that it was important for residents to find appropriate insurance cover if necessary in the event that their belongings were not covered. He said: ‘It’s the responsibility of individual residents, as stated in our terms and conditions. However, if we are responsible for an item being lost or damaged, we will reimburse the cost.’
He added: ‘In addition, we provide our residents with secure facilities such as a lockable drawer in their rooms.’
According to recent reports most care homes do provide a safe and secure storage area or safe for residents, in which valuable such as expensive jewellery and the like can be stored. Consumers are advised that there may be stand alone cover available such as that used to protect the belongings of students who live in shared college accommodation, which is something that a number of providers offer.
However, officials have said that consumers should be aware that it can be difficult to find one of these stand alone policies at an affordable price, as many insurance firms are too worried about the risk of theft given that care homes provide so many communal areas, making it more likely that theft could occur.

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