Hounslow Council is facing allegations of maladministration and coercion after a family claimed the authority threatened to place a terminally ill 79-year-old mother in a care home unless her daughter quit her job to become her paid carer. The family also alleges the council sent an unregistered social worker to conduct a care assessment filled with fabricated details.
Terminal diagnosis and delayed support
Patricia Garland, described by her daughter Moya as a resilient and fiercely independent woman, suffered a severe fall in February after tripping on a loose paving slab. A hospital scan to check for head trauma revealed an inoperable, terminal brain tumour. Despite her GP initiating an SR1 form on April 14—a legal document confirming a patient is likely to die within twelve months, which should trigger expedited care—Moya claims the council provided no timely assistance. The first request for urgent support under Section 14 of the Care Act was made in February, but the council did not contact the family until March 18. The assessment document was not provided until May 15, weeks after the SR1 was issued.
Alleged imposter social worker and bizarre assessment
In mid-April, a woman visited the Garland home claiming to be the allocated social worker. However, a background check on the Social Work England register by Moya and verified by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) found no record of that name. The council has not confirmed the visitor's job title as Moya's complaint is under investigation. The subsequent Care Act assessment arrived in the post with only the family's name and no job title or ID. Moya described the assessment as an utterly farcical, bizarre document filled with fabrications. It stated Patricia was of Irish descent and her father was Hungarian Jewish, but Moya said her mother is English and her father, who died eight years ago, was a Zen Buddhist. The document also claimed a Marie Curie team identified concerns about coercion in Patricia's previous care environment, though Moya said her mother never had a previous care environment or contact with Marie Curie. The assessment even included a fabricated romantic story about her parents living in Brazil. Moya called the document discriminatory and illiterate, saying it completely undermined her mother's identity and self-respect.
Council accused of coercion and intimidation
Instead of providing support, Moya alleges the council attempted to force her into becoming her mother's primary paid carer, using the threat of separation as leverage. When Moya requested financial support for minor bathroom and mobility adaptations, the council offered to hire her as a carer at £14.10 per hour for only 35 hours a week. Moya rejected this, saying it would force her to abandon her 25-year business and provide 19 hours of unpaid labour daily to cover her mother's 24/7 needs. She claims the council then threatened that if she did not accept, Patricia would be placed in a care home. Moya said, 'hell will freeze over' before she would allow that. She described the council's tactics as psychological warfare designed to cause financial loss and save money. The family now wants the council to leave them alone.
Council declines to comment
Hounslow Council initially said it could not comment due to an ongoing formal complaint procedure under the Care Act 2014. After the procedure concluded, the council again refused to comment, stating it was still talking to the family to find a way forward. This is unusual, as the council typically provides responses to such allegations. The LDRS has not received further explanation.
