Paralysed man's case a 'waste of taxpayers' money'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-38058285

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The case of a paralysed man seeking home-care has ended after judges ruled it was a "waste of taxpayers' money".

The High Court was asked to decide if a man, in his 30s, left tetraplegic after falling from a roof, had the mental capacity to make decisions about his care.

Slough Borough Council refused to pay £468,000 a year needed to fund a home-care package instead of care on a unit.

On that basis, Mr Justice Holman said any ruling made would be "abstract".

Slough Borough Council said it was "unable and unwilling" to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds a year needed to fund the home-care package, but said it would continue to pay the £156,000 a year needed to fund care at the specialist unit.

Medical experts felt the man's mental capacity to make decisions fluctuated.

However, the judge at a Court of Protection hearing in London said: "Already at least £130,000 has been incurred on legal expenditure in the course of these proceedings, all of it funded out of public funds."

"I am, frankly, deeply concerned at the prospect of incurring yet further tens of thousands of pounds of expenditure of public funds on some abstract determination of capacity if, realistically, there is no choice in the way forward for this particular patient in his circumstances," Mr Justice Holman added.