ONLY a last-minute intervention by Wiltshire Council has stopped a Pewsey woman being forced to abandon her seriously-ill mother in a hospital this weekend, after the care home where the 82-year-old has spent the last two years told her they could not provide care if no-one is paying for it.

Lynda Lester, whose mum Dorothy Holroyd has been living at Merlin Court Care Home in Marlborough, received a letter last Saturday telling her that her mother, who suffers from severe dementia, would need to find another home by Friday.

She has spent the last month trying to appeal against the withdrawal of funding, after being told in April the home's £1,100 a week bill would no longer be paid.

It was not until Wednesday afternoon that Wiltshire Council said they would step in and pay the bill short term.

Mrs Lester, 58, of Walnut Close, Pewsey, said: “Mum had funding from Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group but moved to Wiltshire to be closer to me. I received news that the funding would stop by May 24 and I have tried to appeal to Liverpool Continued Health Care. Mum's savings were used at the very beginning of her care, which was four years ago.

“The manager of Merlin Court rang me on Friday to talk about funding and by Saturday morning I had the letter saying mum had to be out by this Friday. She has severe dementia and difficulty breathing. It is a complete disgrace."

After the Gazette contacted the council, on Wednesday a spokesman said: “Mrs Holroyd’s care has not previously been funded by Wiltshire Council, however we have been in contact with the local authority responsible and have been able to reassure her family that she will continue to receive care and will not have to move from Merlin Court this week.”

On Wednesday Mrs Lester said: "Even though it's not Wiltshire Council's responsibility they are going to put in place a temporary measure so she has not got to go on Friday. My mother's welfare is the most important thing."

Earlier this week the manager of Merlin Court, Hillary Harding, explained that the care home, which offered Mrs Lester a £200 fees discount on her mother's bill, was sympathetic but without the money could not continue to offer its services.

Mrs Harding said: “Her mother was re-assessed as not eligible for the funding and is in need to find secure funding with social services, which has not been guaranteed. We understand it is difficult and hopefully it will be sorted out by Friday.

“We don’t want to make anyone distressed. We need to work out the funding to sort it out. At the end of the day we need to follow procedure. You can’t have someone in the care home and no-one funding it. Obviously we aren’t going to let someone go without having somewhere else.

“This was all according to the contract. As with making her leave we rarely do anything like that. The daughter does know what she should be doing in guaranteeing of the funding for her mother.”

Liverpool CCG and Continued Care, an NHS service which pays for the care of people who qualify for nursing, rather than social care, which is means tested, refused to comment.