A man has reclaimed £33,000 from Bradford and Airedale Primary Care Trust (PCT) after he wrongly paid out care home fees for his elderly father – and their case could be just the tip of an iceberg.

But anyone who thinks they might be due a refund for paying out for care that they shouldn’t have been billed for has only until the end of next month to lodge a claim.

When 80-year-old John Young, of Keighley , moved to Ivy House Care Home in Shipley in 2004, his son, John Young Jnr, arranged for his pension and benefits to be transferred to the home to cover care costs, along with proceeds from the sale of his house. A continuing healthcare assessment by the PCT found Mr Young was eligible for funding for some of the time he was a resident at the home. The PCT began to pay for his care but the fees already paid by the family were not reimbursed.

Mr Young Jnr instructed Cardiff-based NewLaw Solicitors to recover the fees paid for the care of his father, who has since died.

It has so far managed to recover £33,000 in relation to the period Mr Young Snr was judged to be eligible and is appealing against a decision that he was not eligible for funding for some of the time he was living there.

The family has also recovered £14,045.81 from Bradford Council after it continued to receive Mr Young’s pension and benefits when the PCT had started paying the fees directly to the care home.

Mr Young Jnr said: “This was a particularly distressing time for us. My father’s health was deteriorating and he clearly needed more specialist care than we were able to provide. We were keen for him to move into a care home where he could be looked after properly but given the state of his health I didn’t believe that he should have to pay for these fees himself.”

Anyone who thinks they could be eligible to claim back care home fees which were wrongly paid – between April 2004 and March 2011 – must do so before September 30.

Ali Jan Haider, deputy director for partnerships commissioning and contracting at the PCT, which is now called NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds, said: “This case is subject to an ongoing claim in respect of continuing funding, therefore we are unable to comment further.”

A Bradford Council adult services spokesman said: “The Council took over the management of this person's account because there were sums owing to us. The £15,000 was the balance of funds left in the account when he died, and represented reimbursements to the family for overpayments made to the Council.”