Does the council really look back at what you spent?

We had something similar. Mum had given money to my brother years before. The council asked about it but when we explained the circumstances and the timing they didn't pursue it. The key thing apparently is whether he could reasonably have foreseen needing care at the time. If he was healthy and had no reason to think care was coming, that's in your favour.

This is a really common worry. The council has to prove three things before calling something deprivation, that your dad foresaw needing care, knew he'd have to pay, and that avoiding costs was a significant reason for the gift. If none of those were true at the time, they have a much weaker case. Worth getting the circumstances written down clearly while they're fresh.