Applying for CHC funding – common questions and answers

Yes – absolutely. Sadly, we come across this situation a lot. A person who has previously been denied CHC may well qualify for free care, paid for entirely by the NHS. But you’ll need to fight for it. The CHC process can be confusing so to make sure you know the facts – and your rights – call us first and we’ll be happy to help.

Sadly it may be the case – although it’s certainly worth investigating whether she might qualify for other health reasons. The problem currently is that the NHS does not recognise dementia as an illness in the same way as heart disease and cancer (both of which qualify for CHC funding). If you think that’s unfair – we agree with you.

Currently the NHS is under pressure to change the way it unfairly discriminates against people with dementia. Until that happens, don’t just assume that your mum won’t qualify for CHC funding. She may have other health issues which might lead to her receiving free care. Call us and we can investigate whether or not she might qualify.

It’s certainly not too late. You may think that a CHC assessment would have automatically been carried out at the time of your relative’s discharge. It’s what’s supposed to happen but we frequently hear of cases where the assessment has either not happened at all or it’s been carried out incorrectly.

Also, don’t forget that your relative’s heath could have changed since her discharge so it’s worth asking for her to be assessed foe CHC again. Don’t be fobbed if you are told ‘no.’ Your relative has the right to be assessed – call the team at Steene Law and we’ll you what you need to do next.

You need to request an urgent CHC assessment of your Dad. It may be that he was never assessed for CHC when he first moved into the care home. Or at the time, he may only have been eligible for the nursing care element but his health has since declined and he might now be eligible for CHC which would cover the costs of all his care fees.. Either way, it’s worth investigating. Call us first and we’ll tell you what you need to do.

That’s not the case – your aunt may well qualify if she has something called a primary heath need – meaning that most of her care is nursing care rather than just needing help with getting dressed, help with mealtimes etc (which is known as ‘social care needs’)

The important thing to remember is that CHC is NOT means tested, so it doesn’t matter what money your aunt has, the decision ‘should’ be taken based on her health needs.

We say ‘should’ because we know that CHC assessments are not always fairly or correctly carried out. If you’ve not yet applied for CHC funding, call us first and we can help you avoid the pitfalls, so that your aunt has a better chance of being correctly assessed.

Social services will have kept a record of all the assessments they ever carried out to decide the package of care your relative was entitled to. If you have a Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare you can ask to see these documents. If not, your aunt is entitled to see her records.

However, your relative’s health may, in any case, have deteriorated to a point where she is now entitled to CHC. Either way, give us a call and we can get the ball rolling. We can check if a CHC assessment was ever carried out and help you to apply for a new assessment.

The good news is that CHC funding is available to people with a primary health need, regardless of whether they live in their own homes or in a residential home, so this is not a barrier to apply for free funding. Remember it’s not means tested either – you just need to prove that your dad meets the criteria for CHC funding. The reality is that’s easier said than done.

Cash-strapped local Clinical Commissioning Groups (the local NHS group responsible for CHC assessments) often do not follow the rules and an unfair postcode lottery currently exists. This shouldn’t happen but we are aware that some people are wrongly denied CHC when they in fact qualify.