We receive a large number of calls from relatives who are not sure if their loved ones’ condition means they should be receiving FREE NHS funding Continuing Health Care.
In particular, we receive a great many calls from concerned relatives who want to know how their loved ones can avoid selling their home to pay for care.
In last week’s blog, we revealed some of the most frequently asked questions we are asked.
In part two of our blog, we will share further examples of the ‘misinformation, half-truths and downright whoppers’ that relatives and vulnerable elderly people are sometimes told, by those in authority who should know better.
The most commonly asked questions of 2019 – part two:
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A: Sadly, this is not true. The NHS publishes statistics and the national variation is truly shocking. We have written an article about the injustice of the CHC postcode lottery which you can read here.
You can also check your local area’s track record of granting CHC funding here.
If you discover the area where you live means you are statistically less likely to get CHC, call us and see whether we can help even things up.
A: We’ll answer this with another question – what exactly is meant by ‘routine’? One client telephoned and told us their so-called “routine” involved them performing tasks multiple times a day which only qualified, highly experienced nurses would normally be expected to carry out.
The family had got so used to clearing out their loved one’s tracheostomy tube and feeding them via a tube into their stomach they thought this was “routine”.
Typically, assessors for CHC funding will attempt to reduce a person’s needs by saying they are ‘routine’.
Let’s be clear – just because you are doing something on a daily basis doesn’t mean it’s a ‘routine task’.
Some of these tasks that you have come to accept as part of your regular routine of caring for a loved one could in fact be eligible for CHC funding. If in doubt, call us and we will tell you whether we believe your loved one is eligible for free non-means tested funding.
A: It is neither fair nor in many cases correct. This is an excuse which is sometimes used by the local NHS CCG (who hold the CHC purse strings) in an attempt to deny or withdraw funding.
For example, a person with dementia who has challenging behaviour that is unpredictable, is prescribed high doses of anti-psychotics, leading to an improvement in behaviour. The suggestion that they are now “better” is, in our view, outrageous.
Just because a person’s needs are well managed it does not mean that the underlying condition has gone away. A well-managed need is still a need!
The care needs and risks are still there, albeit they are being effectively treated and it is this underlying need that counts.
If you find that you have been denied CHC because you are told that the person is now ‘fine’ by virtue of medication or other intervention, call Steene Law.
A: A CHC decision should not be based upon a person’s mobility alone. Indeed, it is only one of twelve separate areas that need to be considered when identifying what is called a primary health need.
This claim is unfortunately used to not only deny CHC but also to take CHC away. In our view, it is nothing short of scandalous. Using this excuse to deny CHC falls into the same category as “our loved one is/is not able to swallow”, “does/does not have pressure sores” and “does/ does not have the district nurse visiting”.
All these are excuses are either used deliberately or through ignorance by CCG assessors to unfairly deny CHC funding.
If you are worried about a CHC or a self-funding decision, pick up the phone and call us. We offer a free fact-finding telephone conversation. Call 0203 653 0623 for a free conversation. We are available from 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday.
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