Postcode lottery for NHS Continuing Healthcare continues
15 | 11 | 2011
Large care home costs continue to
be wrongly paid by the elderly in many areas due to inconsistencies
in implementing the national framework for continuing care.
The latest Department of Health
figures* highlight huge ongoing local variations; in some areas,
the number of people eligible has dropped considerably over the
past two years.
Hugh James’ Nursing Care team has
been contacted by people whose NHS Continuing Healthcare package
has been reviewed and funding removed even though there has been no
change in the person's health needs.
Those people now considered
ineligible will have to fund the care themselves or have it paid by
the council, increasing pressures on adult care departments. This
will inevitably lead to disputes between councils and primary care
trusts and to families challenging decisions.
Concern about the situation caused
the Department of Health to remind the NHS in July of the national
process for determining eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare
and that any attempts to make efficiency savings in continuing care
should be “undertaken within the appropriate legal parameters for
determining eligibility”.
The recent Department of Health
figures showed an overall increase in the number of people eligible
in the last quarter from 53,466 to 55,499. However, the figures
reveal that the number of people receiving continuing care per
50,000 population ranged from 16 in Berkshire West PCT to 136 in
Darlington PCT, the average being 54 per 50,000 population.
The figures also showed a huge
reduction in some areas; for example, Bournemouth and Poole PCT
fell from 112.4 in the first quarter of 2010/11 to 36.7 in the
second quarter of 2011/12.
Lisa Morgan, Partner at Hugh James
solicitors states: ‘The National Framework was introduced to end
the postcode lottery in England. However a review of these figures
shows that it still remains.’
‘It is very worrying that funding
is being removed. In most of the cases I have seen, funding has
been withdrawn unfairly as the individual health needs have not
significantly changed. This will simply result in increase use of
NHS resources and cost in trying to defend unreasonable
decisions’
Hugh James are the leading national
experts in recovery of wrongly paid care home fees. Our nursing
care legal specialists have successfully recovered over £20 million
for families across the UK.
If you or a relative are in a
nursing or care home because of physical or mental health needs,
you may be paying fees that should have been funded by the NHS.
Contact us today to find out if you or a relative are eligible for
NHS Continuing Healthcare and reimbursement of care home fees.
* You can read the full report from
the Department of Health here:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_103162