Our cases in the press
Our succsssful client
cases are often covered in both the local and national press. Many
of which are used by the press (both broadcast and print) to
highlight the issue of care home residents with health needs paying
for their care when in fact it should be the financial
responsibilty of the NHS through continuing care.
Our legal experts
are also asked on many occasions to comment on the topic.
Hugh James have successfully won hundreds of cases for people to
reclaim their care home fees. Some of the most public and well
known examples include:
Mrs Phyllis Blatchford
Mrs Phyllis Blatchford was admitted
to a nursing home in June 2006. Due to her capital and income, the
family were told that she had to pay for her own nursing care.
Mrs Blatchford suffered with
dementia and was admitted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth in 2006
as she suffered a stroke. The family were informed that she could
not return home as she required 24 hour nursing care and she was
then admitted to the Tamar Nursing Home in Saltash, Cornwall. She
remained here until she sadly died in February 2010 aged eighty
eight.
With the help of Hugh James
solicitors, the family have now recovered all the nursing home fees
wrongly paid, amounting to almost £70,000 in total.
Related
articles:
Mr Robert Beaman
Mr Robert Beaman was admitted to a
nursing home in 2009. Due to his capital and income, the family
were told that he had to pay for his own nursing care. With the
help of Hugh James solicitors and after a four year fight, the
family have now recovered the nursing home fees wrongly paid.
Mr Beaman, a retired postman,
suffered with Parkinson's disease and Lieu Body dementia. Following
a fall which resulted in a broken hip requiring surgery, Mr Beaman
was admitted to St Peter's Hospital in Surrey. The family were
informed that he could not return home as he required 24 hour
nursing care as his dementia had worsened and he was now in a
wheelchair unable to weight bear. Mr Beaman was then admitted
to Sunrise Senior Living Care Home in Bagshot, Surrey where he
remained until he died in December 2010.
Related
articles:
Mrs Ada Whittaker
Mrs Whittaker from Rossendale,
suffered with dementia and was unable to care for herself. As a
result she was admitted to Turfcote Nursing Home in Rossendale in
December 2001 where she remained until she died on 1 March 2009.
Hugh James solicitors have successfully helped the family of the
late Mrs Ada Whittaker to recover over £90,000 in wrongly paid care
home fees from the NHS.
Hugh James Solicitors, who acted
for Mrs Whittaker's family, commented that “Families like Mrs
Whittaker's need to be aware of the deadline for NHS
Continuing Healthcare claims. It is important that they take
steps now so that they don't miss out."
Related
articles:
Evangeline McConnell
Eighty eight year old
Evangeline McConnell suffered a severe stroke in October 2002 and
was admitted to the Royal Albert Edward Hospital in Wigan. She was
then transferred to Leigh Infirmary in Lancashire for 6 months for
rehabilitation. However, the family were informed that she could
not return home as she required 24 hour nursing care. Mrs
McConnell was then admitted to the Arncliffe Court Nursing Home in
Halewood, Liverpool in April 2003 and later to St Bartholomews
Court Nursing Home in Huyton, Merseyside where she sadly died on
the 3 November 2011.
Following a seven year
fight with the help of Hugh James nursing care, the NHS have
admitted that their decision on care fees was wrong and the family
of Mrs Evangeline McConnell have finally been reimbursed with
£117,000 in wrongly paid care home fees.
Read the full release
relating to Evangeline McConnell
Related press articles:
Leslie Terry
Following illness eighty-six year
old Mr Terry was admitted to the Gloucester House Nursing Home in
Sevenoaks, Kent in December 2002. Mr Terry suffers with Alzheimer’s
disease, and dementia. Mr Leslie Terry's nephew Bryan
Talbot and the family have campaigned, with the help
of Hugh James solicitors, to recover wrongly paid nursing home
fees that should have been paid by the NHS. We proved that he had
‘health needs’ which meant he was entitled to NHS continuing
healthcare and did not have to pay an average of £3500 per month
for his long term nursing care.
Read the full release relating to Leslie Terry
Related press articles:
Marjorie Eyton Jones
Mrs Marjorie Eyton-Jones
was admitted to a nursing home in August 1998. Due to her capital
and income, the family were told that she had to pay for her own
nursing care which totalled over £165,000. Mrs Eyton-Jones suffered
with Alzheimer’s disease, as a result of her illness, she was
agitated, totally confused and disorientated in time and place and
was aggressive to others. With the help of Hugh James solicitors
and after a six year fight, the family have now recovered all
the nursing home fees paid.
Read the case
summary
Read the full release relating to Marjorie Eyton
Jones
Related press articles:
Mr Harry Denham (deceased)
Mr Denham was admitted to
Beechwood Park Nursing Home in July 2002. He was totally
reliant on nursing home staff for all his activities of daily
living. Mr Denham paid a contribution of £85 per week until
his wife’s death in April 2003 and thereafter had to pay approx
£750 per week until his death. Hugh James successfully
challenged the Local Health Board’s decision to refuse continuing
health care funding and Mr Denham’s estate was reimbursed over
£100,000 in nursing home fees.
Related press articles:
Eileen Puc
Eileen Puc has been a
resident in a nursing home since June 2005, she has suffered three
strokes and as a result is immobile. She suffers with diabetes
which is described as unstable and has other health conditions.
The specialist nursing
care team at Hugh James and Eileen's family are having to
prove she has ‘health needs’ which mean she is entitled to
Continuing Healthcare and won’t have to pay £1,825 every month
needed for her own long-term nursing care. Mrs Puc has paid over
£60,000 in nursing home fees to date. Hugh James, on behalf of Mrs
Puc, made a complaint to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales as
the decision made by Cardiff Local Health Board, that Mrs Puc
should pay for her fees, was not compliant with Welsh Assembly
criteria and was flawed.
Read the case history
Read the full
release on Eileen Puc
Related press articles:
BMJ
14 I 06 I 08
Edna Witt
Mrs Edna Mary Witt became
a resident of Homelea Residential Care Home, East Sussex in
September 2005 and later transferred to the Sovereign Lodge
Care Centre, also in East Sussex in 2009 where she still
resides. She has paid nearly £150,000 in fees since she went in to
care. Mrs Witt suffers from dementia plus a number
of other illnesses, including problems with her heart and
kidneys. Hugh James were initially instructed in March 2009.
Mrs Witt now receives continuing care from the NHS.
Update (April 2012):
Following a retrospective review, the Primary Care Trust agreed
that Mrs Witt should have been eligible for Continuing Healthcare
from her admission to the care home in 2005 and have reimbursed her
over £100,000 in wrongly paid fees.
Related press articles:
The Daily Mail
03 | 03 |
10
Peter Sampson
Mr Peter Sampson, a former Bristol
Rovers football player was admitted to a care home in Bristol in
2005. He suffered with Alzheimer's
disease and as a result was confused and disorientated.
He was doubly incontinent and he could not communicate and was
reliant on the staff to anticipate his needs. As his health
deteriorated, he became immobile, had difficulty swallowing and
needed someone to feed him. He sadly died in May 2009.
After
a four year battle and with Hugh James assistance, Mr
Sampson's family were
reimbursed over £100,000 in wrongly paid nursing home fees.