NHS Somerset criticised for low proportion of continuing care funding

A Somerset law firm has raised concerns over the low percentage of people receiving NHS-funded continuing care compared to the national average. Despite having a high proportion of elderly people, NHS Somerset funds continuing care for just 31 people in every 50,000 – a total of 320 individuals. Commenting on the new statistics, recently revealed in the House of Commons, a spokesman for the law firm stated that they are dealing with many cases where patients that should be receiving care funding have been deemed ineligible and, as a result, are being forced to sell their homes to pay for care. However, NHS Somerset rejects the idea that they are not providing enough continuing care funding and a spokesman for the PCT stated that the number of people receiving funding is actually increasing. The PCT also claims that the Government figures are misleading as they do not take into account care that it provides for some people with disabilities or long-term mental health problems.

If you feel that NHS Somerset, or any Primary Care Trust in England and Wales, has wrongly denied continuing care funding to you or a relative – either now or in the past – please contact Cheselden. We will provide a free, no obligation assessment of your case for funding.