Cheselden FAQs

The questions on this page are about mostly specific to Cheselden, our services and how we can help you. If your question relates to continuing care and related issues in general, please visit our Care Funding FAQs page.

If your question is not answered on these pages, you will probably find the answer somewhere else on our website, in one of our Factsheets or in the Glossary. If not, please call us on 0845 659 1588 and we will be pleased to help.

Q. Do I have a valid claim for current or retrospective care funding?

A. To find out, simply contact us and provide us with some basic information. We will assess your case for free, tell you whether or not you may qualify for continuing care and explain what will happen next. There is no obligation to proceed.

Q. Can I make a claim on behalf of someone else?

A. Yes. We can act for your family member or friend on your behalf if you have the legal authority to act for them. Please read our Factsheet 9 for full details.

Q. How much will it cost me to make a claim through Cheselden?

A. You won’t pay us a penny until we have settled your claim. If your claim is successful, we will cover the costs of handling your case by taking a percentage of the monies refunded to you by the PCT. There are no other fees or charges to pay. In the unlikely event that we do not win your case, you won’t have to pay anything at all. So we offer a genuinely risk-free service with a ‘No Win, No Fee’ guarantee.

Q. What if the patient in question is deceased?

A. We can still review their case and proceed with a valid claim, provided we can still access the patient’s medical records and other necessary files. Time is of the essence because a patient’s medical records are only kept for a limited time after their death. If you are claiming on behalf of a deceased person, you will need to have a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration authorising you to administer their estate.

Q. What if I have already approached my local PCT about my case for funding?

A. If your PCT has refused to review your case, or has reviewed it and turned down your funding request, Cheselden can review your case straightaway. If you haven’t heard from your PCT about your funding decision yet, you should wait for an answer before contacting us.

Q. Is there a time limit on claims?

A. Yes. In March 2012, the Government introduced new cut-off dates for when you can reclaim fees paid for care received between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2012. Please click here to find out more about these deadlines.

The longer you or a relative has been paying for care, the more urgent it is that you make a claim for funding if you think you may be eligible. Generally speaking, we cannot take on your case if you or your family has been aware for six or more years that you could apply to have your funding situation reviewed. However, you should still contact us for advice and information as we may still be able to help.

Please note that neither Cheselden nor any PCT can investigate cases where the patient died before April 1996, as there were no formal continuing care guidelines in place before this date.

Q. What if I have already sold the family home to pay for care costs?

A. Sadly, we cannot get your house back for you. However, we can try to recover the care costs that you have paid from the proceeds of the sale, plus back-dated interest, so that financially-speaking, you are no worse off than if you had not sold the house. We can also try to obtain further compensation or damages in respect of the distress caused by having to sell the family home.

Q. If I make a claim for funding, how will my current care be affected? Will I lose my care home place?

A. Any action we take on your behalf will not detrimentally affect the level of care that you receive. We have excellent relationships with many care home providers and are keen to help them retain their residents without losing out financially if you are awarded funding. However, because continuing care is funded by the NHS, you may need to move to another care home that has a contract with your PCT or that can provide a higher level of care to meet your needs. Your PCT will take your wishes into account when deciding on the location of your care and will also assess whether a move would pose a risk to your health.

Q. Why do you need to send off for my medical records?

A. We need to build a full picture of your medical condition so we can determine if you have a valid case for continuing care funding. Your medical records are central to this process. We will not disclose any of your medical information to a third party (except any solicitor appointed to your case) without your express permission, so there is no need to worry.

Q. Who will review my case for eligibility for funding?

A. Your case will be reviewed by at least one of our expert clinical assessors, who are highly experienced in continuing care and the assessment and review processes involved.

Q. I am worried my claim will place an even greater burden on over-stretched NHS resources. Will this happen?

A. Asking Cheselden to handle your claim for you actually takes some of the burden away from your PCT, as we will take over some of the administrative work that they would have to do if you approached them directly. And because we only ask PCTs to review valid cases, we prevent them having to deal with hundreds of ineligible claims every year.