Anyone who feels that they or a relative should receive NHS continuing care funding – now or in the past – due to an overriding health need should contact Cheselden immediately so that we can review your case.

After an 11 month campaign, NHS Devon has finally told Harold Cunningham that continuing care funding will be reinstated for his severely disabled wife. Funding was withdrawn from Mrs Cunningham – who needs 24 hour care after being badly hurt in a car crash in 2001 – and many others by Devon PCT in an attempt to correct a large overspend in its 2008-9 continuing care budget. However, the Strategic Health Authority investigated the PCT’s treatment of continuing care cases and ruled that this was not of ‘acceptable quality.’ The SHA then ordered that all cases where funding had been withdrawn should be re-assessed. Mrs Cunningham was assessed in October and continuing care restored in December. Her husband comments: ‘It is a very stressful time just wondering what…you would do if Maureen didn’t get nursing care – it was unthinkable. I just felt relief and am so happy now.’ Mr Cunningham urges anyone in his situation to persevere with their claim for funding and ‘…not to be put off by the first hurdle.’

Anyone who feels that they or a relative has been wrongly assessed as ineligible for continuing care, or who has had their funding withdrawn, can contact Cheselden for a free, no-obligation assessment of their care.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
08:40

The Daily Mail reports that an 80 year old man who is terminally ill has been denied continuing care funding because he is ‘…not ill enough to qualify’. Brian Stroud suffers from the incurable disease Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), which has left him unable to move, doubly incontinent and with swallowing difficulties. North East Essex PCT turned down his application for continuing care twice, after assessing his needs as ‘moderate’. Mr Stroud is currently cared for at home by his 77 year old wife who has paid £16,000 for additional care over the last 6 months. Mr and Mrs Stroud’s daughter, Debbie Hill, told the Mail that she believes the PCT’s decision not to fund care was purely financial, adding: ‘We want justice for mum and dad, and for everyone else in this situation…when they need the NHS, it’s not there for them.’ Her campaign for funding is supported by the PSP Association, which commented: ‘We need a system that’s not left to local officials, who often have every incentive to reject (continuing care) applications.’

NHS North East Essex has now said it will reassess Mr Stroud’s care needs.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
08:24

The deadline of 4 December 2009 for reviewing Welsh continuing care cases that pre-date 2003 has now passed. However, if your or a relative’s case pre-dates April 2003 and you have not asked for a retrospective funding review, you can still contact Cheselden and ask us to review the case. Although we cannot guarantee that we will be able to proceed, it is still worth contacting us as we could be able to help. Please complete our online enquiry form or call the Cheselden office on 0845 659 1588 for more information.

Any Welsh funding claims relating to cases dating from April 2003 onwards are unaffected by the deadline.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
00:56

Welsh Assembly Minister Peter Black has called on the Welsh First Minister to push back the 4 December deadline for patients and families to put in claims for continuing care funding that pre-date April 2003. Mr Black maintains that more time is needed to publicise the deadline and make sure that anyone who is entitled to claim is made aware of their rights before it is too late. His own investigations have revealed that local health boards are not doing enough to publicise the deadline and where they are doing so, the materials used are too technical and not sufficiently clear. He comments: ‘While I understand the need for a deadline for claims, such a deadline must be communicated to everyone in a way in which they can understand. Many people are not aware of the fact that they may be eligible to claim…(and) there is still confusion on how this deadline should be advertised… things need to be clear. I do not want to see anyone miss out on the compensation that they may be entitled to…This can only be achieved through a sustained advertising campaign and information in accessible language, not civil service speak.’ In response, Rhodri Morgan, First Minister, stated that he did not feel that the deadline was being inadequately communicated. At the time of writing, the existing deadline remains in force.

If you or a relative feel that you may be entitled to retrospective funding from the Welsh NHS for care fees pre-dating April 2003, please contact Cheselden immediately so that we can review your case. Please complete our initial questionnaire with the basic facts of your case or call us on 0845 659 1558.

For more information about Peter Black and to read about his stance on continuing care funding and the forthcoming reform of the Welsh social care system, please visit his website.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
10:02

The helpline FirstStop Advice has reported a large increase in calls from people enquiring about continuing care funding. Many callers are seeking refunds for care fees that have already been paid or want to find out if they are entitled to continuing care funding. This spate of enquiries is directly linked to the recent payout received from Pauline Hardinges from Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT for fees she had wrongly paid for her mother’s care. Despite being asked by the PCT to sign a confidentiality agreement, Mrs Hardinges decided to speak out to make others aware that they may be entitled to free care or to reclaim costs. Cheselden Managing Director, Colin Ball, comments: ‘It’s great that more people are finding out that they may be entitled to continuing care funding and that Mrs Hardinges’ experience is giving them the confidence to question their current or previous care arrangements. We urge anyone who thinks that they or a relative has wrongly paid, or is paying, for care that should be funded by the NHS to contact Cheselden straightaway so that we can review your case.’

To find out if you or a relative should be receiving continuing care funding, or if you are eligible for a refund of fees already paid, please complete Cheselden’s brief questionnaire so that we can assess your case free of charge and with no obligation to proceed. Or call us on 0845 659 1588.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
17:40

Liberal Democrat health spokesman for Wales Peter Black has warned that people who may be able to reclaim care home fees for continuing care before April 2003 need to act now before the cut-off date of 4 December 2009. After that date, only cases from after April 2003 will be reviewed for retrospective compensation. Mr Black expresses his concern that this deadline has not been widely publicised and that people who may be entitled to retrospective funding will not be made aware in time of their right to a review. At the present time, there are 900 cases awaiting review for continuing care funding in Wales.

Could you or a relative be entitled to retrospective funding for care home fees paid before April 2003? If so, please contact Cheselden as soon as possible so that we can review your case. Our initial review is free and there is no obligation to proceed.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
18:05

Tina Donnelly, director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, has written an article for Wales Online explaining the vital contribution that is made by voluntary care nurses and calling on the Welsh Assembly Government to confirm that they will continue to support the service. Around 25% of nursing care in Wales is provided by the voluntary and independent sector and most of their work is in continuing care and specialist roles such as cancer care. Patient feedback has proved that voluntary care nurses, who work alongside NHS staff, make a real difference to the experiences of patients (particularly those with long-term conditions) their families and carers. Although a great deal of their work is done in hospitals, specialist nurses also make a valuable contribution within the community by working with GPs to promote public health and the appropriate use of community health services. Unfortunately, funding for voluntary care nurses has been badly hit by the recession, with downturns both in donations and public funding, and the service’s future is under threat unless the Welsh Assembly agrees to secure alternative funding.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
13:54

A Dignified Revolution reports on the popularity of a set of guides to caring for older people that were published by the Nursing & Midwifery Council in March 2009. Since then, the Council has received over 200,000 requests for the guidance, which lays down a series of principles – respect, dignity and communication – that nurses should follow when looking after elderly people. The guidance was produced further to extensive consultation with older people about how they want to be cared for and covers issues such as tackling negative attitudes towards the elderly, promoting a healthy lifestyle and ensuring effective communication. Although aimed primarily at nursing staff, carers and other healthcare professionals can also benefit from the guidance, plus it can be used in training environments and by employers as a benchmark for care standards. The various documents that make up the guidance are free to download from the Nursing & Midwifery Council website.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
11:13

The Welsh Assembly Government is to impose a deadline after which it recommends that continuing care cases pre-dating April 2003 are no longer reviewed for retrospective funding. The deadline has been set for 4 December 2009. The Assembly has pledged to widely publicise the deadline so that all patients and their families who might be affected are made aware of the cut-off date for funding reviews. Although the deadline does not represent statutory law, it will be much more difficult for patients and families to obtain a review after the date has passed. Therefore, anyone who feels they have wrongly paid for care home fees in Wales before April 2003 should contact Cheselden straightaway so that their case can be reviewed as soon as possible. A spokesperson for the Assembly comments: ‘The WAG now intends to wind up these (review) arrangements. Individuals who believe that they may have been entitled to continuing NHS healthcare during this period have until 4 December 2009 to submit a claim. Claims relating to later periods are not affected by this cut off.’

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
15:39

NHS Devon, formerly Devon PCT, has published the long-awaited report of its joint investigation with the South West SHA into the county’s continuing care eligibility assessment practices. As previously reported, more than 70 families in Devon had their funding suddenly withdrawn earlier this year after NHS Devon reviewed the eligibility of 300 patients for continuing care funding. At the time, the families alleged that the decisions to remove funding were taken for purely financial reasons as the then-called Devon PCT had identified a £13.9 million overspend in its continuing care budget. Although the report acknowledges that financial concerns in part prompted the review of the 300 cases, it also explains that NHS Devon was experiencing an unusual rise in the number of cases that were found to be eligible for continuing care funding and undertook the review in order to check whether the patients in question were, in fact, eligible. The report describes how problems arose because the reviews were not of ‘acceptable quality’, were undertaken too quickly and often failed to adequately involve the patient or their carer. It also criticises NHS Devon for not halting and revisiting the review process when it started to become apparent that large numbers of people were having their funding withdrawn. As well as ordering NHS Devon to re-review the 300 cases for eligibility, the report sets out a number of recommendations that the Trust should follow, both now and in the future, to ensure continuing care ‘best practice’. These include:

• Appointing a continuing care ‘Patient Champion’ who will work to ensure that the patient’s interests are kept central to the assessment process
• Involving the patient and their relatives or carers in the assessment process and keeping them informed about decisions and how these were made
• Clarifying the decision-making process and the roles of Area and County Panels for those cases that require review
• Ensuring that paperwork is properly and consistently completed, in particular that the reasoning behind an eligibility decision is always recorded
• Personalising letters about decisions so that individuals are given a specific reason if they have been turned down for funding, rather than just being sent a standard letter
• Benchmarking standards and ways of working with those of other NHS Trusts to ensure that NHS Devon offers a comparable service to other Trusts in England.

The report can be read in full at NHS Devon’s website.

The Exeter Express and Echo, which has supported the families’ appeal, reports that NHS Devon’s report and its findings have been largely welcomed by the affected families. However, there are still concerns that the re-review ordered in the report will result in some patients once again having their funding withdrawn, in which case the families have stated that they will ‘continue their fight.’

You can read Cheselden’s official comment on the NHS Devon report in the Media section of the website.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
16:38

A Suffolk couple has told the Evening Star of their distress after they received a letter from the East of England SHA confirming that their mother was eligible for continuing care funding – only to receive a second letter the next day from NHS Suffolk saying that she was NOT eligible. Carole and Glyn Northrop contacted the SHA about the letters and were told that the second one was correct and that Carole’s mother, Daphne Humphreys, is not considered eligible for funding. The Northrops, who had been trying to obtain funding for Mrs Humphreys for over three years, complained to the MP for West Suffolk, Richard Spring. Mr Spring has written to the SHA describing the ‘appalling stress and anxiety’ to which the Northrops had been subjected and condemning the ‘bureaucratic bungling…(and) sheer incompetence with which this matter has been handled.’ The SHA’s response is unknown.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
16:08