Call our team of experts at Compass Continuing healthcare today to see if your relative is entitled to free funding for care home fees. Our office number is 0800 008 7777.
Alternatively please complete our FREE online assessment and we will contact you.
The basic position in relating to funding for care home fees is that in the absence of funding from the NHS if an individual’s assets exceed £23,250 they are expected to meet the cost of their care in full. Once their assets are below £23,250 they must contribute towards the cost of their care until their assets reach £14,000. Even once their assets have fallen below the lower £14,000 limit the individual will continue to have to contribute towards the cost of their care from any income they receive. The majority of any pension or other income will be diverted to pay for their care.
The cost of an average nursing home in England and Wales in excess of £800 a week. This equates to an annual cost of £41,600 and the figures can be far higher in certain parts of the country or where specialist care or an EMI home is required.
In order to secure funding for care home fees an individual’s need for care must primarily be a health need. In such circumstances the NHS are obligated to provide funding for care home fees in full.
This funding is known as continuing healthcare funding.
There are increasing instances of individuals who ought to be eligible for continuing healthcare funding for funding for care home fees being denied the funding. Age UK estimates there are presently around 100,000 people in the UK paying for care who ought to have the costs met in full by the NHS.
The issue arises in that the NHS are responsible for assessing individuals to determine whether they, the NHS, are obligated to provide the funding for care home fees. This funding is very expensive for the NHS, in the same way that it is for the individual paying privately. As such with limited budgets within the NHS there are increasing instances of eligible individuals being denied continuing health care and a higher bar to satisfy for eligibility being applied by the NHS.
In these circumstances it is essential that an appeal is lodged for any negative decision to avoid a situation where a person has to pay for care home fees that the state you be meeting the cost of.
Simply requesting an appeal in itself is no guarantee of a negative decision being overturn. It is crucial that you have the right expert in your corner guiding you through the complexity of the process and navigating you to funding for care home fees. At Compass Continuing Health Care we have a high success rate of securing continuing healthcare finding for our clients. We are experienced in dealing with the appeals process from the outset to a successful conclusion, but also in assisting individuals whilst they are still in hospital before any negative decision regarding an entitlement to continuing healthcare has been made. We can assist in gathering the evidence to support a contention there is an eligibility for the funding so it is awarded from day 1, rather than awaiting a negative outcome and having to overturn it.
Accordingly if you have a relative paying privately for care home fees, or if they are in hospital awaiting discharge to a care home, contact the Compass CHC team today. Our FREE, initial assessment can be completed online or you can contact us directly for a no obligation discussion on 0800 008 7777. Don’t delay, contact us today and let us navigate you to NHS funding for care home fees.
Author: Tim Davies LLB
