Thousands of vulnerable patients in England are missing out on NHS funding for care that they are legally entitled to. Some families say they have spent nearly all their life savings on filling the gaps.
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is the name given to a system of financial support and care provided by the NHS for vulnerable patients living in their own home or within a care facility. The BBC has highlighted that thousands are missing out on the funding they are legally entitled to, despite their intense, complex or unpredictable health needs. This has meant that those families affected are spending their own life savings, even selling the family home, in an attempt to galvanise funds to pay for care costs. This is has caused, as the title infers, a national scandal.
If an individual’s primary need for care is a health need rather than a social need, the full cost of their care should be met by the NHS.
The BBC have focused on the farce that an individual may present as having a severely impaired cognition which itself causes unpredictable challenging behaviour, but if the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) decide otherwise, they simply will not get the funding they deserve. In sum, the NHS is unwilling to distribute finance when they themselves are under strain. CCGs are in total, inconsistent in their approach to an individual’s condition. Unfortunately, it is a complete postcode lottery.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48555199
This is why we are so passionate about ensuring that there is some justice for you. At Compass CHC we understand that whilst we can’t restore your loved one to their previous self, we can do everything possible to ensure the NHS provides the finance to cover their care costs. We appreciate this is a stressful time for you, but rest assured, with our dedication and specialisation of NHS CHC, you have the best possible chance of securing the funding deserved.
The BBC has highlighted that 160,000 applications are made for CHC each year, and despite falling under the remit for funding, many are denied. Accordingly, the Continuing Healthcare Alliance have called this a “national scandal.” There is now a real emphasis on political action. We look forward to the continued awareness of this issue and hope this national scandal comes to an abrupt conclusion.
Author: Louis Seymour LLB
