NHS Continuing Care

Peonyflower

Registered User
Aug 9, 2013
4
0
My 89 year old Mother is self funding (due to run out in a year) in a CH and has advanced Alzheimer's. She has Diabetes, is now doubly incontinent and has lost the use of the legs (despite help from a physiotherapist) and is now permanently bed bound or in a wheel chair. The home manager is worried that they will not be able to look after her any more as they do not have a hoist, and constantly having to move her for pads, prevent bed sores etc is very difficult for the staff.
I am trying to find out if she would be eligible for Continuing NHS Care before she is moved to a NH, but so far, after endless 'phone calls I feel I am being bounced from pillar to post. Her GP insists that the review process is initiated by Adult Social Care, who say it is the Cont. Care team, but on contacting them they say it is her GP who does first fills in the form.
Before I go back to him again, does anyone else have experience of this and hopefully can offer advice on the mystifying process of applying? :confused:
 

LYN T

Registered User
Aug 30, 2012
6,958
0
Brixham Devon
A Senior at the CH can start the process-but I phoned the CHC Team myself.

No hoist in a CH:eek: I've never come across that before-so I'm surprised. I expect others will be along soon to give some advice/comments

Take care

Lyn T
 

count2ten

Registered User
Dec 13, 2013
186
0
A Senior at the CH can start the process-but I phoned the CHC Team myself.

No hoist in a CH:eek: I've never come across that before-so I'm surprised. I expect others will be along soon to give some advice/comments

Take care

Lyn T


You can contact the local Clinical commissioning group if no joy with your GP and request a CHC assessment. Any health or social care professional can complete the initial checklist - this will indicate if a full assessment is needed for CHC funding and if so a Decision Support Tool |(DST) will be completed which assesses all your mother's needs, e.g. personal care, cognition, medication, breathing, skin integrity, behaviour. You can find this DST form courtesy of google. You and/or any other interested party should be included all the way and your views taken into account. If agreed, funding will be arranged by the NHS and so should not delay in moving to suitable home. You (or a solicitor) can appeal against any decision. Funding can also be claimed back retrospectively. Best wishes to you both.
 
Last edited:

katek

Registered User
Jan 19, 2015
191
0
You can contact the local Clinical commissioning group if no joy with your GP and request a CHC assessment. Any health or social care professional can complete the initial checklist - this will indicate if a full assessment is needed for CHC funding and if so a Decision Support Tool |(DST) will be completed which assesses all your mother's needs, e.g. personal care, cognition, medication, breathing, skin integrity, behaviour. You can find this DST form courtesy of google. You and/or any other interested party should be included all the way and your views taken into account. If agreed, funding will be arranged by the NHS and so should not delay in moving to suitable home. You (or a solicitor) can appeal against any decision. Funding can also be claimed back retrospectively. Best wishes to you both.

Peonyflower,

I would agree with what count2ten has advised, and just add a few points. I would start looking for a suitable NH straight away as it seems that is what your mother does need now. She is self-funding so that will give you more choice and autonomy.

As a separate issue, I would also encourage you to apply for CHC, but do not get your hopes up too much as it is very hard to qualify. Read up all about it beforehand and familiarise yourself with all the domains and the various levels of need. With advanced AD, your mother should manage to score 'Severe' in Cognition, but may not be able to score a second 'Severe' in another domain. Most people with AD who qualify for CHC get their second 'Severe' in Behaviour, and it has to be pretty extreme for that. Evidence is essential, and be prepared to have to argue her case. Hard as CHC is to get, it is definitely worth applying as even if it is not granted, there is a strong possibility that your mother would at least get the Funded Nursing Care Allowance, (which can only be awarded in a Nursing Home - not a residential home or in one's own home).

You mention that your mother's money will run out in a year, but she would then be eligible for help from Social Services. When you look at prospective Nursing Homes, it might be worth raising the question of whether they accept LA funded patients. LAs do not pay as much as self-funders but most homes have to accept this fact to stay in business. Also, from next April onwards, self-funders will only have to pay out a total of around 72K before becoming eligible for help, so the reality is that there will be a lot more people being at least partially LA funded anyway.

Go for it, and good luck!
 
Last edited:

Peonyflower

Registered User
Aug 9, 2013
4
0
Thank you

You can contact the local Clinical commissioning group if no joy with your GP and request a CHC assessment. Any health or social care professional can complete the initial checklist - this will indicate if a full assessment is needed for CHC funding and if so a Decision Support Tool |(DST) will be completed which assesses all your mother's needs, e.g. personal care, cognition, medication, breathing, skin integrity, behaviour. You can find this DST form courtesy of google. You and/or any other interested party should be included all the way and your views taken into account. If agreed, funding will be arranged by the NHS and so should not delay in moving to suitable home. You (or a solicitor) can appeal against any decision. Funding can also be claimed back retrospectively. Best wishes to you both.

I can't thank you enough. One telephone call to the local Clinical Commissioning Group and they contacted the CH - who are now buying a hoist (yes, they should have had one anyway), so mum can stay. Plus they are speaking to her GP for a OT assessment and requesting a CHC assessment too! (I know it's a long shot but worth a try). I can't believe how difficult it was to find out who to go to initially, but thanks to you, all is now looking good.
 

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