Devon PCT - Continuing Care

[Jackie]

This is worth reading for anyone in the South West, this is important to me as my mum is in Devon


Devon health trust to review care cuts

Monday, February 09, 2009

A HEALTH body accused of cutting funding to vulnerable people in an attempt to balance its books is to be investigated by the NHS.

Latest figures released by the Government show Devon Primary Care Trust has reduced the number of people eligible for continuing care — in the same financial year it admitted it was facing a year-end deficit because of the number of people qualifying for it.

The Echo revealed the situation of two women whose families had been told their loved ones were no longer eligible for care.
In response, the South West Strategic Health Authority (SHA) — which manages the local NHS on behalf of the secretary of state — said that an "urgent" review of the PCT's handling of continuing healthcare cases would start immediately.

Andrew Millward, director of corporate services at the South West SHA, said: "In the light of the issues raised we are now going to conduct a full review of the handling of continuing healthcare in Devon.

"There are clear national guidelines and policies in this area and we need to ensure that these are being delivered in the right way for those who need them."

The SHA confirmed no further funding decisions on continuing healthcare would be made by Devon PCT until the review was completed.

The news has come as a relief to Robert Prescott, who was featured in the Echo after he was told that his 98-year-old bedridden mother would no longer receive funding for her care.
His mother's case will be reviewed as a priority by the SHA. Devon Primary Care Trust has also agreed to pay for Mrs Prescott's care until the SHA has reviewed the case.
He said: "It's amazing what the Echo has done for my mum. I'm very pleased that you've been able to get the SHA to do a review of her case as an urgent priority."

Harold Cunningham, whose wife has be eligible for continuing healthcare for six years after a car accident left her with a severe brain injury, also expressed his delight.

His wife Maureen, 72, is 95 per cent paralysed, has no thought process and no short term memory, cannot speak, cannot swallow and is tube fed. Mr Cunningham, 69, from Tipton St John, said: "I think it's excellent news.

"It's only a good thing. It needs doing."

Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw, who is also a Government health minister, said: "I am very pleased that the Strategic Health Authority is conducting this review and that Devon PCT has agreed not to withdraw long-term care from people in the mean time."

Dr Kevin Snee, chief executive of Devon Primary Care Trust, said: "We will, of course, work closely with the SHA during their review.

"We appreciate that it is very important that local people have confidence in the assessment process for continuing healthcare in Devon and that they are reassured that the national criteria are being applied in this area consistently and fairly."

 

[jenniferpa]

The SHA confirmed no further funding decisions on continuing healthcare would be made by Devon PCT until the review was completed.

Perhaps I'm misreading this but that's a bit worrisome, no? Does that mean that everyone who is due for assessment is going to be held in some sort of limbo?

Good to know that they're being reviewed, but that bit is a bit iffy I think.

 

[TinaT]

Fantastic news but very sad that people have had to suffer in the first place. It's about time the postcode lottery was ended. There is so much injustice!!

I've been lucky, others not so. I wonder if my luck will hold out now that many PCT's and LA's are getting into financial difficulties. My own authority lost millions of pounds in the Icelandic Bank farce.

xxTinaT

 

[Jackie]

The SHA confirmed no further funding decisions on continuing healthcare would be made by Devon PCT until the review was completed.

Perhaps I'm misreading this but that's a bit worrisome, no? Does that mean that everyone who is due for assessment is going to be held in some sort of limbo?

Good to know that they're being reviewed, but that bit is a bit iffy I think.

Yes they are reviewing and reassessing everyone in Devon even people that are not due which includes my mum and this is more of the article, well the full article in fact.....

SCORES of vulnerable people could lose out on vital nursing care because of a cash crisis.

The Echo can exclusively reveal that Devon Primary Care Trust, which provides healthcare for the county, has already exceeded its budget — for the financial year until April — for continuing care.

That funds nursing home aid for the county's most dependent population.

We can also disclose that the PCT recently reduced the number of people eligible for continuing care by more than 60 during a three-month period.

The Echo has been contacted by two families whose lives have been thrown into turmoil by the removal of this funding.

Robert Prescott, 72, has power of attorney for his 98-year-old mother Muriel, who is bedridden and does not even recognise him.
Despite needing to be turned in bed every two hours to prevent sores, she has had the funding for the care she has been receiving for the last two years withdrawn.

At this point the financial burden of care passes to the family, who can apply to social services for monetary support depending on their finances.

Mr Prescott, from Exmouth, was sent a letter from the PCT saying his mother was no longer eligible for care, leaving him to somehow pay her £2,400 monthly bill himself.

He believes the move has been designed to cut costs for the PCT, and so reduce its year-end deficit.

The retired bank manager said: "The overall scores from the latest assessment came out worse than last year, and yet I have received a letter to say my mother does not meet the criteria for funding and that it will stop this month.

"I have spoken to various people in Devon PCT as I feel there is no justification for this, but have more or less come up against a brick wall.

"My mother is disabled, has to be turned over in bed every two hours to prevent bed sores, cannot feed herself, is incontinent, does not know her own children and cannot carry on a sensible conversation, cannot move without the help of others and is totally bedridden.

"There must be many elderly people in my mum's position who have nobody to help them. I feel this is a scandal.

"I think what's happening is that they've been told to try and get some of these people out of NHS funding."

The Echo has previously reported on the PCT's financial problems. Now it can exclusively reveal that by the end of December it had spent £25.7m on continuing care, when it had only budgeted for £24.4m for the whole year.

The Echo has calculated that if care costs continue without reduction, by year end the PCT will have overspent on this budget alone by nearly £10m.

Mr Prescott has appealed the decision about his mother and believes the bill has to be picked up by the PCT until verdict is reached. But he has been unable to get confirmation about this and does not know where he stands.

Unless the PCT changes its mind, funding for Mrs Prescott, who is cared for at the Halsdown Nursing Home in Exmouth, will end today and nobody yet knows who will have to pay the bill.
Mrs Prescott's family are not the only ones to suffer.

In December, Harold Cunningham, from Tipton St John, near Sidmouth, was asked by the PCT if it could reassess his wife Maureen, even though her assessment was not due until April 2009.
Mrs Cunningham, 72, was in a horrific car accident in 2001 that left her 95 per cent paralysed. She has been on continuing care at Holmesley Nursing Home in Sidmouth for six years, cannot speak, cannot swallow, and is fed through a tube.

Her husband said: "She has no thought process nor memory of anything short term.

"If she is sick or sullies herself there is no reaction at all. If her glasses move or fall off she does nothing.

"She could be in the middle of a raging fire and she would do nothing. She is entirely dependent on the nursing home staff for every single need."

Mr Cunningham agreed for his wife to be reassessed on the understanding that results would be post-dated to April, when her reassessment was due.

He was shocked when he received a letter in January from the PCT saying Mrs Cunningham's health needs were not of "sufficient complexity or intensity or unpredictability" for continuing care.
Mr Cunningham said: "She's been on continuing care for six years and is deteriorating, so why does she suddenly not qualify? "When I got that letter last week I felt helpless and bewildered. I didn't know what to do."

Mr Cunningham protested over the timing of the assessment and the PCT has written and apologised, saying his funding will remain in place until April, when his wife will again be assessed.

He said: "Now I'm at a loss as to what will happen when the review in April occurs."

The PCT board yesterday met to discuss its financial crisis. Board papers related to its financial situation blame the current problems partly on continuing NHS healthcare. It says: "The cause of the financial pressure is due to an unexpected rise in the costs of patient care, and is largely due to two reasons: a rise in activity in secondary care, including a 15 per cent increase in the number of patients being referred for treatment at the acute hospitals; and following a change in national guidance, an increase in the continuing NHS healthcare for people with ongoing needs."

Yvonne Le Brun, continuing care team manager for Devon PCT, said it would discuss "any ongoing issues as they arise" with Mr Prescott.

She added that in the case of Mr and Mrs Cunningham, the PCT had apologised for causing distress.

She said: "We have now contacted Mr Cunningham to confirm funding will continue until April 2009 and we will contact him again shortly to notify him of the outcome of his wife's latest assessment. If a patient is found to no longer meet the criteria for continuing healthcare, then financial assistance towards care costs may be available from adult and community services.
"Patients being looked after in a care home may also qualify for financial help towards nursing costs."

Phil Hope, the Government's care services minister, last month released figures proving a "postcode lottery" for continuing care, showing the criteria was open to interpretation.
The Government also released figures showed that while 989 Devonians were considered eligible for continuing care in the first quarter of 2008-09, the PCT had reduced this to 924 people in the second quarter.

 

[Marianne]

It is unlawful what they are doing, they cannot withdraw funding until that person has been given the right to appeal and has exhausted the appeals process, as written in the National Framework.

How can a person qualify for CHC then years later have it withdrawn, unless a miraculous cure had been found they can't. Is this a sign of what is to come as predicted by Dr Allyson Pollock in her book NHS plc.