Hello Nan,
Thank you for your PM sorry I have only just seen it.
You asked me should you prepare something for the panel and my answer would be yes. That said I will explain exactly what happened here.
As I probably told you earlier I needed an assessment due to changes with my husband's financial situation and I thought as we are doing a financial assessment I might as well ask for a NHS assessment too, which I did.
I downloaded the forms plus the assessment tool on the internet and filled it in being as precise and exact as I could be with a lot of facts from my diary.
I called the SW and she interviewed me and made her own notes plus took the paperwork I had done with her.
She then organised every single person my husband had been in contact with to do an updated assessment on him.
Later the SW and the head nurse came back and assessed my husband together themselves and interviewed me again.
The SW then put her application and support tool in place having used all of mine more or less by the word. She added her own rapport and then send it to panel.
Now I was never told when panel was much to my surprise, *even though I was not told with my mother either, but her case was fast tracked and almost guaranteed before commencing).
The panel was this Tuesday just gone and my SW had apparently received a call from one of the panel members asking her if she was willing to come down and present the highly intense case for the panel. This is what they called it. The individual panel members have a chance to study the case before the meet and decide apparently.
The SW who as I mentioned it unique, totally dedicated and so switched on I cannot believe my luck, was pretty confident it would be accepted, but she apparently did a strong presentation, and it was agreed unanimously that my husband would never receive care like he has here in any other setting. If he did not it would be extremely detrimental to him and he would deteriorate extremely fast. She said it was one of the biggest compliments I could ever receive, and I am thrilled.
She told me that even though this of course has to do with finances as well as care, she never mentions finances in her presentations as to her it is the care that is 100% the issue and nothing else.
She has been today to go through the final paperwork, and to explain the above to me. The NHS will now take over and will be writing to me with copies of everything that has been written throughout and the last thing to do is to do a new care package which will include everything we need. Including sitting service and respite. I don't have respite and do not intend to unless I for health reasons need it. Hopefully therefore they will be more generous with the sitting service.
I have made it completely clear that I intend to keep my husband at home till the very end and that has been totally accepted by all parties.
The NHS funding gets reviewed after 3 months and then annually, but obviously in our case there will never be any improvements so therefore no changes for the NHS funding unless it is in our favour.
As for preparing something Nan, If you have not already prepared the application form and the support tool yourself, I would sincerely do so if at all possible. Be specific and even include all the smallest details. The new support tool does not allow you to double score on Severe, you can only have one severe after that it has to be either High, moderate or low.
You never know you may be asked to present the case yourself as it is being held in your house.
I have never heard this being done before and shall be very interested to hear how it goes. Will your husband be present? I hope not, our SW will not even discuss the case within earshot of my husband which I totally agree with.
I will add below the scoring I did and the panels scoring next to it, so you can see both, but of course each case is unique and only YOU know how things really are.
Behaviour: Me Moderate, Panel Moderate
Cognition: Me Severe, panel Severe
Psychological Needs: Me High, panel Moderate
Communication: Me High, panel Moderate
Mobility: Me Severe, panel High, but only because it cannot be double scored
Nutrition: Me High, panel High
Continence: Me High , panel Moderate
Skin: Me No needs, panel Moderate, (My score was with good management)
Breathing: Me Low, panel Low
Medication: Me Severe, panel Moderate
ASC: Me Moderate, panel Moderate
Additional comments : Me: My husband cannot ever be left alone as he is totally dependant for everything and would just be stranded without being able to do anything about it.
Panel: Agreed
Additional info: Me: Everything about his care plan, sitting services and outside support from support meetings which is essential for my well being.
Panel: Agreed
The panel consisted of Chair: Cluster Manager
Health: Professional Leas, NHS cont. Healthcare
Health: Professional Lead NHS cont. Healthcare
Health: Community Nurse Team Matron
A&CS: Practice Manager, different area to ours.
I don't know whether any of all this helps you at all, but if it does I shall be extremely pleased.
I do wish you luck with the application and hope the outcome is as good as ours.
Love and hugs x