Countinuing Healthcare initial Assessment

[2Tired]

My mother is currently in hospital with a nervous condition that's made her immobile and coupled with dementia and very poor eyesight it has made the last 3 years difficult for her. Whilst she was in hospital stage 4 pancreatic cancer was found during an ultra-scan with the usual 3 month life expectancy assessment. Since finding the cancer she has been scored for continuing healthcare has she can no longer return to her house due to being immobile. She didn't reach the score on the continuing healthcare checklist and so didn't proceed to the full assessment part.

The two documents I am going to quote from can be found on a web search, the forum wont allow me to insert a link.

My question regarding this matter, is that with the "NHS Continuing Healthcare Checklist" document, point 20 states "that if a individual's needs are likely to increase in the next 3 months this should be reflected in the columns selected" and in the "National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care" document, point 38 states "Where it is considered that deterioration can reasonably be anticipated to occur before the next planned review, this should be documented and taken into account. This could result in immediate eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare (i.e. before the deterioration has actually occurred)."


I feel my mother has not been assessed and scored using the government guideline documents. When I challenged the person who did the assessment I was told that they had never heard of this protocol and they do it differently. At the time of assessment I was not present but I power of attorney over my mothers health.


How can this be so? Do CCGs follow different guidelines tailored to suit themselves? Or am I misreading the guidelines?

Your thoughts would be very welcome.

Thank You

 

[Louise7]

"Do CCGs follow different guidelines tailored to suit themselves?"

I don't know about CCG's but in my recent experience it was clear that the person completing the CHC process for my Mum (a member of the hospital discharge team) chose not to follow the National Framework guidelines, saying "that's not how we do things here".

Were you informed that the checklist was going to be completed, and were you given an opportunity to be present? If your Mother lacks capacity and you have POA you should have been informed.

 

[2Tired]

My brother and I weren't informed of the assessment and only found out 5 days later when wehad a meeting with a hospital social worker. The person who carried out the assessment knew we had POA but talked to the doctors and nurses, no background information was asked for.

 

[nitram]

Whilst she was in hospital stage 4 pancreatic cancer was found during an ultra-scan with the usual 3 month life expectancy assessment

Do you know about the >>>CHC FAST TRACK TOOL<<< ?

If you can get an 'appropriate clinician' , usually the GP, to sign:

The individual fulfils the following criterion:
He or she has a rapidly deteriorating condition and the condition may be entering a terminal
phase. For the purposes of Fast Track eligibility this constitutes a primary health need. No
other test is required.

CHC should be awarded with a review after 3 months.

@2Tired

 

[Havemercy]

Hi - you should be asking the medical team to consider a Fast Track application for CHC. This is a separate application to your mum's Clinical Commissioning Group where a patient "has a rapidly deteriorating condition likely to be entering a terminal phase". The medics have to complete a 'prognostic tool' with sufficient evidence to justify the application and the nurse who knows the nursing requirements completes the document. Where I work it is done electronically and we usually have an outcome from the CCG within a couple of days. The key word here is Fast Track. Good luck.

 

[2Tired]

Well my brother went to visit mum this afternoon and saw the person who did the assessment, I sorry I don't have the job title but a re-assessment was flatly refused. We are seeing a newly assigned palliative social worker tomorrow were we will voice are concerns and have a chat about fast track.

Thanks for the information so far, its tough trying to find your way around a system with so many closed doors that's loaded against you. I'll put an update on tomorrow.