Financial assistance - mixed messages

JaneyLou

Registered User
Jan 18, 2016
3
0
I'm very new to this site and thank goodness for this forum so hopefully I can get some help! My mother-in-law was diagnosed with vascular dementia last September and after having 4 weeks of carers going into her home, one night in respite where she refused to go to bed and hit out at the manager she was taken into an assessment unit in October where she has remained (apart from half a day where she went to a care home but was returned to hospital as again she became agitated and showed violent tendancies!) We have been advised she will need nursing care rather than residential care (even though she thinks there's nothing wrong with her) and having visited several homes one in particular thought she would tick some of the boxes for financial assistance for her nursing care. However the local authority say because she has assets over the threshold she will be responsible for the cost of all her care until she drops below it. Whilst we're happy to pay for her care it does seem unfair that she won't be able to get any assistance whatsoever - does anyone have any experience or advice???
 

Chemmy

Registered User
Nov 7, 2011
7,589
0
Yorkshire
Hello and welcome to Talking Point.

I suspect the care home was referring to NHS rather than LA financial assistance.

There are two types:

NHS continuing health care

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2392.aspx

NHS-funded nursing care.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/what-is-nhs-funded-nursing-care.aspx

The first requires a very rigorous assessment process and you will get plenty of guidance here if you decide to go down that route. However, be aware that many have had to fight tooth and nail to get it awarded. The bar is set very high.

The second is a flat rate payment for care by a registered nurse in a nursing home setting. The threshold set is much lower.

Have a read through and come back if there's anything you want to ask. :)
 
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JaneyLou

Registered User
Jan 18, 2016
3
0
Thanks so much. It really is a minefield and there is so little help out there so any guidance is very much appreciated.
 

chrissie121

Registered User
Nov 27, 2013
29
0
I'm very new to this site and thank goodness for this forum so hopefully I can get some help! My mother-in-law was diagnosed with vascular dementia last September and after having 4 weeks of carers going into her home, one night in respite where she refused to go to bed and hit out at the manager she was taken into an assessment unit in October where she has remained (apart from half a day where she went to a care home but was returned to hospital as again she became agitated and showed violent tendancies!) We have been advised she will need nursing care rather than residential care (even though she thinks there's nothing wrong with her) and having visited several homes one in particular thought she would tick some of the boxes for financial assistance for her nursing care. However the local authority say because she has assets over the threshold she will be responsible for the cost of all her care until she drops below it. Whilst we're happy to pay for her care it does seem unfair that she won't be able to get any assistance whatsoever - does anyone have any experience or advice???

if your mother in law requires NURSING care and not residential care, then you should not pay for this. Check out the link below
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/are-you-eligible-for-nhs-continuing-care-funding.

basically if she requires ongoing nursing care then the NHS has to fund this. It is not widely known as obviously not many people will qualify, the criteria is quite strict. If she does not quality for it, she will have to contribute to her care if she has assets or savings over £23,000 and pay in full. Once her assets fall below £23k she will then just contribute to her care. Once her assets drop below £14,250.00 she will not contribute. But don't forget her state pension and other personal pensions will be included in any financial assessment the LA undertake? have you completed a financial assessment?
 

Beate

Registered User
May 21, 2014
12,179
0
London
Please don't confuse nursing and CHC funding. CHC funding is very hard to get and the fact someone requires nursing care does not automatically qualify them for CHC funding. You need two Severes in the qualifying categories, for example cognition and behaviour. If someone isn't behaving in a very challenging aggressive way, you won't get a Severe for that.

Info to the two types has already been given in the links below.
 

JaneyLou

Registered User
Jan 18, 2016
3
0
Thank you again for your responses. We have been asked to do a financial assessment and my husband is in the process of getting all her financial information together. As I understand it having now spoken to the social worker the hospital are in the process of doing the nursing assessment. She has had several aggressive episodes towards staff and other patients which are totally out of her usual character. She's also lost the ability to put things in sequence properly, such as getting ready for bed or making a cup of tea. In her mind she can still bake cakes like she used to a while ago and also she said the other day her parents had been in to see her!! We'll get there in the end but what an emotional journey for all concerned :(
 

garnuft

Registered User
Sep 7, 2012
6,585
0
Just for information, a full CHC (Continuing Health Care) assessment must be done, a person can't be screened for funded nursing care, that need can only be identified following a FULL CHC assessment.

Otherwise, some unscrupulous 'bodies' would try to just shove everyone on to the cheapest care first.

NHS funded nursing care practice guide 2013 said:
CCGs are reminded that a decision about the need for NHS-funded nursing care should only be made after a decision that the individual is not eligible for NHS continuing healthcare. An assessment by a registered nurse is required to inform eligibility for NHS funded nursing care irrespective of the setting in which the individual is currently placed. However, see page 21 in relation to emergency, respite and short-stay placements.
 
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Delphinium

Registered User
Feb 2, 2016
1
0
Thank you again for your responses. We have been asked to do a financial assessment and my husband is in the process of getting all her financial information together. As I understand it having now spoken to the social worker the hospital are in the process of doing the nursing assessment. She has had several aggressive episodes towards staff and other patients which are totally out of her usual character. She's also lost the ability to put things in sequence properly, such as getting ready for bed or making a cup of tea. In her mind she can still bake cakes like she used to a while ago and also she said the other day her parents had been in to see her!! We'll get there in the end but what an emotional journey for all concerned :(

Hi, I'm new to this site and this is my first comment. I just read your post, what a difficult time you are having. This is probably stating the obvious (please excuse me if so) but I'm assuming nursing & other staff have ruled out infection as reason for the out of character episodes your mother in law is experiencing (also the inability to put things in sequence, mentioned)? if it's come on quickly it could be a Urine Infection (UTI)..but hopefully Nurse/Doctors would rule that out early on. Also it's also not unusual for someone with (especially recently diagnosed) dementia to feel frustrated and I wouldn't have thought going into a carehome for one day or night was adequate time to expect someone to settle. Going from one's home into any kind of institution (hospital or otherwise) for first time is likely to be scary and anyone could be agitated and frightened (even without dementia..). It sounds more like was not the right carehome or trained staff..I am making a huge judgement here I realise.
I wish you all luck with the financial assessment, it can be a minefield, I too am trying to navigate. Best regards