Free personal care in Scotland?

[Skye]

Just a note of warning for those members north of the border who are considering residential care for a loved one, and are self-funding:

Don't agree a contract directly with NH, always do it through the LA.

When I told our SW which home I wanted for John, he told me not to sign anything with the home, but to let the council sort it out (which I did). I thought it was just to avoid top-ups and huge price increases, but a new story has emerged this week which means that much more is at stake.

Argyll & Bute council have been refusing to pay the free personal care allowance, because the family made their own arrangement with the NH. A judicial review has upheld this decision, saying that the wording on FPC only applies to agreements made with the council.

This is going to open the doors for other councils to follow suit.

Thank goodness my SW was on the ball, I'd have assumed that as we were self-funding I would make my own agreement with the NH.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7048922.stm

 

[chip]

There is so so many catches in the care system. We should all have a book on it

 

[jenniferpa]

That's really awful Hazel. I'm wondering what sort of rebound effect that will have on social services in scotland: after all, most people who are self-fiunding do make their own arrangements and with this ruling that's going to mean that everyone will insist on social services making the arrangments, thereby increase their work-load a lot I would think.

 

[Skye]

It's also going to impact on care homes, as in that case they would no longer be able to charge more than the council maximum.

I'm actually paying £274 a week less than John's home's published EMI charge. On the one hand, it would be great to stop this two-tier charging, on the other hand, NHs are going to be squeezed.

I don't think this debate is closed.

 

[jenniferpa]

Good grief, yes, I hadn't thought of that. There's going to be a lot of fall out in all sorts of areas.

 

[chip]

being in Scotland as well. Well i just found out one nursing home just didnt turn up to assess my husband, dont no about another and we don't think the 3rd will be funded as very very expensive. This are the only 3 that were thought 50-50 to take my husband. I wasn't informed about this. I have heard nothing again. It now looks like a fight for continuing care.

 

[Mameeskye]

When Mum went into the Nursing Home directly from hospital 4 years ago she was assessed as needing Nursing Care (at the time she was close to doubly incontinent after surgery) - no continuing care provisions up here!!!

As she was self funding we had the right to choose her Nursing Home. Once that was arranged the agreement was that we paid the Nursing home the "Board" part of the fees and the Council paid them the Nursing allowance..thus in our instance there are two separate contracts for Mum's care.

Four months later, after the sterling work the nursing home did getting Mum on her feet SW wanted to move her to residential care with a personal allowance (which we resisted, as we knew given the likely course of the illness that she would only be placed outwith NH care for a matter of months, possibly shorter depending upon the effect of moving her.) The council did agree though as we wanted her to remain they would carry on funding the nursing allowance.

Unfortunately this means that we pay more than the council would do for Mum's care to the tune of £100 per week as curiously it now costs more than it did 4 years ago for Board & Lodging but not personal or nursing care!!!

Please may I just note for our friends south of the Border that Nursing Home care is not free north of the border as the media likes to suggest. Instead, depending upon your needs assessment, you may get either a personal or nursing care allowance (£145 or £210 per week respectively) assessed on the level of care required. There is also a financial assessment to determine the level of self -funding required for the rest of the fees. For someone with total fees of £650pw this means that £210 may be nursing care but the indiviual requires to pay £440!

No attendance allowance is available if Personal/Nursing care allowance is granted nor do the NHS continuing care provisions currently apply although I understand that this is currently being challenged. This may mean that those who are severely affected on discharge from hospital may be in a worse financial situation than those south of the Border.

Each council also has its own idea of what counts in financial assessment.

I would definitely try to do as Hazel suggests if your loved one is about to be placed in a home and ask the council to pay them and for them to take the contract with the Nursing home. At least you should pay council rates that way. OK it means that the NH will suffer but it will at least currently end the two tier system for the same level of care and the immorality of taxing those who have saved twice!

Mameeksye

 

[Skye]

I suspect they deliberately make it as complicated as possible so that it's difficult to challenge!

I heard part of a phone-in on the radio the other day. The owner of a private NH was complaining that councils hold them to ransom by agreeing among themselves the maximum they will pay. The NH has the option of accepting this, or refusing funded residents and having empty rooms.

Sounds a bit like the supermarkets putting the squeeze on farmers!

 

[chip]

Its even worse when they are under 65 no nursing homes will take them but the hospital consultant insists nursing home. I am not even getting to see any of the nursing homes that the Social Worker has arranged to assess him, but as it turns out they haven't assessed him anyway. If he were to go into a NH i dont no where i would find £450 a week never mind £650 a week. His occupation pension is around £280 or £480 short of it and if they done that leaves me with nothing. Even at half his occupation pension i will struggle to eat and heat the house. Caring has taken its toll as well over the next 3 weeks i've got to see consultants gp and a hospital appointment Although his advocacy says he should be in continuing care and is fighting for it.

 

[Skye]

I hope you get continuing care, chip. Let us know.