We've just received a letter from Mum's Nursing Home saying that no nursing contributions have been received from the NHS since March. We've had to pay out over £1000 more than we should have done (nothing since February 19th) but people who are settled pay by standing order, so the owner of the NH is out of pocket by £1000' s. There were plans to create a Sensory Garden for the residents, but I guess that might take a low priority over other more immediate needs, if the money owed is not paid in the near future. Is this a general problem?
NHS- lack of help
- Thread starter Kayla
- Start date
Kayla said:
How about -
Sending copies of that letter to your MP, the local Primary Care Trust, Town Mayor, Local Newspaper, Daily Mail,
anyone else you can think of.
Hi Kayla,
I saw this story on the BBC News web site yesterday about the knock-on effects of the NHS budget crisis on programmes they fund jointly with social services:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/5051482.stm
This relates to a Radio 4 investigative programme called "File on Four" which I think will be re-broadcast on Sunday at 5pm.
Take care,
Sandy
I saw this story on the BBC News web site yesterday about the knock-on effects of the NHS budget crisis on programmes they fund jointly with social services:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/5051482.stm
This relates to a Radio 4 investigative programme called "File on Four" which I think will be re-broadcast on Sunday at 5pm.
Take care,
Sandy
My mum has been in a nursing home since January, having previously been in a care home. She has been assessed as being on the middle band for nursing care. She is on deferred funding so we receive periodic statements from the local authority to show how much is owed. These bills have not as yet shown the nursing contribution.
On a related matter, her nursing assessment was due for its 3 month review recently and we had been told by the PCT that we would be informed. I was telephoned by the nursing home on the morning it was due to take place. I was at work and couldn't attend so my sister went. The person doing the assessment popped her head around the door and spoke to my sister very briefly. When we got our copy of the assessment it said that my sister had been present throughout! It also said that my mum's epilepsy caused no problems, despite the fact that she had a major fit recently. It also said that her communication skills were good, which is rubbish unfortunately. I think they have a vested interest in keeping her on the middle band because if she was moved to the higher band it would be easier to make a case for fully funded continuing care.
I don't understand why you have had to pay out over £1000 more than you should have done. If the home isn't getting its nursing contributions then surely they should be taking that up with the PCT?
On a related matter, her nursing assessment was due for its 3 month review recently and we had been told by the PCT that we would be informed. I was telephoned by the nursing home on the morning it was due to take place. I was at work and couldn't attend so my sister went. The person doing the assessment popped her head around the door and spoke to my sister very briefly. When we got our copy of the assessment it said that my sister had been present throughout! It also said that my mum's epilepsy caused no problems, despite the fact that she had a major fit recently. It also said that her communication skills were good, which is rubbish unfortunately. I think they have a vested interest in keeping her on the middle band because if she was moved to the higher band it would be easier to make a case for fully funded continuing care.
I don't understand why you have had to pay out over £1000 more than you should have done. If the home isn't getting its nursing contributions then surely they should be taking that up with the PCT?
Nursing Care Contribution
Dear Noelphobic,
My mother is self funding and went into a care home last year. After falling and needing a hip replacement, she had to go into a EMI nursing home because she was too disabled for the staff to cope with.(They did try really hard!) She is unable to walk, is incontinent and has become very confused and depressed. She has now settled after six months and is in the general nursing section, rather than EMI because she can hold a lucid conversation and communicate. She is also quiet and co-operative with staff.
We've been settling the bill month by month, already some nursing contribution has been refunded, but the owner of the home wrote and said that NO nursing contribution for any of the residents had been received from the NHS since March. Well established patients just pay by standing order each month and the nursing contribution of £83 a week is deducted. This means that the NH must be out of pocket by a lot of money as those in long term care will not have paid him that money themselves. It is an independent NH and does not have the financial buffers that a chain like BUPA might have. There are 50 beds so the shortfall must be enormous.
Medium nursing care is the average type- medication monitoring, close observations and watching out for bed sores, feeding etc.
High -would be people who are bed-ridden and unable to anything much for themselves.
We are in between lettings for Mum's house at the moment, so every pound is very important to her income.
Kayla
Dear Noelphobic,
My mother is self funding and went into a care home last year. After falling and needing a hip replacement, she had to go into a EMI nursing home because she was too disabled for the staff to cope with.(They did try really hard!) She is unable to walk, is incontinent and has become very confused and depressed. She has now settled after six months and is in the general nursing section, rather than EMI because she can hold a lucid conversation and communicate. She is also quiet and co-operative with staff.
We've been settling the bill month by month, already some nursing contribution has been refunded, but the owner of the home wrote and said that NO nursing contribution for any of the residents had been received from the NHS since March. Well established patients just pay by standing order each month and the nursing contribution of £83 a week is deducted. This means that the NH must be out of pocket by a lot of money as those in long term care will not have paid him that money themselves. It is an independent NH and does not have the financial buffers that a chain like BUPA might have. There are 50 beds so the shortfall must be enormous.
Medium nursing care is the average type- medication monitoring, close observations and watching out for bed sores, feeding etc.
High -would be people who are bed-ridden and unable to anything much for themselves.
We are in between lettings for Mum's house at the moment, so every pound is very important to her income.
Kayla
So are you saying that you have actually paid the nursing contribution to the home? I have never heard of this happening before. Are the PCT supposed to refund the money to yourselves when this is sorted out? It is bad enough to have to pay for someone to be in a nursing home at all, this just adds insult to injury and I would be irate!
I understand the supposed difference between the bands but I think that anyone who needs to be in a nursing home should be fully funded.
I understand the supposed difference between the bands but I think that anyone who needs to be in a nursing home should be fully funded.
nhs
Hi all i am going to cause some controversy but what the hell. The issue with nhs nursing bands and continuing care, the way local authorities fund places how they contract differ from one region to the next. There is no national framework i should know i work in frontline social work with elderly clients. In my particular patch any client with high nursing needs is assessed for continuing care automatically. Unfortunatley i cannot say what my neighbouring authority or Nhs pct does without checking with them. Time and time again successive governments have hidden there heads in there hands and hope the question of how to properly fund long-term care quietly goes away. I don't know if the latest report will get any action but people have a vote and they should use it wisely. Maybe we should start our own political party ? Shauny 1 very tired and fed up professional.
Hi all i am going to cause some controversy but what the hell. The issue with nhs nursing bands and continuing care, the way local authorities fund places how they contract differ from one region to the next. There is no national framework i should know i work in frontline social work with elderly clients. In my particular patch any client with high nursing needs is assessed for continuing care automatically. Unfortunatley i cannot say what my neighbouring authority or Nhs pct does without checking with them. Time and time again successive governments have hidden there heads in there hands and hope the question of how to properly fund long-term care quietly goes away. I don't know if the latest report will get any action but people have a vote and they should use it wisely. Maybe we should start our own political party ? Shauny 1 very tired and fed up professional.
Nursing care contribution
Although my mother is self-funding, she is still entitled to the full attendance allowance and the medium band nursing care allowance. The attendance allowance is paid regularly, straight into her bank account and we can use it towards her nursing home fees. The nursing allowance is paid directly to the nursing home and they have received no money for ANY of their residents since March. They have received nothing for Mum since February 19th.
We have been paying monthly invoices by cheque, and any overpayments have been deducted from the next month's bill. After six months, we have changed to a standing order, but the nursing home can't refund the £1000 owed from the PCT, because they haven't received the money themselves. It seems a really weird way of running things. Why can't the money be paid straight into Mum's bank account?
The AA system works well.
Also, in our area there are a lot of Care Homes and Nursing Homes, far more than the local population could possibly require. Many elderly people come from the London area to homes in Kent where there are plenty of spaces. This must surely mean that Kent (and probably other places near big cities) have more than their fair share of people needing nursing allowances. The PCT must find it much harder to balance its budget than in other places. Payment from National Resources would surely be a much fairer system.
I feel that in a way my parents were penalized for saving and living within their means. I discovered that Mum couldn't even have gone into Sheltered Accommodation (if it had been appropriate), because she owned her own house. Social needs were not taken into account at all. I don't think Mum would have even have needed a nursing home, if the hospital had looked after her better. She was in a lovely Care Home before she broke her hip, but left the ward underweight and unable to walk, feed herself or even talk properly. The Care Home staff were really upset at her condition and were unable to cope with her needs. We had to move her within two weeks so she could receive specialist nursing care. They have done wonders with her, but I'm sure it could all have been prevented with more enlightened hospital care.
Although my mother is self-funding, she is still entitled to the full attendance allowance and the medium band nursing care allowance. The attendance allowance is paid regularly, straight into her bank account and we can use it towards her nursing home fees. The nursing allowance is paid directly to the nursing home and they have received no money for ANY of their residents since March. They have received nothing for Mum since February 19th.
We have been paying monthly invoices by cheque, and any overpayments have been deducted from the next month's bill. After six months, we have changed to a standing order, but the nursing home can't refund the £1000 owed from the PCT, because they haven't received the money themselves. It seems a really weird way of running things. Why can't the money be paid straight into Mum's bank account?
The AA system works well.
Also, in our area there are a lot of Care Homes and Nursing Homes, far more than the local population could possibly require. Many elderly people come from the London area to homes in Kent where there are plenty of spaces. This must surely mean that Kent (and probably other places near big cities) have more than their fair share of people needing nursing allowances. The PCT must find it much harder to balance its budget than in other places. Payment from National Resources would surely be a much fairer system.
I feel that in a way my parents were penalized for saving and living within their means. I discovered that Mum couldn't even have gone into Sheltered Accommodation (if it had been appropriate), because she owned her own house. Social needs were not taken into account at all. I don't think Mum would have even have needed a nursing home, if the hospital had looked after her better. She was in a lovely Care Home before she broke her hip, but left the ward underweight and unable to walk, feed herself or even talk properly. The Care Home staff were really upset at her condition and were unable to cope with her needs. We had to move her within two weeks so she could receive specialist nursing care. They have done wonders with her, but I'm sure it could all have been prevented with more enlightened hospital care.
