Section 117 funding - Average amount? Likelihood of ever stopping?

[Smithe]

Hello, my name is Elliot and my father has Alzheimer's at his current age of 60.

Dad has been properly diagnosed with Alzheimer's for nearly two years and around 2 months ago was sectioned (section 2), this was then extended to a section 3 to help allow the NHS staff more time to assess and medicate dad correctly. A social worker was recently assigned and they have concluded that dad would be best placed in a care home due to his needs; he will be given section 117 funding for his care moving forward.

Q1: In peoples experience, how much is this funding? I haven't seen many figures being talked about, just that some people have to top the amount up for a better room or a preferred care home.

Q2: In peoples experience, how likely is the 117 funding to be stopped after reviews? The social worker mentioned this is when changes can be made to the funding - my thoughts are that, as Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease, it wont get better and therefore why would the funding stop?

Any experiences with this shared would be amazing,

thanks.

 

[Jessbow]

Q1, How much is really irrelevent. My guess is, he will be placed in a suitable he that is deemed to meet his needs- you probably wont get a lot of say

Q2- it may stop as his needs change.

 

[thistlejak]

@Smithe - MIL was on section 117 funding and Funded Nursing Care- as an indicator this was approx. £840 per week in year 2022/2023.

The Nursing home she was in was more than this but on section 117 top-ups were allowed to be made from her money - we would not have been able to top-up without this exception. If she didn't have any means to top-up there were Homes that would take just the NHS funding - in our case the one nearest to us that would take just the funding wouldn't take her - she would have gone to the nearest one that would take her and the funding- it could have been some distance away - as it was the one she was in, that she topped up, was 30 minutes by car at the other side of the city because they were the nearest that would take her.

With regards to it stopping - she had it for almost 4 years before she died. There was a review each year - the person who did the review contacted my husband after each review to check he was happy with her care - the first time this happened he asked about funding stopping and she said it was unlikely to stop with dementia cases so it just renewed. As you say dementia is a degenerative condition and even though she was much better than when she was sectioned at first she still required that level of care/supervision/support/medication as time when on.

 

[Gosling]

Hello Elliot @Smithe and firstly welcome to this supportive and friendly forum.

I am sorry to read about your Dad's diagnosis, and at such a young age too. That's tough on both him and you. I don't have any direct experience of Section 117 funding so unable to offer any info on that.
I just want to say that this a good place to seek information, or just let off a bit of steam when you need to. You will always find understanding here, and members that really do want to help.

 

[Jaded'n'faded]

As you say dementia is a degenerative condition and even though she was much better than when she was sectioned at first she still required that level of care/supervision/support/medication as time when on.

Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease, it wont get better and therefore why would the funding stop?

The fact that it gets reviewed suggests that it could be taken away. This is from the NHS site:

Aftercare may be withdrawn if social services or the relevant healthcare organisation believe you no longer need it. However, the organisations must reassess your needs before reaching that conclusion. They also must provide reasons for their decision.

It seems much the same as CHC, though that is for (mostly) medical needs and S117 is mental health needs. Your loved one isn't sectioned because they have Alzheimer's but because their mental health/behaviours were off the scale. But dementia progresses and sometimes people with very challenging behaviours become quieter, less agitated and subsequently need less care. In such circumstances it's not unknown (certainly with CHC) for funding to be withdrawn.

So although the Alzheimer's will certainly get worse, the need for constant 1-1 supervision, for example, may be reduced and that could affect funding.

 

[SAP]

My mum is on 117 funding, I have no idea what her fees are, they are paid for by the finding solely. If she needed to top up, she could but we haven’t needed that conversation yet. She is better than she was when she first left hospital but that is because she is on a specialist unit with provision for women only. She could never leave the unit and for example live on her own with carers so my assumption is that she will always have the funding as she will always need this level of care and medication. That said I would never take that for granted and ensure that her finances are in order in case she needs to start paying again.
Just to add there was no choice about her placement , this was the only home with a female unit that had the level of care she needs.

 

[Smithe]

Afternoon all, thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experiences. I suppose we will just have to wait and see where the social worker and team offer as CH for dad