What is CHC?

[CollegeGirl]

I've read about CHC or Continuing Health Care in other posts, and now Jeany has asked a question relating to it. I didn't want to hijack Jeany's post, so I wonder if someone could explain what it is please?

(Please answer Jeany first! This is not an urgent query on my part , I'm just curious.)

 

[jeany123]

Hi CG it is to pay for care such as Day Centre, Care Homes ,and respite and care in the home if you are deemed bad enough they are all paid for you ,we have to pay an amount towards all these after our financial assessment ,you have to get mainly As on the checklist of 11 things ,

found this link it will explain it better than I can
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=399

 

[CollegeGirl]

Aw thanks Jeany for taking time out for my question.

I must be a bit dim because I'm still confused. What's confusing me is that my mam currently has all her help (care package at home, plus two days day centre attendance) paid for, by SS I think - because she has less than the allowed amount of savings.

So I don't understand the difference between what my mam gets, and CHC.

Don't worry, though, I'll get there eventually. Time to do a bit more reading up, methinks!

 

[hopeful56]

Hi CG

I have to disagree with Jeany's response.

NHS Continuing Healthcare (often abbreviated to NHSCC or NHSCHC) is granted when a person's healthcare needs are of a high enough level to qualify. The care can be provided in a person's own home or in residential care. This is full time care, not respite care. It is fully paid for by the NHS - no top ups are allowed.

The assessment is rigorous and the bar is set at a high level, so only people with a high level of need qualify. The assessment looks at a number of areas (domains) including behaviour, cognition, nutrition, mobility and so on. This assessment is carried out by a multi-disciplinary team.

If you google it you will find lots of information and can check out the categories and scoring levels.

Happy to answer further questions if you post again.

JJ

 

[Saffie]

Yes, sometimes a confusion arises between Continuing Health Care and Continuing Care. They are not the same thing.

 

[hopeful56]

What is "continuing care", Saffie? Who pays for that?

 

[CollegeGirl]

Thank you for trying to clarify it for me ... I do find it very confusing to get my head around these things.

 

[jan.s]

Hi College Girl.

CHC is assessed based on Health Care needs. If it is deemed that the persons primary need is a health need, rather than social need, the NHS pick up the bill for care. As a previous poster has said, top ups are not permitted.

The assessment has set criteria that a persons needs are assessed against in 11 different domains - behaviour, cognition, nutrition, to name but 3. To achieve this funding, the assessors have to find several of the domains with a high need.

I hope my description doesn't add to your confusion!

Jan x

 

[Saffie]

CHC is an assessment based on Health Care needs. If it is deemed that the persons primary need is a health need, rather than social need, the NHS pick up the bill for care

Could I amend that, Jan, to say that they 'should' pick up the bill'! It seems they so often don't as in the case of my husband!

hopeful - I thought the NHS paid for CC when someone comes out of hospital for a certain time. That's what happened to my neighbour's mother - full time care and he referred to it as Continuing Care paid by the PCT. However, as I said, he may have got the terminology wrong. I thought he was talking about CHC at first and I was confused!

 

[jenniferpa]

I'm not sure that that care provided after a person comes out of hospital for a short period of time actually has an "official" name, or at least one that is used consistently across the country. So while it one place it might be called "continuing care", it will be called "intermediate care" elsewhere (I think the latter is what it is called by age UK).

Yes, here http://www.ageuk.org.uk/home-and-care/help-at-home/care-after-leaving-hospital/

 

[hopeful56]

That's right, Jennifer. The first few weeks/months of care after an inpatient stay, is called "intermediate care" or sometimes "reablement care". I have also heard it referred to as step down care.

CHC is not the assessment, it is the package of care. Saffie, if your husband has been deemed eligible to receive CHC then the PCT MUST pick up the tab for his care. Of course, there are lots of cases on here and other forums where people have not been found eligible, but you seem to be saying that your husband has but the PCT are not picking up the cost. Can you give us more info?

JJ

 

[FifiMo]

When you leave hospital you get intermediate care which is also referred to as reenablement services. These are provided free for a period of 6 weeks. It is not some kind of term dreamed up by age UK who's site is correct by mentioning both.

Continuing Care is funded by the LA and NHS if health services are needed but are secondary to a social need. The LA element is subject to the financial assessment the NHS element is funded by the PCT and can be delivered by various means eg district nurses, outpatient clinics and Funded Nursung Care to name but a few.

Fiona

 

[jenniferpa]

It is not some kind of term dreamed up by age UK who's site is correct by mentioning both.

Where did I say that Age UK had "dreamed" it up? I was simply pointing out the term they used in their literature.

 

[FifiMo]

Huh? Where did I quote you as saying they had dreamed it up. Indeed I didn't mention you at all. I was pointing out that the Age UK site was accurate.

 

[hopeful56]

Fiona, what you describe sounds like care provided by SS that is means-tested. District nurses do, of course, provide input for things like injections, dressing changes, certain drug adminstration and so on if a qualified nurse's input is necessary. This would be a joint package of care. I have never heard that referred to as "continuing care" and certainly, when you google "continuing care" you get sites about CHC.

http://www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/guide/practicalsupport/Pages/NHSContinuingCare.aspx

Do you have any references/sites we could look at to establish what this "continuing care" is and how it differs from 'ordinary' social care provided by LAs and paid for by people who have means or provided free for those who don't. NHS funded nursing care can only be provided in a care home setting, whereas NHSCHC can be provided in any setting.

JJ

 

[Saffie]

There's not really much point in doing so hopeful,as a number of people on TP, including Jennifer, have heard the saga of my husband's CHC battle and it is just old ground really. No, I wasn't saying that he had been deemed eligible for CHC funding. He has many primary health needs but I was told he had been refused CHC funding despite these. I have since appealed both retrospectively and currently and took advice from the AS appeals group who were very supportive and convinced he had slipped through the net.

I was merely commenting that a primary need being deemed as health rather than social doesn't guarantee that the CHC will pick up the bill! It depends very much on who is doing the deeming! If it was so, all these retrospective appeals wouldn't be happening!

i jus really wished I hadn' t posted now!

 

[jan.s]

I am sorry Saffie that your husband has been denied something that it sounds like he was and is entitled to.

I too wish I hadn't posted, as I hate being picked up on the way I have worded something. It makes me feel like I don't know what I'm talking about, when actually, I do. Like you, been there, read the book and watched the film too! I have now corrected my wording.

 

[jenniferpa]

Sorry Fiona, I see now it could be read both ways.

Saffie - you know my views about this: if your husband isn't entitled then no one should be.

 

[FifiMo]

Hopeful,

Hope the following helps...Continuing Care is an umbrella phrase in much the same way dementia is an umbrella description for a number of forms of the disease.

INTERMEDIATE CARE

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Staywellover50/Pages/Intermediatecare.aspx

CONTINUING CARE

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

CONTINUING HEALTH CARE


Continuing HEALTH care is, in reality, part of Continuing Care. Continuing Care could be made available to someone by the NHS only - for example, someone may not need meals on wheels and so on. OR: a joint package, with the LA element being means tested. OR: the full Continuing Healthcare package with the NHS being responsible for funding the whole lot.

 

[hopeful56]

That's great, thanks Fiona.