A deathly silence has descended upon us! Call me sceptical but I couldn’t help noticing that it started around the 30th September 2012. Claims companies that were once assisting the good people of this fair land to ‘claim back’ (almost as if they were referring to a benefit that had not been claimed by the masses) care home fees that they had incurred for themselves or a family member fell silent.
So why has it all gone quiet?
Until recently, individuals and family members have been able to make retrospective claims (backdate their claim) if it was identified that they or a family member were paying for all or some of their care when in fact they should have been receiving full funding to pay for it. There then was a decision to place a deadline on retrospective claims which is why there has recently been an influx of ‘helpful’ organisations desperate to assist you. In return for their kind assistance they would take a percentage of your successful claim. However, one of the deadlines for making retrospective claims that could date back several years has now passed and there remains a less modest time-frame within which claims can be back-dated.
For cases during the period 1st April 2011 – 31st March 2012 the deadline for individuals or their families and representatives to notify the relevant Primary Care Trust will be 31st March 2013.
The truth of the matter is, not everyone who has paid care home fees is entitled to claim a refund. They were of course referring to Continuing Healthcare funding which is the NHS funding stream that enables some people to have their care home fees refunded or not pay them in the first place if that person meets the eligibility criteria for Continuing Healthcare funding. Throughout this article I am using the example of a care home but the same information applies to all care such as nursing homes, live-in carers and care agencies visiting someone in their own home.
Why do some have to pay for care home fees and others not?
Care homes charge a weekly fee to cover the cost of such expenses as accommodation and care. This can range from a few hundred pounds to several thousands of pounds depending upon the care provider and the necessary skills required by the home and carers. Anyone who is in need of such care is entitled to a community care assessment from the local adult social service department. If, following this assessment the individual is eligible for help from social services they will then receive a financial assessment. This has been common practice for a number of years and beyond the scope of this article to discuss in any depth. If an individual has assets (such as savings or a property not being lived in) just over £23000 then they will be required to pay 100% of their care (in this case the care home fees). If they have less than this amount, they pay variable contributions towards the care home fees and the local authority pay the remainder. Local authorities usually have funding thresholds which are a maximum they will pay for a care home so won’t automatically pay thousands of pounds each week if the same care is available within their funding limits.
Can I avoid paying care home fees?
This is where Continuing Healthcare funding comes into the equation: Continuing Healthcare or CHC as it is usually referred to is the NHS funding stream used to pay for care fees is someone’s needs are predominantly health related. Because it is the NHS, unlike social service funding (see section above) CHC funding isn’t means tested and you don’t pay a contribution towards your care home fees. In practical terms, receiving CHC funding rather than social services funding could be the difference between having to sell your home to pay for care home fees and keeping it! It is worth reiterating though that not everyone in a care home is entitled for CHC funding.
How do I see if I’m eligible for CHC funding?
The CHC assessment process is detailed within 2 documents; they are national documents so it shouldn’t matter where in the country you live. I say that with slight apprehension because in reality any assessment that involves human intervention is not always 100% objective all of the time. If you would like more information, the documents are:
Eligibility for CHC funding starts with the completion of a checklist. This will be considered when an individual is discharged from hospital for instance or can be requested at any time. Professional including G.P.’s, social workers, district nurses & occupational therapists might also complete a checklist. Individuals or family members can also ask for a checklist to be completed. The threshold for the checklist is set lower than the eligibility threshold to ensure that everyone who may be eligible for CHC funding is considered.
If the checklist has a positive outcome (high enough scores) the full consideration for CHC funding is undertaken in the form of a decision support tool (DST). A DST isn’t an assessment itself but a tool to help professionals collect all the relevant information such as assessments in order to reach a conclusion as to whether someone is eligible for CHC funding.
How is a decision about CHC funding made?
If someone has a rapidly deteriorating health condition, a G.P. or health professional can ‘fast-track’ a CHC application and avoid an unnecessary assessment; the funding should be agreed by the local Primary Care Trust without question and immediately. Your local Primary Care Trust or PCT is the agency responsible for administering NHS services such as CHC funding at a local level.
If a DST has been completed, the professionals involved will look at the tool and make a decision based on the following characteristics:
Nature – This describes the particular characteristics of an individual’s needs (which can include physical, mental health or psychological needs) and the type of those needs. It also describes the quality of care required to meet those needs.
Intensity – This relates both to the quality and severity of the need and the support required to meet them, including the need for ongoing care.
Complexity – This is concerned with how the needs present and interact to increase the skills required of the carers.
Unpredictability – This describes the degree to which needs fluctuate and thereby create challenges in managing them.
As you can see, the process isn’t an exact science and can’t be determined by a series of tick boxes. The determining factor is whether the care required is predominantly health related than social care. A local authority is not permitted to provide or pay for health care which is why health funding such as CHC exists.
Unsafe Spaces 