‘I reclaimed £226,559 in care fees. You can too’

If you are ill as opposed to simply old, the NHS should pay for long-term care. But claiming can be a struggle. By Laura Suter

People in care homes who have been wrongly denied NHS funding face a wait of six years or more to get their money refunded. Those who need full-time care because of illness, whether at home or in a nursing home, could be eligible for state funding under an NHS scheme. The funding can run to hundreds of thousands of pounds. But complex rules around who qualifies, and care homes that discourage residents from claiming, cause many families to miss out – or wait years to receive any money.

One reader, Stan Gibson, had to wait three years to reclaim the money his family paid for his father’s five years in care. He eventually received £226,559 from the NHS “continuing care” scheme, which is meant to pay when care is needed primarily for health conditions rather than simple old age.

Mr Gibson’s father, Wilfred, had lived independently on his farm in Hampshire until he suffered a stroke in 2008. The stroke left him with dysphasia, or problems speaking, meaning he largely communicated with gestures. He also had a longterm catheter fitted and was at risk of epileptic seizures.

He was “almost trapped in his own body”, Mr Gibson said. His father also showed signs of dementia, such as short-term memory loss and disorientation. All this meant he was no longer able to live alone, and after a four-month stay in hospital he was transferred to a nursing home. In 2011 he moved to another, where he stayed until he died in February 2013 aged 92.

“Looking after my father was like riding a carousel at a funfair,” said Mr Gibson. “It went around and around every day and you never got off at the same place every night. It was a carousel of some torture.”

His father had moved from Ireland to England when Mr Gibson, now 66, was young and had lived in a bus on a market garden, later building up different businesses throughout his life. In retirement he still owned the farm he lived on, and received rent from the various shops and a workshop that he still owned. This meant that he was over the asset limit for state funding to help with his care.

When someone goes into care the

Stan Gibson with a picture of his late father Wilfred, who was taken into care