Are you eligible to some money?

HEALTHWATCH hears time and time again how confusing the NHS and social care services are to navigate. It is normally when you are at a time of crisis that you are plunged into a whole world that is previously unfamiliar to you.

One of the most confusing parts is figuring out costs.

Even if you have paid National Insurance contributions all your life, you might have to pay towards the cost of your long-term care.

If you have a disability or complex medical problem, you might qualify for free NHS continuing healthcare (CHC).

Not many people know about it, so it’s important to find out if you’re eligible and get an assessment. A recent survey has found that many people could be missing out on state funding as they have no idea it exists.

Almost nine in 10 people (87%) of 1,000 middle aged people surveyed, did not know about NHS continuing healthcare.

This covers the care of those with complex medical needs and is available to everyone irrespective of assets or wealth.

There are many people that will have unnecessarily spent the entirety of their savings and maybe even sold their house to cover the costs they are wrongly being asked to pay for.

I have started to see more families set up online, crowdfunding accounts like GoFundMe to raise cash for care.

Promotion

The NHS could be doing more to promote the availability of funding.

Information about NHS Continuing Healthcare funding, even when provided by the health and social care authorities, can be misleading and sometimes just plain wrong.

There’s no clear-cut list of health conditions or illnesses that qualify for funding. Most people with long-term care needs don’t qualify for NHS continuing healthcare or NHS continuing care because the assessment is quite strict.

Being frail, for example, isn’t enough.

Even people that are aware of it are often put off by the mammoth application forms that you have to fill out in order to secure the funding.

Applicants have to undergo regular assessments.

One man spent two years arguing why his 83year- old mother who has severe Alzheimer’s and needs round the clock attention, should have her care fees covered.

She was denied funding on three occasions after NHS assessments.

The man eventually turned to a solicitor who was able to get a refund for his mother for one year costing £100,000.

To find out more about this funding go to www.whentheygetolder.co.uk or the Money Advice Service for lots of tips, hints, budgeting and savings information.

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