3 Reasons You Won’t Get NHS Continuing Healthcare
Mistakes that can stop you getting NHS Continuing Healthcare
Every year thousands of sick and elderly people lose the opportunity to have their care paid for. They and their families are spending vast amounts of money paying for care that should be provided free by the NHS. Why is this happening?
Let’s think about the process of how to get NHS Continuing Healthcare. First of all, you need to know what it is and who is eligible.
The NHS Continuing Healthcare System
If you don’t know how the care system works in England* you’re not alone. Many families are in the dark about how health and social care are provided and it’s not surprising. It’s a complicated arrangement involving a lot of rules that can be very difficult to follow. Those people who have the right information and support have a much better chance of getting their care paid for.
What do you need to know about NHS Continuing Healthcare?
The most important thing to know is that all of your care either in a nursing home or in your own home can be paid for by the NHS if you are eligible.
The second most important thing to know is that your care isn’t means tested. You don’t have to give any information about your savings or property when you apply to get NHS Continuing Healthcare.
NHS Continuing Healthcare is a package of care support so it covers more than just medical treatment or physical aids. It pays for your accommodation if you live in a care home. It pays for someone to look after you in your own home; help with getting out and about and even pays for support with working, studying or doing things you enjoy.
Who is eligible to get NHS Continuing Healthcare?
One of the major difficulties in obtaining NHS Continuing Healthcare is that the criteria for being eligible are not applied in the same way in every case. Each person is assessed on the following kinds of issues:
- Mobility problems
- Terminal illness
- Deteriorating health
- Long-term health conditions
- Physical or mental disabilities
- Behavioural or cognitive problems
- Complex mix of health conditions
But of course, everyone’s situation is different. If you have mobility problems they are likely to be different in type and severity from someone else who has mobility problems. That’s why it’s really important that you are assessed very carefully and the rules about who qualifies for NHS support are applied properly.
3 reasons people don’t get NHS Continuing Healthcare
The care system in England is geared to get as many people as possible paying for their own care. Many people who have health problems that would entitle them to NHS Continuing Healthcare don’t receive it.
These three basic mistakes can stop you from getting NHS Continuing Healthcare.
Reason No 1 – believing you always have to pay for your care
Many of the people who contact us for advice about care fees, tell us they didn’t apply for NHS Continuing Healthcare because it wasn’t mentioned. Our clients regularly report to us that all of the discussions about their future care were based on the assumption they would be paying for their care.
It’s very common for people to be asked about their own financial situation at a very early stage in discussions about their care. This cements the idea in their minds that they will have to be self-funding.
Reason No 2 – believing you won’t be eligible to get free care
Many of the people who contact us for advice about care fees, tell us they didn’t apply for it because they were told they wouldn’t get it. The people who turn to us for help in many cases have been deterred from applying for free NHS Continuing Healthcare because the individual telling them they weren’t eligible was a health or social care professional. Does that sound familiar?
Reason No3 – failing to apply for NHS Continuing Healthcare
Many of the clients I meet don’t get NHS Continuing Healthcare simply because they don’t apply for it.
The whole system is baffling especially to people who are already in poor health or vulnerable or who have limited experience of fighting for their rights. That’s why many people give up before they’ve even started.
So, it’s easy to see why many people won’t get NHS Continuing Healthcare when there’s such a mountain to climb.
Remember that it’s your right to apply for NHS Continuing Healthcare. It’s your right to be assessed. It’s not something you need to ask permission for.
We can help you get up that mountain. Here’s what we can do to help:
- Explain the information you need to help you apply;
- Show you how the eligibility criteria can be used to deny you free care
- Support you through reviews and the appeals system
Have you got questions about the care system?
Call us or use the contact form here
* The rules are different in Scotland and Northern Ireland and although the system in Wales is very similar to the system in England, there are some differences. The information in this article is only related to England and does not constitute legal advice.