Thousands more elderly and vulnerable people are being forced to pay for own care thanks to applications backlog caused by coronavirus pandemic
- Experts warned thousands of people risk being denied NHS funding for care
- It comes as officials rush through the backlog of cases amid the pandemic
- The backlog could leave families facing care bills of up to £100,000 a year
Thousands of elderly and vulnerable people risk being denied NHS funding for their care after being caught in a huge lockdown backlog of applications, lawyers have warned.
Health chiefs suspended assessments to determine whether patients could have their care paid for by the NHS for nearly six months from the end of March, leaving around 25,000 in limbo.
Now experts are warning thousands of patients could be unfairly told they do not qualify for funding as under-pressure officials rush through the backlog of cases, leaving families facing care bills of up to £100,000 a year.
Thousands of elderly and vulnerable people could be unfairly told they do not qualify for funding as under-pressure officials rush through the backlog of cases. (Stock image)
In many cases, decisions are being made between assessors and care homes over the phone – with the assessor never meeting or even speaking to the patient or their family.
Lisa Morgan, of solicitors Hugh James, said: ‘I fear the pressure on clearing backlogs will lead to unfair decisions and increase appeals.’
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funding pays for care when people need it primarily for a medical problem like advanced dementia, Parkinson’s or a stroke rather than simply being frail through old age.
It is not means-tested and is separate from the adult social care funded by councils. Even before lockdown, reports showed health officials had made concerted attempts to cut spending on NHS CHC despite it being a legal right for thousands of patients.
The Mail revealed how more than 1,000 seriously ill patients are stripped of CHC funding each year.
New figures reveal the rate of people receiving CHC per 50,000 people in the population dropped to a record low of 48.8 at the end of the first lockdown in June – down from 56.3 in March and 68.8 five years ago.
In total, 46,973 people were receiving CHC funding at the end of June, a drop of around 13 per cent compared to 54,240 at the end of March.
Hannah Morris, of law firm Simpson Millar, said the NHS had already been struggling to clear cases dating from as far back as 2012 before the pandemic took hold.
She said: ‘The problem now is they are really going to struggle to scale up to deal with this backlog. It’s a real concern for families that they are not going to be given a fair hearing.’
Health chiefs suspended assessments to determine whether patients could have their care paid for by the NHS for nearly six months from the end of March. (Stock image)
During the first lockdown, patients discharged from hospital had their care paid for by emergency Covid-19 funding from Government, which is now being withdrawn. Since September 1, patients discharged from hospital are entitled to NHS funding for care for up to six weeks while needs are assessed.
If they are then not found to be eligible for NHS CHC, they will be means-tested and only receive help towards care bills if they have less than £23,250 in savings.
Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, said: ‘This backlog of claims is extremely worrying as CHC provides vital funding for some of the people with the greatest health and care needs of all.’
An NHS spokesman said CHC referrals were being dealt with and measures were in place to maintain ‘high quality assessments’.