Are you wrongly paying care home fees?
Judith Thompson 18-10-2016
When you or a loved one can no longer cope alone, you may need to consider a move into a care home or nursing home. This can be a daunting step, made even more difficult by the fees for the cost of care, which can be very high.
In some cases, the care home or nursing home resident might be entitled to expect the NHS to cover the cost of their care, but there have been many cases where residents and their families have simply not been aware that this is a possibility.
Are you eligible to claim back nursing home fees?
Where a resident in a care home or a nursing home has a medical condition or certain other requirements, it is possible that the cost of their care, primarily the fees paid to the care home or nursing home, should be funded by the NHS rather than being borne by the patient themselves or the patient's family.
This is because where the resident requires nursing care, rather than standard care, the care home or nursing home fees should be publicly funded.
Examples of the types of condition which might entitle you or your loved one might be able to claim back care home or nursing home fees from the NHS are as follows:
- Alzheimer's disease;
- cancer;
- arthritis;
- heart disease;
- epilepsy; or
- diabetes.
Many of these conditions are fairly common, particularly in elderly people who require assistance in residential care. There are also other types of condition where a patient requires nursing care, would also mean there is a possibility of claiming back the care home fees.
How does a claim for care home fees arise?
Claims against local authorities or the NHS, for the repayment of care home or nursing home fees, can arise for a number of reasons, but the most common are because a resident or patient has been assessed wrongly when entering the care home system, or has not been reassessed to take account of their deteriorating condition.
As care home fees and nursing home fees, and the cost of nursing care can be fairly high, it is not unusual for these claims to run into the tens of thousands of pounds.
If you think you or a loved one has paid care home fees, when the cost should have been borne by the NHS, can you claim this back?
How we can help
If you think you have the right to claim against a local authority for the return of care home fees or nursing home fees that you or a loved one has paid wrongly, then contact us today. There is a limited time in which these claims for care home fees can be brought, and so you should not delay.
We will have a discussion with you for free initially, to assess your case and to advise you about the best options going forward. We will always discuss flexible funding options with clients, to ensure that they can achieve access to justice wherever possible.
Contact us today for a free discussion about your case.
