Funded Nursing Care or Continuing Care

[AmericanPastoral]

Does anyone have any experience/tips wrt applying for this for a relative who lives in a residential home? Thank you.

A nurse assessor will attend and complete an assessment on your relative, and determine which level of funding they are eligible for.
The home can support you in starting this process.
What exactly did you want to know?

Contact AgeUK. They will give you the correct information and advice.
However, be aware that it is very, very difficult to get and may be only a tiny proportion of the fees.
My dad was blind, confined to a wheelchair, had a permanent indwelling catheter and congestive heart failure. He was assessed as not needing any nursing care at all. He suffered terribly from the complete lack of knowledge of the people caring for him.
Pressure sores, frequent blocked catheter, UTIs, poor symptom control and no idea when to seek medical advice.
£900 a week self funding.

CHC depends not just on having "nursing" needs, but those needs also being complex, unpredictable etc. Just being in a nursing home rather than a care home isn't anywhere near enough. If they feel the "nursing needs" can be carried out by a trained carer, then they don't count. If you do get it, then it'll pay for everything, just as if your relative were in hospital.

The process starts with a checklist to see whether it's "worth" assessing, and about 25% of those who go on to the full assessment actually get it.

The full 'assessment tool" is here
www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-continuing-healthcare-decision-support-tool

If CHC is refused, then you may be eligible for funded nursing care, which is paid direct to the nursing home, meaning your relative has to pay "only" for the social care, so £550-£1000 per week. If your relative is self funding, you can apply for Attendance Allowance which isn't means tested (you can't get AA if you get CHC, or if the LA is contributing to the care home fees).

See also particularly hatgirl's contributions on this thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/elderly_parents/3554552-CHC-Questions-to-ask