NHS continuing healthcare - has anyone any experience of getting this?

[Perfumedsoap]

I'm sure that there must be lots of threads on this already, but I'm just wondering, has anyone applied for entitlement to 'NHS continuing healthcare', (with or without success!)?

So, dparent was discharged a week ago from hospital after a fracture. At the moment only able to walk with human assistance, and with a frame, and now needs help with taking meds. Various other conditions. Hoping that mobility will improve but that is the big question.
Currently dparent has a carer coming 4 times a day, provided by local authority's reablement team (social care), and a physio, provided by the NHS. I think the carers come to an end after 4/6 weeks, and after that dparent will need to finance own social care. But I am wondering whether they might be entitled to NHS continuing healthcare for some needs if still unable to move without assistance.
If anyone has any experience of applying for this, I would be most grateful to hear about how you went about it!

If you google continuing health care checklist it will bring up the criteria for assessment and should be able to give you an idea of whether your dparent might be eligible. I dont think the mobility you have described would necessarily meet though.

Thanks so much meow, I had searched but only came up with the xx page document at which point I defaulted to mn! The checklist is very helpful!

No problem

Hi you tend to need nursing needs and constant care/challenging behaviour needs to support. Your social worker can arrange a meeting where they discuss needs. It is a checklist with supporting evidence.

It doesn't sound like your situation would meet the criteria. If things change in the future a new assessment can take place.

Its a really frustrating system in my opinion x

I think, based on my recent experience, you'll need to contact adult social care and complete an assessment for help with care costs (it's means tested).

The document you need to complete is huge and you will need to send copies of virtually every bill and account your parent has, so set aside a day of you want to get it done in one hit.

A continuing healthcare plan is NHS funding for someone believed to be in the last 12 months of life, which I'm assuming is not the case for your parent?

Your community nursing team should be able to advise.

Thanks so much all, really helpful! Yes I too had thought continuing NHS healthcare was for people who are terminally ill, but in fact it seems from the checklist possibly to go wider - anyway I will have a closer look!

CHC is not just for those in the last year of life, though it would include a large proportion of people in that category.

It is for people who need 24 hour care, an element of nursing care (rather than needs being met by carers) amongst other criteria.

You do need to speak with the social worker. Anyone can be assessed for CHC and in my experience you need to push for this rather than it be offered, especially if someone is in the community rather than hospital.

That being said it does not sound as though you would fit the criteria. PP is right there is a lengthy means tested criteria for care support too. The 6 week package is usually to support rehab back home and help a person get back to doing more for themselves. An occupational therapist can also support this alongside the physio

No, NHS CHC is not just for terminally ill people, although they can be fast tracked for it. DD is a young adult, who gets it and she could live 40 years. You can also contact the CHC team at your CCG yourself - hopefully their details are on the CCG’s website.

Social workers can also refer DM - do not take any notice of the social worker’s advice about how DM won’t get it! Social workers told me DD wouldn’t get it; and she does! Remember their knowledge of the law probably comes from CCGs, who are motivated to protect their own budget as much as possible!

First of all, the NHS screening checklist will be done. If DM meets the criteria, they proceed to the Decision Support Tool.

I didn’t have had to submit any bills or accounts. Money didn’t come into the process at all - the questions were around the scores on the checklist and DST.

If they say DM doesn’t have the scores across the domains to qualify, look at the Pam Coughlan case. She didn’t meet the scores, but looking at her needs as a whole, the courts decided she qualified for CHC funding.

CHC funding seems to need unpredictable nursing care, not just nursing care. So just needing assistance in walking, for example, won't be enough - what they're looking for is nursing/medical decisions needing to be taken on a daily basis.

The assessment is in two parts 1) a checklist assessment which is easy to find on the internet - you have to pass this to go to a full assessment 2) the full assessment - try googling CHC "assessment tool" or CHC "decision support tool". You're looking to achieve several "Highs" even though they tell you it isn't a box-tick exercise.

Start collecting evidence now - document what your parent needs day to day, eg "Wednesday 17th Had to remind to take medication." If you tell them verbally, it isn't evidence, if you write it down with dates or frequencies, then it mysteriously becomes evidence.

It sound as if there's a good chance that they could get Attendance Allowance, so look into that,

And remember that if they're living in their own home, the value of the home is disregarded for financial assessment purposes.

I didn’t have had to submit any bills or accounts. Money didn’t come into the process at all

We didn't have to either for the CHCP, in fact the community nurse did the entire referral for us and we got a decision same day.

Initially though, we had an assessment from our local Adult Care services and they literally wanted 3 months proof of every account and bill that needed paying, it was ridiculous, but I guess that might differ between local authorities.

An assessment for care and support by a LA will include a financial assessment, because the care is means tested and people with assets above £23,250 (excluding their house) have to pay for their own domicilary care; and the house is included in the calculation for residential care.

There is no financial assessment for NHS CHC funding, because the NHS is free at the point of care.

I am sorry but I do not think this meets the criteria for NHS CHC . On behalf of my 92 year old father I applied for this while he was an in patient for months. I spent over 6 months involved in assessments. Hospital Multidisciplinary team said he did meet criteria for funding. Panel denied application. They said not enough evidence supplied.

Sorry perfumesoap but that description - as much for what you don't say, as what you do- tells me she is unlikely to hit above Cs in the 13 care domains in CHC checklist stage, let alone hit enough markers to get through to the second CHC full assessment DST stage.

Have a look at first screening stage

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-continuing-healthcare-checklist

Please don't waste your SW's or nurses limited time, especially right now. They'll have flagged her for a CHC checklist if any indication when in hospital. Fast track (end of life) CHC is different process.

People getting a re enablement temporary care package at home after a fracture, walking with 1 carer and a frame, even if goes into ongoing care visits, really are at low social care level not CHC, unless you've missed out some major relevant facts about her trailing pegfeed or oxygen tubes for example.

Mouse70 was that years ago or recently.? If recently you can Appeal and ask what evidence is missing - they can then collect targeted charts and evidence over an agreed period- to present at a future panel with original application . Eligible would get backdated if agreed at that future panel. .

It's worth considering an appeal challenge to a CHC Panel refusal of any MDT eligible recommendation for CHC.

It was 2 years ago. I was informed by ward staff, and CHC by phone, case would continue with more evidence being supplied. Plan made to discharge and assess when home.When no contact with CHC team about progress or lack of progress and nothing in writing at all from team I contacted them to be told application had been declined.He was never assessed at home. He was discharged home with care package he payed for. He died!!!!! I was fully aware of appeal process but was never contacted in writing by CHC. So I could not be bothered to try and appeal retrospectivly. Too late for him

Sorry to hear about your Father and the distressing time you had.
My Dm died at home, she didn't qualify for paid 24hr care, even though she was terminally ill and in bed. (We didn't apply for CHC)
She did qualify for a few care visits a day - paid for by the NHS.
The visits were enough to keep her as comfortable as possible, we were happy with the level of care/nursing she received.
24hr nursing/care would have been unnecessary and a waste of the NHS resources.