Care Home Fees - Who Pays?

aardvaak

"are you confident of your ability to manage all this at home 24/7?"

This is something several people have said including my own GP.

aardvaak

To update everyone with this thread, on Monday 18th December my Mother had a 3rd stoke and died 21.45 21st December 2006. I do feel very relieved for her it's over as she whould not have wanted to be in that condition.
I myself feel relieved that after 9 weeks of fighting to keep her in hospital the main 1st hospital she was in wanted her out at 3 weeks.

[Deleted User]

I have been reading this thread with interest.

I'm sorry about your mum Aardvaak.

My mum suffers MS and is currently in hospital with a broken leg following a bad fall.

The hospital are trying to kick her out to go home with a package of care amounting to 4 visits per day from a carer but nothing at night - and it was at night when she fell trying to get to the loo.

She has been in hospital for 4 weeks following surgery on the leg but the hospital now want her to go home. Of course, she and the family want her to return home but not whilst still in plaster. The reason for this is that she is strictly not allowed to bear weight on the injured leg for another 4 weeks and will still be in plaster. Due to her existing poor mobility, poor balance and coordination from her MS she cannot manage crutches or zimmer frame and hop on one leg so at present she is effectively bed/chair bound.

The hospital social worker has serious concerns that she should not go home on the grounds of her being at extremely high risk of another fall which could be more serious than the last one, or even fatal, and is therefore not recommending it. The hospital social services have also stated they will not be supported her going to a temporary placement in a nursing home (despite applying, it was turned down) as she is still a medical patient and the hospital need to fund her care for the time being.

The hospital are refusing to give her a rehab placement as she has not been given the go ahead to start getting back on her feet yet so she is left with being stuck in hospital - with the hospital now adopting an extremely aggressive attitude towards the family and my mum.

I have already sent in a written complaint which they have yet to answer and the social worker is in full agreement with the family that at this time mum cannot go home yet.


How do we deal with this?

Techno

Hi icecool babe
If you live in Wales ring your Local Health Board, if in England your primary health care trust (PHCT) numbers should be in the book and demand to speak to the person who co-ordinates continuing health care. If your mum still requires health care there may be a local community hospital she could go to or they could fund a place in a nursing home on a temporary basis until she is fit to undergo rehab - don't take no for an answer!!
The problem for the general hospitals is that they only deal with acute issues and get nailed by the government (targets to achieve) if someone is 'blocking a bed' (officially known as delayed transfer of care) so they will be desperate to get your mum out

aardvaak

Deleted_User wrote: »

I have been reading this thread with interest.

I'm sorry about your mum Aardvaak.

My mum suffers MS and is currently in hospital with a broken leg following a bad fall.

The hospital are trying to kick her out to go home with a package of care amounting to 4 visits per day from a carer but nothing at night - and it was at night when she fell trying to get to the loo.

She has been in hospital for 4 weeks following surgery on the leg but the hospital now want her to go home. Of course, she and the family want her to return home but not whilst still in plaster. The reason for this is that she is strictly not allowed to bear weight on the injured leg for another 4 weeks and will still be in plaster. Due to her existing poor mobility, poor balance and coordination from her MS she cannot manage crutches or zimmer frame and hop on one leg so at present she is effectively bed/chair bound.

The hospital social worker has serious concerns that she should not go home on the grounds of her being at extremely high risk of another fall which could be more serious than the last one, or even fatal, and is therefore not recommending it. The hospital social services have also stated they will not be supported her going to a temporary placement in a nursing home (despite applying, it was turned down) as she is still a medical patient and the hospital need to fund her care for the time being.

The hospital are refusing to give her a rehab placement as she has not been given the go ahead to start getting back on her feet yet so she is left with being stuck in hospital - with the hospital now adopting an extremely aggressive attitude towards the family and my mum.

I have already sent in a written complaint which they have yet to answer and the social worker is in full agreement with the family that at this time mum cannot go home yet.


How do we deal with this?

Hi Deleted_User,

Thank you for replying to my post dated 14/11/2006

I am very sorry to hear about your Mum and and all the problems you are having.
At that time my Mother had been in hospital for about 4 weeks following her stroke, I was having the same problems as you trying to keep her there and like as you, I wanted her home but not before she was better and I had a suitable care package to care for her.
I hope this will help - I don't want to make you disponent but my Mother was in that Hospital for a total of 5 weeks and every day when I visited her I had a battle with staff to keep her there - every day I thought they were about to chuck her out to a nursing home or somewhere - my intensions were aways to have her home - until on what I thought was a moments notice when I went to visit her in the 5th week they had her packed up and ready to go to an hospital fortunately nearer to me - I had fortunately arrived early that day.

She went to the next Hospital and was very well cared for but it was still a battle to keep her there until she had been there about 4 weeks, - her stroke deteriorated and she died which although I loved and still love her very much and miss her it was a blessing from the point of view 1.She would not of wanted to be like that. 2.She would have not wanted to think I would have to battle like that and 3.Selfishly a relief to me.

Today five months later I have had a near breakdown, am still on very high doses of antidepresants am an unemployed and unemployable carer an still hav'nt sorted the estate out through stress.

In summary TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF fight like the was no tomorrow for your Mum and TAKE CARE.

[Deleted User]

Aardvaak your story is terrible. I can definitely understand the stress and worry you've had. When someone is ill it's bad enough to worry about that - but being ill is now just a licence for someone to make money out of the patients and relatives. I cannot beleive how much I have spent in petrol, parking - and yes - Patientline! Also the many other basics to get her through her stay.

But until this week I never really knew how callous 'fund holders' can be towards each other and more importantly towards patients and their families.

As a family we would be happy, (so would mum) for her to be able to go to a temporary placement in a nursing home. However this has been refused by social services who state (quite correctly) that mum is currently a MEDICAL case still undergoing treatment.

The NHS have provided the emergency treatment side of things, but ongoing care is still required until the plaster is removed and which is more than soc.services can provide at her home. (Mum's MS complicates things as she has other medical needs.)

Due the NHS not having any respite beds where she is, she remains on the surgical ward now taking up a bed.

The NHS are being bullying to say the least. Social services have now bowed out for the time being and my mum and the family now bear the brunt of the worst side of the NHS.

Large groups of doctors and other medical staff gathering round her bed - talking over her, talking about her, barely talking TO her - all making sure she hears that she should not be there. This always takes place when none of us are there. Some of the senior nurses can barely be civil to us and on more than one occasion my mum has almost had some else's medication. (It happened again last night!)

The hospital have yet to respond to my written complaint.

Techno

It is the local authorities responsibility to provide social care care but the NHS' responsibility to provide health care. There are constant battles going on between the 2 organisations as to what is considered health care and what social care - because of course the 'losing' organisation has to pick up the tab.
In fairness to the hospitals they want to treat people and then get them out into the community asap - as I mentioned above there are severe consequences if they don't. In many ways it is central government (no particular party here just all of them!!!) who are at fault - it is they who set all the rules and regs and 'punishments' if they are not met

margaretclare

aardvaak wrote: »

To update everyone with this thread, on Monday 18th December my Mother had a 3rd stroke and died 21.45 21st December 2006. I do feel very relieved for her it's over as she would not have wanted to be in that condition.
I myself feel relieved that after 9 weeks of fighting to keep her in hospital the main 1st hospital she was in wanted her out at 3 weeks.

I am so, so sorry. Please accept my sincere condolences. I've only just spotted your post - sorry.

I am disgusted with the NHS, the service which I used to work for. I am appalled that all staff members can think of now is how to get rid of their sickest patients - 'kick them out' as you put it.

What can I say? I'm very very sorry. At least you did your very best for your Mum.

Margaret

aardvaak

Deleted_User said "I cannot beleive how much I have spent in petrol, parking - and yes - Patientline! Also the many other basics to get her through her stay."

I had fogotton about all that you are right.

aardvaak

A couple of months after my Mother died I drove past the first Hospital that she had been in for 5 weeks and to my surprise a saw that the hole of the Elderly Patients section of this very large hospital had been closed down and also the second hospital my Mother had been in where she died was closed about 2 weeks after she died apparently to save money - I wonder if this might be the reason they were trying to get her out.