Care home fees in Northern Ireland - can anyone please help?!

Windsorcastle

I am desperately trying to get some advice, having looked everywhere in the internet and getting nowhere! My mother has been in a care home since Sept 2008 with dementia/Alzheimers. As she was a home owner, she was financially assessed as having to pay her full fees and we have since had to sell her home to help fund this. Her condition at that time was not too serious, she was still communicating; self -caring, etc. However, her condition has deteriorated dramatically over the past 12 months or so, to the point that she is now completely immobile (in a wheelchair at all times); doubly incontinent; unable to communicate except in the most basic ways (an occasional yes or no); does not recognise anyone; is unco-operative, etc, etc. She has a very severe and deteriorating medical condition which leaves her in need of 24 hour care.

Having looked at the guidelines for NHS Continuing Healthcare, it is clear that she fits sufficient criteria to at least merit a full assessment; however, I have been told that there are no guidelines whatsoever in Northern Ireland as to who qualifies for fully-funded care. I am feeling increasingly frustrated, as the very modest proceeds from my mother's house sale are disappearing at the rate of £2000 a month, and we do not even know how to go about asking for the situation to be looked at.

Can anyone please advise what we should do? I am well aware of the rules in England but these are of no use to us in trying to appeal for help in NI.

It's very frustrating and stressful...

monday23

Does anyone know if there is any movement since your queries above. I am in the same postion as those above - parent in a nursing home paying all fees themselves (getting the nursing allowance ) and feel sure if they were in England they would be entitled to continuing care. All lines of enquiry have drawn a blank and the Belfast Law Centre seems no further on in bringing a test case. I keep thinking I must be missing something. Anyone got any answers?

pmlindyloo

monday23 wrote: »

Does anyone know if there is any movement since your queries above. I am in the same postion as those above - parent in a nursing home paying all fees themselves (getting the nursing allowance ) and feel sure if they were in England they would be entitled to continuing care. All lines of enquiry have drawn a blank and the Belfast Law Centre seems no further on in bringing a test case. I keep thinking I must be missing something. Anyone got any answers?

The only thing that I could find, other than the fact that there are no guidelines issued for Northern ireland, is this:

Northern Ireland


No guidance about continuing healthcare has been issued in Northern Ireland. This means that it is up to the local health and social care boards to decide on their own criteria for who qualifies for continuing care. If a person feels they may qualify for continuing care, they could contact their local health and social care board ask them to confirm their criteria and ask how to get an assessment.

I am sure you have explored this route.

You may find someone on the Over 50s forum may be able to help if you wish to repost there.

monday23

Thanks. I should add that I have already written to the local MP of my parent , who has forwarded my quetion to the health minister. He did reply more or less saying that there where no guidelines and it was up to the local health board but no help or advice on how to do this. When I contact the health board they don't know what I am talking about. Back to the health minister me thinks! I was just interested if anyone had actually managed to get further than this and what these local health board criteria might be. I am fully aware of the situation in England and feel very confident that they would qualify, even if they didn't at least they would have gone through a process.