Care home funding advice?

437222

Is this possibly a case where you could apply for CHC funding, or is that not feasible at this time?

elsien

From the limited information given, this gentleman probably wouldn’t even checklist let alone pass the full assessment. And at most would get the FNC top up which won’t help with the rest of the funding.
They can certainly ask, but probably best to do so with no expectations.

Op, is your dad claiming attendance allowance because he can do so while self funding?

gm0

As elsien says.

Attendance Allowance is one of the few nice surprises of entering residential care as a self funder.

Council tax is also usually suspended for someone with a home (that they may still return to) in residential care.


CHC is reserved for the most extreme of cases and deliberately low volume to the point of politically existing at the margin but only just. But not allowed to become a leaky valve where now the NHS pays for lots of social care - even in quite severe circumstances.

For OP it doesn't matter if the LA or the NHS pay for it once the money to self fund almost immediately runs out.

That is the authorities budget demarcation issue - not the families. The initial position being LA ASC pay (no CHC). So they can push the CHC NHS funding assessment process as far as is worthwhile.
Which may not be far at all in this case. So they likely will do a minimal CHC screening out. And stop. Which is actually the correct answer in very many cases. But again - family expectations about what it all is about can be way off. Nobody knows this stuff until they trip over it.

This is a real don't get your hopes up situation. The CHC needs based assessment process is a masterwork of civil service obfuscation. Sadly I have read the whole document. And I both despise it for what it does to the majority it rejects and yet can see how they got to there. It meets the problem they were given. Unlike many other medical assessment interventions around state funding - the valve doesn't seem to leak as much.

But waste a lot of medical and care professional time scoring criteria, assembling matrices of need and mysteriously getting to the hardly anyone gets it answer we already determined by setting the budget - oh yes.

This is why the obviously ineligible do need to be guided gently away from the full CHC process.
Nobody knows about this stuff until they trip over it. And it sounds brilliant. So hopes are raised and dashed.

On the other hand private care homes tend to be good at spotting where FNC aka nursing top up - is applicable for a patient/resident - around what they will need to do for that particular resident.
They can help get that aspect sorted. They receive the money.

For us I think it was and is paid direct not via patient/family. Just topped up what family are self funding to the care home.

Whereas I recall Attendance Allowance goes via the claimant (patient) bank account and so into the pot to pay care home fees with pension and savings until they run out.

MayDogsandCoffee

I haven't read all the replies but you mentioned serving his country - is he ex military? In which case maybe contact some of the forces charities for assistance, they maybe able to support you in navigating the system if nothing else, some care homes for ex-mil are out there too.

lstar337

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82133571#Comment_82133571

Yes he is, but we have been advised by AgeUK to apply for a higher rate because he only gets a low rate at the moment.

lstar337

He did national service in Africa, Italy, etc. after WW2. He tried to sign up for WW2 but was too young at the time.

lstar337

This is something we have only recently become aware of, and something we need to look into ASAP.

lstar337

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82133144#Comment_82133144

We are working on LPA right now, while he is still able to do it.

His savings are probably below 23K now, as the CH payments so far will have taken quite a bit.

We had no choice but to act, he was overdosing/underdosing meds, forgetting to eat, flooding the bungalow, leaving on cooker rings, going out on a mobility scooter and getting lost and picked up by the police, the list goes on. We felt putting him in the CH on respite was the only way to keep him safe while we sorted things out.

lincroft1710

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82139879#Comment_82139879

The majority of the British male population aged 18 to 30 did NS from 1949-1960 (obviously those who had been in WW2 were exempt). I may be wrong but I don't think military charities offer assistance to people if they just did NS. If he is now 94, he would only have been 13 when WW2 ended, are you sure he's not actually older than 94

KxMx

While he had funds for respite, it was okay to place him into a home.

Now adult social care are responsible for paying, you can't expect them to just carry on with your choice. Assessment processes need to be followed and this might include returning him home with up to 4 care visits a day and other things in place (fall alarms etc) to see how it goes.

He might want to stay where he is, but unfortunately if he cannot pay he isn't the one who gets to decide that.

I also suggest that if he does return home, you & your wife reduce the level of support you give and follow the broken record response of "adult social care say he is safe to stay at home" with other agencies like the police who inevitably become involved.