The recent announcement by Wes Streeting, Health and Social Care Secretary of a new independent commission to reform social care has brought the UK’s ‘care crisis’ back into the news.
The commission will begin work in April, but not publish its final report until 2028. For many the timetable for delivering the plan for a ‘National Care Service’ is too long and the delays will be felt most strongly by those in need of social care who are faced with paying thousands of pounds for their care and often needing to sell their own home to fund care.
For those with complex health needs, the first thought should always be to investigate eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare funding. This package of care, fully funded by the NHS, includes social care combined with wider health care support. Unlike local authority provided social care it’s not means tested. Yet there remains a lack of awareness around continuing healthcare, both among potential recipients and health professionals.
Age UK’s recent report ‘Continuing to care? Older people let down by continuing healthcare’ confirms the downward trend in the number of people receiving continuing healthcare funding. The report quotes a 20% decline since 2017/18, approximately 12,000 cases (not including those on fast track funding). The decline in recipients receiving funding, despite an ageing population suggests that many people could be missing out on vital funding they could be entitled to.
Tim Davies, CEO at Compass CHC said,
“We’re passionate about helping families secure funding for the specialist care they’re both entitled to and desperately need. With further delays to social care reform the only option for individuals or their loved ones with complex health needs, is to pursue continuing healthcare funding. The Age UK report highlights the challenges and barriers individuals face when applying for continuing healthcare. We have ten years of experience helping families to navigate the complex continuing healthcare process and our experts can advise you on your options to give you the best chance of success.”
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