UK - NHS Continuing Healthcare

August 8, 2012

In the UK your LO can have a Continuing Healthcare assessment and if they are

bad enough to meet the criteria you can be awarded Continuing Health Care and a

healthcare plan is agreed and paid for by the NHS. My husband was

fortunate to meet the criteria and we have been having help at home for the last

few months which has been great. We do have a couple of serious issues - they

will not pay for a close family friend who is great with and stays with him

1 day a week, so I pay him privately (they will only pay a care agency to look

after )? My friend is also going to look after when I go away for a

week, which he has done before. I can trust him to look after very well and

knows him and is ok with him. A Problem arose this week When I was told I

cannot arrange to pay for anyone privately, all care has to be via the NHS. But

they will not pay for full time care at home, only respite care in a care home.

But they cannot guarantee a place in a care home as most homes do not have

specific respite care beds in our area. I cannot look for a bed myself they

have to do it and let me know beds available if there are any, many of the homes

I would not let go to anyway there are only 3 I would accept and 2 of them

they wont consider. This means I cannot book a holiday in advance. So I am in a

catch 22 situation which is very frustrating. I am still going away in 2 weeks

time and my friend is going to look after at home regardless of what they

say and I have written to the Continuing Care Team and my local MP (Member of

Parliament) to try and get this problem resolved...my MP has told me today he is

sending my letter to the Chief Executive of NHS Warwickshire asking him to give

it priority, which is very encouraging. I am asking for a healthcare budget so

I can arrange the appropriate care for . I Just wondered if anyone else in

UK has a similar problem?

Sent from my iPad

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