Don't miss out on NHS continuing care
30 March 2012
The Department of Health in England have issued new deadlines
about applying for NHS continuing care.
This affects anyone with Parkinson's
who should have been assessed for NHS continuing care, but an
assessment has never taken place.
The new deadlines limit the amount of time people can apply for
NHS continuing care if they feel they should have been assessed
between 1 April 2004 – 31 March 2012.
The deadlines do not apply to anyone who is already
receiving NHS continuing care, or has already applied for it, or is
going through a process of appeal. If this is you, or the person
you represent, you do not need to take any action. This is only for
people who feel they should have been assessed and have not
been.
New deadlines
The deadlines to notify the NHS that you wish to make a claim
via your
local Primary Care Trusts NHS continuing care team are:
- 30 September 2012 if you should have been
assessed between 1 April 2004 - 31 March 2011 (i.e. you have 6
months from now)
- 31 March 2013 if you should have been assessed
between 1 April 2011 - 31 March 2012 (i.e. you have 1 year
from now)
These rules only apply to people in England.
What is NHS continuing care?
NHS continuing care is a free package of care arranged and
funded by the NHS. It can be provided in residential homes,
hospital, hospices or in a person's own home.
The decision about whether or not someone receives the care is
not due to the condition a person has. It depends on whether your
need for care is primarily due to your need for healthcare. This is
often called a 'primary health need'.
There are
complex rules around what this means. Certain characteristics
of your needs, in combination or alone, may demonstrate a 'primary
health need' because of the quantity and/or quality of care
needed.
In England, the assessment is made by a team of health and
social care professionals, often based at the local Primary Care
Trust.
Sometimes people are assessed in hospital before they go home or
they may be assessed at home or in a residential care setting. The
person may already receive care arranged by social services but
they are re-assessed when their health needs have increase.
NHS continuing care is free, unlike social care which is means
tested.
How do I make a claim?
All Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England have been told about
the change and are being asked to publicise the deadlines.
You must contact your local PCTs NHS continuing care team to
make a claim.
People with Parkinson's have told us they find NHS continuing
care assessments and proving their 'primary health need' very
difficult.
While we can't tell you if you might be entitled for NHS
continuing care, we can give you advice on what the rules are and
where to find them. We can also direct you to other sources of
advice, including legal advice if you think you have a strong case
for making a claim before the deadlines.
Contact our helpline on 0808 800 0303 or email hello@parkinsons.org.uk
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