SYMPONIA BRIEFING NOTE - July 2006
Last night, BBC’s Panorama aired its second programme on the lack of NHS funding for continuing care for the elderly in Britain. The programme makers claim that 1,700 emails and 3,000 calls were received after the last programme shown in March 2006, generating “the biggest viewer response Panorama has ever had”.
As in March, last night’s programme depicted a number of harrowing real-life case studies in which severely ill people had been refused NHS funding for their nursing care needs, which subsequently meant that the only way families had of financing long term care bills was to sell the property of the elderly person going into care.
The programme suggested that the Government justifies this lack of funding by claiming that in the majority of cases, care for sick elderly people is about “social care” rather than a need for actual medical care, which should be covered by the NHS.
Symponia, the national affinity group for long term care fees planning responds to the programme. Joint-founder and managing director, Jeremy Davies says:
“We know and fully appreciate that this type of programme will always be highly emotive; this second programme again focused on the complex eligibility criteria surrounding NHS Continuing Care, but in addition it tried to highlight the differences between self-funders and those who rely on funding from the Local Authority.
“Sadly, the debate is not just financial; placing a much loved relative in a care home is one of the most stressful things a person can do. Lives are changed forever as we face the unpleasant and upsetting fact that the bodies of our loved ones (and ultimately are own) start to crumble and let us down both physically and mentally.
“Guilt also plays a huge part when families are facing into the need for residential care, and when costs (often substantial) are thrown into the mix, it is not surprising that the subject covered by Panorama in March provoked such a strong reaction”.
Symponia believes that the differences between social and medical care may be highlighted more easily if the words acute and chronic were used instead. The NHS is excellent at treating acute conditions i.e. where medical and/or surgical intervention can make a difference. Sadly, once a condition is stabilised (a word used a lot in last night’s programme) the criteria becomes more muddled.
The need for clarity here is paramount, and if the Government heeds nothing else from the programme they must, as a matter of priority, make the rules and eligibility for Continuing Care clearer.
An elderly person in a care home may well be very poorly and totally dependent on others, but if their condition isn’t going to get better with medical and/or surgical intervention, it can (and will) be classified as stable, which is the main contributing factor when Primary Care Trusts (PCT’s) award Continuing Care.
The programme also looked at the fact that those classed as self-funders pay more than those funded by the Local Authority. Jeremy Davies believes that the emphasis was wrong.
“Symponia works with many care homes, and we fully understand and appreciate exactly what needs to be taken into account when care fees are structured; we know from first-hand experience that it isn’t that self funders pay more (as mentioned in the programme), it is more a case that the Local Authority pay homes at a level way below that of the true cost, hence the perceived disparity.
“Local Authorities (via Government) must readdress this balance. It is no longer acceptable for them to pay care fees at such a derisory level, and it is this refusal to pay the true cost of care that creates the perceived “two tier system”.
The value of advice…
Symponia says that no two families’ approach to, or need for, care fees is the same, but what is clear from both the programme and real life, is that families placing a relative in a care home should not just take advice from the care home and/or the Local Authority. They will get a much more comprehensive and holistic viewpoint if they seek the services of an Independent Financial Adviser, but for this to be beneficial they must then ensure that the adviser is fully qualified and has specialist (rather than general) knowledge for this complicated area.
Symponia guarantees that each member adviser has achieved a benchmark level of competence and knowledge. All families will be offered a face-to-face consultation (don’t settle for a telephone consultation), and if required members can help with the appropriate PCT assessment.
Symponia knows that having responsibility for dismantling a life will never be easy, and will - via its members - do everything possible to untangle the web of legislation and other confusing aspects of continuing care.
By engaging the services of a Symponia member, families will know that they have at least uncovered and explored the possibilities of every available and potential scenario, and if at the end of the exercise the family doesn’t qualify for Continuing Care, at least it will be because the PCT* said no, rather than the family living in ignorance, and not knowing that it even existed.
*Note : PCT = Primary Care Trust: NHS at a local (personal) level. The PCT covers all our individual needs from GPs, District Nurses, written prescriptions etc, they are the ultimate budget holders for individual care, should your GP prescribe a drug for you, the cost will be met by the PCT, if you go into hospital your local PCT will be billed for your care.