Before passing away, Alan was forced to sell his family home in order to afford the £5,000 a month nursing home fee.
As care costs continue to rise, Britons are left scrambling to ensure they can cover these costs when things get hard.
Having spent the last five years of his life in a nursing home before he died in December 2021, aged 87, Alan had to sell his family home to afford the £5,000 a month nursing home fee.
Altogether, Alan’s family spent roughly £450,000 on care home fee’s in just over five years – with a little help from the NHS.
Alan’s son, Ian, spoke exclusively with Express.co.uk about Alan’s care before he died, and how they managed to afford the bill.
Ian said: “My parents never anticipated they would end up in a nursing home but they did save generally in their later life which helped fund their care.
“Their last home was a retirement apartment – when this sold I had all their money invested which generated a return to help cover the fees alongside their pension income.
“I had power of attorney and looked after their finances in the last few year – if the stock market had taken a nasty turn, then potentially the money could have run out.”
There is a saving grace for many who may not have adequately prepared for care costs down the line. It’s called Continuing Healthcare (known as CHC), which is a service offered by the NHS whereby they have to pay 100 percent of a person’s care costs, irrespective of their wealth.
Many people are eligible for this care but are being turned down by the NHS, who are incorrectly assessing them.
Recent stats by NHS England show a sharp decrease in people receiving CHC funding in recent years. This is due to a change in the approach to assessments alongside a very strict application process.
Due to wrongful assessments made by the NHS, more cases than ever are successfully being brought to appeal.
Alan was initially denied NHS funding. This assessment by the NHS was wrong, however, he was able to appeal this and claim back £90,000.
Ian continued: “My dad for the last five years was unable to communicate due to his condition – but I was at the initial NHS assessment meeting when his claim was turned down and I was furious with what happened.
“His social worker from Trafford offered little support and the same for the nursing home. You have to go through the assessment and pass a key number to succeed and he didn’t pass enough despite his condition and poor health.”
He explained this situation was tough as nursing home fees were £50,000 per anum and his dad spent five years there.
His mother was also in the nursing home for 2.5 years so “for both of them across that time in total it was between £350,000 to £400,000”.
Lisa Morgan, a partner in the Nursing Care Fee Recovery team at Hugh James Solicitors, said: “With an ageing population and the increase in care cost, future care is a real concern for thousands of people. Recent stats by healthcare analysts LaingBuisson show a sharp rise in care across the UK.
“The cost of care has increased by almost 10 percent in the past year, with some care homes reaching £10,000 per month. As a result, many people in care are running out of funds and having to sell their homes to afford the cost. However, what many are unaware of is the availability of full financial support.
“NHS CHC is a vital source of funding for many families across the UK who require long-term care from the NHS. Sadly, despite an ageing population, NHS England figures show the number of people eligible for funding has dropped by 20 percent since 2015.
“A lack of awareness of the funding scheme coupled with guidelines which are often forgotten or applied too restrictively, means a significant number of people who should be eligible are being turned down by the NHS.”
