Author Archive

With free support from Beacon Margaret fought against top-ups and received over £35,000 in recompense

Posted on: August 7th, 2023 by Tim Saunders
Two woman smiling

With free support from Beacon’s Information & Advice service, Margaret fought against the unlawful practice of families having to pay top-ups for care – and received over £35,000. In January 2012 Margaret’s (not her real name) mother, who had Parkinson’s disease, fractured her hip and was admitted to hospital. In hospital she was assessed as eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funding, and was discharged to a nursing home. Margaret was told that the Clinical Commissioning Group (now ICB) that paid her mother’s CHC would not meet the full cost of the nursing home fees. The …read more

Christine recovered more than £11,000 in care funding with free guidance from Beacon

Posted on: August 6th, 2023 by Tim Saunders
Two women tend a vine.

With free guidance from our Information & Advice team, Christine highlighted the flaws in the management of her mother’s assessment and recovered more than £11,000 in care funding. Wynne was unable to make decisions for herself, so her daughter, Christine, held Lasting Power of Attorney and was her representative. However, Christine was not informed when a re-assessment of Wynne’s eligibility for continuing healthcare funding was arranged, and it took place without her knowledge. This review concluded that Wynne was no longer eligible for CHC funding, and a letter was sent to her at her care home. …read more

Beacon secures NHS funding for young man with significant care needs

Posted on: August 5th, 2023 by Tim Saunders
Silhouette of a young man wearing glasses.

A few years ago Beacon’s caseworkers began supporting a couple whose son had recently suffered a serious road traffic accident, leaving him with multiple life-long physical and mental health needs resulting from his brain injury. Following a significant period of time in hospital during which the young man underwent multiple life-saving operations, he was discharged to a specialist long-term care facility, in receipt of an extensive care package. This care package was initially fully-funded by the NHS who assessed him as having a ‘primary health need’ due to the extent of his intensive and complex care …read more

Beacon successfully appeals eligibility decision to secure funding for brain injury patient

Posted on: August 4th, 2023 by Tim Saunders
Older couple sitting on a park bench, facing away.

Mr Johnson is a gentleman in his early sixties with an Acquired Brain Injury. He has been in receipt of NHS Continuing Healthcare funding for 7 years which pays for an extensive care package in his own home, where he lives with his wife who is also his main carer. The cost of the care package is £80,000 per year. At his annual continuing healthcare review Mr Johnson was assessed as no longer eligible despite presenting with healthcare needs that necessitated 24 hour care and constant monitoring during the day, due to the complex interrelation of …read more

A new home for Beacon

Posted on: May 2nd, 2017 by Tim Saunders

It’s been a busy weekend ‘moving house’ and today – Tuesday 2 May – is our first day working at new premises in Abingdon. We’ve transported Beacon eight miles south from our previous home in Cowley to the Science Park in Abingdon. Here we’ll share newly refurbished premises with one of our valued charity partners, Age UK Oxfordshire, though we retain complete independence as a national social enterprise. Our new HQ gives us lots more space to expand our service and to create a better working environment for our busy advisors and caseworkers. We’re still in …read more

Six month deadline for retrospective funding decisions is confirmed by Ombudsman

Posted on: January 17th, 2017 by Tim Saunders

Late last year an issue was brought to our attention by callers to our helpline. They told us that Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were giving them very little time to appeal retrospective NHS continuing healthcare decisions. We still get calls from people who requested a retrospective assessment as far back as 2012. They wait years for the assessment, often with little communication from their CCG, only to be sent a huge and bamboozling report that concludes their loved one wasn’t eligible for funding. Unfortunately, because of the backlog of retrospective requests, this is a common tale. However, we …read more

A flawed NHS continuing healthcare assessment with severe consequences, and how it was put right

Posted on: November 15th, 2016 by Tim Saunders

Yesterday The Continuing Healthcare Alliance published a report that highlighted the weaknesses in the NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) system, and called for improvements. The report flagged several problems, including with the assessment process. This process was clearly flawed in a case that came through our free Information and Advice Service recently… Sarah’s elderly father, Eric, has challenging health and psychological problems and requires extensive one-to-one support. Despite this, a panel concluded he wasn’t eligible for NHS CHC funding, and Eric was threatened with eviction from his care home. But experts on our free information and advice service spotted problems with the …read more

Charities call for changes to NHS continuing healthcare system

Posted on: November 14th, 2016 by Tim Saunders

Urgent improvements are needed to the NHS continuing healthcare (NHS CHC) system in England, a new report reveals today. The system is fundamentally flawed and failing the most vulnerable in society says a coalition of non-profit organisations, called the Continuing Healthcare Alliance. NHS CHC is free care provided outside of hospital by the NHS for eligible people who have care needs due to illness, injury or disability. However new research* by the Alliance has revealed that the system is complicated, confusing and intimidating for those who desperately rely on it. Over half (54%) of survey respondents …read more

The Rip Off Britain couple who used their mother’s entire estate to fund care, leaving nothing for her grandchildren. They weren’t told about the free care funding from the NHS.

Posted on: September 27th, 2016 by Tim Saunders

Beacon’s Managing Director, Dan Harbour, blogs about his appearance on BBC One’s Rip Off Britain, and the sadly familiar tale that’s leaving families with enormous care costs. Many months ago I was asked to record an interview for BBC One’s consumer affairs programme Rip Off Britain. They were putting together a feature on NHS continuing healthcare, and this morning the episode aired. The programme followed Mr and Mrs Pearson, who are facing a long, tough, battle to reclaim the quarter of a million pounds that Mr Pearson’s elderly mother – Kath – had to pay for …read more

Care homes should pass on new nursing care savings to their clients, says Beacon CHC.

Posted on: July 25th, 2016 by Tim Saunders

If you or a loved one are paying nursing home costs, the bills may seem to be constantly on the rise. But an announcement by the Department of Health will lead to an immediate reduction in costs for care homes with nursing, which they should pass on to clients. Funded nursing care (FNC) is the NHS’ contribution toward the costs of a place in a care home for people assessed as needing the help of a registered nurse. On 13 July 2016 the Department of Health announced that the standard rate they will pay for FNC …read more

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