No more Night Care

[Londonbound]

My caree is getting worse and worse to the state when they cannot manage to get out of bed in the night, we think simple, phone up Social Services, get a night call.

A simple 2 second response , we don't do night care, well what happened to the night care.

Someone in an office ticked a box and cancelled the night care.

So what are you supposed to do, it's alright if you have a family member who can help but how about elderly living on their own with no family?

I thought one of these gov schemes was to support people in their own homes as long as possible.

It just means hundreds of elderly/disabled will end up in care which I thought the government was trying to avoid.
Care in the community or as they say at the local day centre also due to be closed, don't care in the community.

Cutting night calls will increase falls and hospital admissions.

I need to go to the toilet in the night, my mum and dad do, I am sure 80% of the population have to get up at night to go to the toilet.

It is a natural function what about human rights?

Is this a nationwide issue? it seems some countys have loads of help and support, others have practically none.

[bowlingbun]

No night calls in my area either. Nothing from 8pm to 8am really. That's half a day!

[Chris From The Gulag]

A Google or any other search ... NIGHT CARE FOR THE ELDERLY AT HOME ... confirms an almost total lack of available care from the LAs ... virtually all results are from the private sector ... ready to cash in on this gap in social care provision ... like vultures ?

From memory , I did mention night care to someone ( Probably a suit or do gooder ) some 20 odd year ago when I was still very green about what exactly was I supposed to do as a lone carer.

Response ... " That's your job ! " ... incorrect use of the word JOB in CarerLand ? ... initially 150 hours then , following the 2004 LA wave of cutbacks , a full 168 hours on " Standby ! "

[Honey Badger]

.

[Rosemary_1706]

When I needed to be in hospital for 4 nights I needed to hire our care agency to stay overnight at a cost of £120 a night.

[bowlingbun]

The LA/CHC cannot set budgets so low that there is no accommodation available.

[Chris From The Gulag]

The following article from 2014 will be of interest here , BB :

https://caretobedifferent.co.uk/nhs-con ... e-at-home/

Today’s article charts a typical scenario where the NHS agrees to provide NHS Continuing Healthcare at home – to fund for someone in their own home – but the funding is not enough.

Bear in mind that this was 2014 ... budgets have considerably tightened since then.

[bowlingbun]

Still against the rules! It was established long ago that CHC WAS available to provide care at home. Not sure is it was Poynton or Pointon case that established this.
Those with long term memories may recall this was the subject of a ?Panorama case of Mrs. Pointon who fought the system and won. She had a desperately disabled husband who wanted support at home to care for her husband.

[Chris From The Gulag]

Poynton case ?


http://www.carehomefundinginvestigators ... se-studies

The Pointon Case – 2003

Malcolm Pointon suffered from Alzheimer’s, who after being cared for at home was offered a place in a care home fully funded by the NHS. The Care Home subsequently proved to be unsuitable. He was moved to another but his wife was told she had to fund this in conjunction with the Local Authority. In 2000 he moved back home and was cared for with the help of two carers of which one was paid for by the Local Authority.

Mrs Pointon requested an assessment for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding. The assessment performed focussed on acute physical problems with little or no regard paid to the needs created by the Alzheimer’s. The decision ruled that Mr Pointon’s needs were being catered for by a district nurse calling three times a day, a carer visiting four times with Mrs Pointon full time.

Mr Pointon did receive some respite care and as he deteriorated and his healthcare needs intensified an assessment for continuing care funding was requested. In spite of his worsening condition a verdict recommending LESS respite care was reached.

The decision was appealed. The PCT did not even bother to arrange this and after a complaint to the Ombudsman one was arranged.

The criteria used at the assessment concluded that he did not have a Primary Health Need even though the only place Mr Pointon could receive the correct care was in a care home or a hospital. Mrs Pointon complained about the decision via the PCT and Ombudsman. Eventually Mr Pointon was offered full funding in a care home. However Mrs Pointon, as was her right, wanted him to stay at home and eventually the PCT funded the whole package at home.

The Ombudsman criticised the Health Authority for failing to fund respite care for Malcolm at home.

The NHS should fund respite care and respite health care when continuing care is being provided at home.

Last bit ... note that magical word SHOULD again ... the curse of the Care Act , 2014.

More cases are detailed in the above link.

[bowlingbun]

Agreed, should seems to have changed it's meaning in recent years!! However, Mrs. P WON. I got a refund of £8,000 from the LA who didn't play by the rules. It CAN be done!