Lincolnshire Woman Receives Shallow Victory in NHS Continuing Care Funding Battle
Rachael Fothergill, a clinical research practitioner from Lincolnshire, has described her victory in securing NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funding as a “shallow victory”. Despite battling for over three years to secure the support for her grandfather, Ron Fothergill, the £18,000 payment came six months following her grandfather's death.
Ron Fothergill's Healthcare Journey
Ron Fothergill, an ex-dock worker from Hull, East Yorkshire, suffered numerous health issues during his life. At age 83, he had Parkinson's disease, dementia, lymphoedema that caused ongoing swelling in the body, spondylosis affecting his spine, heart failure, and depression.
Ron's health conditions necessitated that he slept in a hospital bed in his home and on account of his limited mobility, he also had difficulties controlling his saliva and became incontinent.
"He was convinced she was taking drugs and had a boyfriend who was coming through the front window", Rachael commented on Ron's delusions about his wife, Sandra, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
The Expensive, "Horrendous" Battle for NHS CHC Funding
Rachael initiated an application for NHS CHC, a scheme offering arranged and funded care for adults over 18, in October 2019. Following a "horrendous" three-year application process, the Fothergill family received the funding - £18,065.34 - in November 2022, half a year after Ron's death; a reality which saw Ron unable to benefit from the potentially better-supported care.
"It was pretty horrendously handled…(the payment) felt like a very shallow victory. This wasn't now going to pay for all the care we'd imagined for him, it wasn't going to change anything", Rachael added.
The Overly Complex and Slow Funding Process
In order to receive NHS CHC funding, individuals must go through complex assessments by integrated commissioning boards (ICBs) to determine if they have a 'primary health need'. Despite Ron's numerous health problems, he did not meet the criteria for fully funded continuing healthcare. The family successfully appealed the decision, though it was overturned only two weeks after Ron's death.
"I feel like they took time away from me that I could have been spending with my grandma and grandad. When I was spending hours, doing the checklist, grandad was dying".