Last week saw a 'whopper' win (albeit the details are still
being fleshed out). It looks like the claimant will be awarded
about £180,000 plus interest.
It is a somewhat strange situation that in the UK anywhere
between 100,000 and 300,000 people (or more likely their estate),
have claims averaging £60,000.
Anyone who has had anything to do with nursing care knows that
it is cheaper to live on the QE2 than in an average nursing
home. This often means that an elderly person can end up
spending their life savings and be forced to sell their home (along
with precious memories.)
Old age can be tough and there is nothing the local
authority or the courts can do to stop that, but the question of
who pays for nursing care is an important but often ignored
question.
If a person's primary reason for nursing care is health related
(whether physical or mental), then it is up to the local
authority to pay. The courts said so in the 1999 case of
Coughlan and the law has not changed since then. (Reclaim Care Home
Fees)
It is extremely frustrating to me that the law is so clear but
100,000s of people are simply never assessed for this benefit and
therefore lose the wealth of their lifetime to pay for
it.
If you know anyone in this boat (or their children), the clock
is ticking so please help get the word out.
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