Carers cash blocked by NHS bodies
Pauline Hardinges, a carer from south east Cornwall is urging all carers to check the funding they are entitled to after she was refunded £30,000 from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust (PCT) for costs incurred through her mother's care, reports the BBC today.
It was years after her mother Dorothy had been put in care that Pauline found out that she was entitled to claim costs from the NHS.
Dorothy was diagnosed in 2000 and Pauline paid for her to go into a private care home when her condition deteriorated.
It was only in 2007 that Pauline found out her mother should have been given continuing care by the NHS.
Cornwall PCT took a year to confirm that Pauline could claim a refund on the cost of her mother's care and when they gave back the £30,000 they asked her to sign a confidentiality order preventing her from speaking publically about the situation.
She defied the order and is now calling on all carers to check if they are entitled to repayments.
Pauline said: "People like my mother deserve better treatment...It's like back door privatisation with vulnerable people who haven't got a voice."
Director of Policy and Communications at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Alex Fox, added:
"I am shocked that any NHS body would seek to prevent relatives and carers from hearing information that could save them from losing their life savings and we applaud Mrs Hardinges’ courage in speaking publicly.
"Our report No Breaks for Carers demonstrated that whilst trusts such as Mid Essex PCT set the standard by investing substantial amounts in carer support, there are still a number of NHS trusts who do not understand the importance of supporting carers.
"We would urge all carers to seek advice from their local Carers' Centre if they think their relative has ongoing medical needs and might be entitled to free NHS Continuing Care, rather than means-tested social services support.
"And whether an older or disabled person receives their support from the council or from the NHS, it is important to remember that their carer still has the same rights to a Carers’ Assessment.”