What clients need to know about CHC: NHS-funded support for long-term care

This would have far-reaching implications, especially for those in need of nursing care.

Currently, for example, 40 per cent of over 65s have either a disability or a debilitating long-term illness. This number is expected to increase by more than 6mn by 2030.

It is therefore extremely important that the public, including those of its members with robust financial portfolios, be aware of the financial facts surrounding long-term care. 

This is especially true regarding the question of who pays for continuing healthcare (CHC).

This is a service that legally requires the NHS to fully fund a person’s healthcare, regardless of that person’s wealth.

CHC should therefore be the first port of call for long-term care funding for those who are eligible.

It is indisputable that the provision of long-term care in the UK is in crisis, exacerbated by the government’s lack of action.

The government has delayed imposing its planned social care cap.

This is a policy aimed at imposing an £86,000 cap on the cost of social care fees to an individual, with the government subsidising the remainder.

This governmental failure only adds to the predicament of how to finance the care needs of an ageing population.

It also creates great stress and worry for those in need of care and their families and loved ones.

Many people are missing out on financial help that they are legally entitled to.

Whether healthcare or social care, the cost of care for the elderly is increasing at an alarming rate.

Escalating charges reflect the general increase in the cost of living, as attested by the Institute of Fiscal Studies finding that we are experiencing the highest rates of inflation for four decades.

Healthcare analyst LaingBuisson reports that the cost of care in the UK has risen by 10 per cent in the past 12 months alone, resulting in fees of £41,600 a year for a residential care placement and £56,056 for a nursing home placement.

The societal impact of these increased care costs can be seen across the board: it is thought to have caused the over 50s to delay their retirement plans; it has driven more people aged between 50 and 64 who would otherwise be retired or happily anticipating retirement to attempt to re-enter the workplace; and it has caused great financial hardship for family members who are asked to finance top-up payments when a loved one in care runs out of funds.

With such punitive charges, it is not surprising that people in care might quickly run out of funds.

Risk of being wrongly assessed 

Against this economic backdrop, it is crucial that those planning their financial futures (or their deputies) inform themselves of their potential entitlement to full financial support from the NHS.

Whether relatively rich or comparatively poor, people need to know what their rights are when it comes to the subject of care, especially the fine line between health care and social care.

Within the public at large, research has highlighted the level of ignorance when it comes to care funding.