1st October deadline for Welsh care costs reclaims

Published: 08/09/2015

Anyone who believes their own or a family member’s long-term care costs should have been paid by the Welsh NHS for the period 1st August 2013 – 30 September 2014 are being urged to register to reclaim their money. The deadline for registration is 1st October 2015 and following criticism over the backlog of cases Welsh Health Minister Mark Drakeford has promised that these claims will be managed promptly. More than £50m in wrongly paid care home fees and the interest on these fees has already been paid back to Welsh people – in many instances this repayment was severely delayed.

Lee Baker, Head of Care Home Fees comments:

“Many people are unaware that it is possible to secure Continuing Healthcare funding from the Clinical Commissioning Group to cover the costs of care. Anyone who requires nursing care due to a primary health need should have that care funded by the Clinical Commissioning Group and that funding would not be means tested.

“People are also often unclear about what a primary health need is – there are many health conditions affecting older people that give rise to a primary health need, including dementia, Alzheimer’s, a stroke, having a history of heart attacks or suffering diabetes and many of these cause older people to move into residential care.

“The Welsh government whilst urging people to register to reclaim their money should also be investing in a public information campaign so that the people whom this affects are clear that they can register and reclaim. The process for these reclaims can be very complicated and I believe many people can benefit from legal support and specialist expertise to guide them through the process.”

Content correct at time of publication