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Mr Wright’s Story
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Mr Wright, 46, of Norwich was shocked to discover that his late parents Jack and Jean may have paid for care fees unnecessarily and is now taking legal action to try and recover fees of around £70,000 plus interest from Norfolk PCT and Hampshire PCT. Jack was initially reluctant to leave home and enter a care home, and therefore relied on home help on a daily basis. Once this was no longer sufficient to meet his needs he stayed in Baytree House, Norwich, for twelve months until he passed away aged 85. The nursing home fees were approximately £560 per week. Jean stayed in Bedhampton Nursing Home, Hants for fourteen months until she passed away aged 76. The nursing home fees were approximately £700 per week.
Both parents never had their care needs assessed during their time in the care homes, a process which informs key funding criteria and can alter decisions made by PCT’s. The cost of the care home fees for the pair was more than £70,000 and legal experts say both parents may have been eligible for funding despite being told otherwise.
“I’m upset and angry that my parents were unfairly rejected for funding by the local primary care trusts. I strongly believe other people have probably found themselves in the same position.
We were told that due to my parent’s capital and income they would both have to pay for their own nursing care costs. When the rejection letter came through my parents both accepted it. They would have never questioned the integrity of the NHS but since reading about mistakes being made I believe they shouldn’t have paid.
The fact that my parents and the rest of the family had to suffer needlessly is very upsetting. The NHS and the Government should have done more to let families know that mistakes were made so they could be rectified.”
Andrew Farley, director at law firm Farley Dwek Solicitors, which is handling the case, said:
“If your parents were told that they could only have been assessed on ‘financially eligibility’ then you should challenge the decision immediately. We’re representing hundreds of families who were initially rejected for families and we suspect there are thousands of other families who can successfully claim back care home fees. We estimate there is hundreds of millions of pounds available for families to recover from PCT’s who made mistakes.”