Daily Mail - 07.08.2019

Page 46 Daily Mail, Wednesday, August 7, 2019

46 MoneyMail

The care cost lottery

IF you need any more

proof that our care system

is deeply flawed, then

look no further than a

type of funding known as

continuing healthcare.

NHS continuing healthcare is

supposed to be paid to those with

complex, severe or unpredictable

health needs.

But as we reveal on Page 43, many

who may be eligible are not being

told about this vital funding, while

others are being unfairly refused.

Even worse, recipients are find-

ing themselves suddenly stripped

of these payments years after

they were granted, despite their

health deteriorating.

And, without this funding, any-

one with assets worth more than

£23,250 must pay for care them-

selves — which can often mean

selling the family home.

It is clear that the system is in

desperate need of an overhaul to

ensure everyone who is entitled to

this extra financial help gets it.

There also needs to be far more

consistency when it comes to

deciding who qualifies. It is down

GPs they worked alongside, all

being allowed to contribute.

Since raising the alarm, we have

been inundated with letters and

emails from practice nurses across

the country pleading for justice.

Dr Wollaston has now asked Mr

Hancock to explain how this issue

has been allowed to arise and

what options are available to help

these nurses, who cared for the

public. on behalf of everyone who

has taken the time to write to us,

I urge him to respond swiftly.

Pension drag

oN THE topic of women and

pensions, it is disappointing that

we have not yet received a High

Court ruling regarding changes to

the state pension age.

In June, campaigners took the

Department for Work and Pensions

to court over claims that raising

the state pension age unlawfully

discriminated against women born

in the Fifties.

They say the women were not

given adequate warning that they

would retire up to six years later,

and have lost out on tens of

thousands of pounds as a result.

We were expecting a decision

in July, but have now been told

that we will not hear anything

before September.

Would it be mischievous to

speculate that m’luds would be a

little speedier if their own pensions

were on the line?

Switch success

MorE brilliant tales of triumph.

one reader from Penzance told

how she has helped her 91-year-old

neighbour save an incredible £1,319

on his car insurance.

He owns a modest car, only drives

around 3,000 miles a year and has

nine years of no claims.

yet the rAC quoted him £1,779

at renewal. A quick search on a

comparison website revealed he

could get a policy for just £460

with Saga.

our reader says: ‘He is delighted.

Please tell all Money Mail readers

out there who aren’t computer-

savvy to get help from a family

member, friend or neighbour before

renewing any insurance policy, as

you could save a fortune.’ Keep

your victory stories coming!

[email protected]

to local clinical commissioning

groups to assess whether a

patient’s health needs are serious

enough. But the guidance they

base these decisions on is vague

and open to interpretation.

It means families in similar

circumstances routinely receive

different outcomes, depending on

who handles their case.

It also cannot be right that

patients are put through unset-

tling assessments each year to

check that they are still eligible.

And in the rare instances where

it may be appropriate to stop the

payments, the reasons behind

these devastating decisions must

be made more clear.

This funding can mean the

difference between having all of

your care paid for, or none — and

it could save someone the indignity

of having to sell their home.

Justice for nurses

GrEAT news that chair of the

Health Select Committee, Dr

Sarah Wollaston, has backed our

calls for Health Secretary Matt

Hancock to investigate why GP

practice nurses have been denied

a fair pension.

In June, Money Mail revealed how

a bizarre oversight meant practice

nurses were excluded from the

NHS pension scheme until 1997.

This is despite colleagues

working elsewhere in the NHS,

including district nurses and the

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THE LAST

WORD

By Victoria Bischoff

MONEY MAIL EDITOR

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