A leading legal specialist in NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) claims has launched the UK’s first CHC claims calculator, designed to help individuals and families assess potential reimbursement for long-term care costs.
The tool aims to raise awareness of the complex legal challenges surrounding CHC eligibility and disputes. Many families unknowingly pay thousands for care that should be fully funded by the NHS, missing out on reimbursements they’re entitled to. The new calculator offers a simple way to understand potential claims and highlights the scale of unclaimed healthcare funding.
NHS Continuing Healthcare funding is available to individuals with significant ongoing health needs, but the application and appeals process is often challenging.
Many legitimate claims are initially denied due to inconsistent assessments and a lack of awareness about legal rights. As a result, millions of families may be entitled to reclaim care fees that were wrongly paid.
To help, Winston Solicitors has launched an easy-to-use NHS continuing healthcare calculator to help individuals determine whether they may qualify for NHS continuing healthcare funding and how much they could potentially recover.
It shows that the average nursing home patient could save a minimum of £6,166 per month and £73,992 annually.
The tool works by offering a preliminary assessment of continuing healthcare eligibility and estimates the potential future savings or retrospective reimbursements for care costs that the NHS should have covered.
James Urquhart-Burton, Head of Continuing Healthcare at Winston Solicitors and a nationally recognised expert in the field, said:
“Many families remain unaware they have the right to challenge NHS funding decisions and claim back care costs and understanding the legal framework and using tools like the eligibility calculator can be the first step toward securing the funding that is rightfully owed.”
“Patients often feel overwhelmed when it comes to continuing healthcare claims but are soon reassured once they understand more about the process and and the strengths of their case.”
“Our continuing healthcare team at Winston Solicitors have a passion for making a difference for elderly and vulnerable people and we hope the launch of our continuing healthcare calculator can support patients in giving them the confidence to claim back the funds they are rightfully owed.”
The calculator covers several areas relevant to eligibility, including the fees being paid and the patient’s needs in the areas which are assessed, such as breathing, continence and nutritional needs.
It also factors in the patient’s mental health needs, mobility requirements and the psychological and emotional support they require.
If there is a potential claim, an NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment can be scheduled and the NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) will arrange a meeting – either in person or online – where a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT), typically including a nurse and a social worker, will use the Decision Support Tool (DST) to undertake a comprehensive needs assessment before making a recommendation of eligibility for funding.