Dementia - CHC (continuous health care) Funding

oasis63
oasis63 Community Member Posts: 17 Connected
in Benefits and income

Hello everyone

My mum has vascular dementia and has been in a care home for three years. She's quite well advanced and has been double incontinence for at least two years although she can still walk in a kind of shuffle but can't really have a conversation even though she can still talk and understand things to a degree. It's one word here and there and she's always confused and heavily medicated.

I want to look into getting funding for her under the CHC and wondered if anyone has had any experience of this please?

There is a company called Compass CHC who advertise on TV stating they can pursue claims on behalf of dementia sufferers for continuous health care Funding. Has anyone any experience with this company? I've read reviews on Trustpilot fur then and they're really good but I never know if I can trust reviews or not.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Thank you

Comments

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Community Member Posts: 8,985 Championing
    edited November 2025

    CHC is really hard to get for anything, dementia would be extremely difficult as it is considered a social care need rather than nursing/medical need.

    In my opinion nothing about your Mum's symptoms would reasonably require nursing care.

    She's mobile, needs toileting help & help with personal care. None of those are medical needs.

    I'd recommend speaking to an independent organisation such as Age UK, before you consider handing over any money to this company.

    https://www.ageuk.org.uk/services/age-uk-advice-line/

  • oasis63
    oasis63 Community Member Posts: 17 Connected
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1082527#Comment_1082527

    Thank you. I'll give them a call. You're right, my mum doesn't need nursing care at the moment. She needs help with every aspect of personal hygiene and without the carers she wouldn't survive as she can't cook or do anything unaided really

  • Biblioklept
    Biblioklept Community Member Posts: 634 Trailblazing

    @Santosha12 what kind of things fall under 'nursing' to qualify for CHC funding? I hope you don't mind me asking you. I think nursing, especially in a care home, must be so difficult (and rewarding) and you have my highest respect!! ❤️

  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Community Member Posts: 17,413 Championing

    Hi @oasis63 - you can get free advice from Beacon which I hope may be helpful:

    https://beaconchc.co.uk/

    https://beaconchc.co.uk/how-we-can-help/free-information-and-advice-on-nhs-continuing-healthcare/

  • Biblioklept
    Biblioklept Community Member Posts: 634 Trailblazing

    Thank you so much @Santosha12, that was so helpful!!!

    Honestly I can't believe how much care homes cost, I'm ashamed to say I never really considered it before and I am in shock and appalled that anyone is expected to foot that sort of cost!!! Or that it costs that much at all!

    The staff do an amazing and very difficult job, but the money doesn't seem to go to them, so I really don't know what they charge so much for!!!

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Community Member Posts: 8,985 Championing
    edited November 2025

    Social care staff across the spectrum are certainly undervalued and underpaid, most care homes are run as profit making businesses.

    The expensive costs are why people who can't self fund can struggle to get their local authority to fund a placement.

    Legally needs are supposed to be assessed then finances, in reality local authority will fish for information, plus if someone is assessed as needing carers in and later really needs a care home, the financial assessment will have been completed and the LA will know full well the person cannot pay for residential care.

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