Some people have been asked for a “top up” of hundreds of pounds a week so £65 for a better home is OK. Make sure during the financial assessment that it considers the assets as a couple. So dad would be expected to pay the full cost if he had savings over about £46-7,000 pounds, double the single amount. SSD should ensure he has a Continuing Healthcare Assessment BEFORE they do their assessment. Covid has muddled the rules a bit. CUK’s helpline will know more about this. I hope you and mum can relax now. It’s horrible having to battle with the people who are supposed to be helping you.
If you haven’t already done so, it may be worth reading through these two AgeUK factsheets:
thank you once again BB and to you too Pennie, I will have a look at the fact sheets now. I will also find any official links relating to the NHS CC assessment being done before the financial one and refer them to that.
Just a thought, is it better to consider the assets singularly if mum actually has her own savings to the value of £65k - she has more in her own sole name than dad. Obviously we don’t want them spending her money on care, she may need it herself one day!
The problem is the pensions are predominately in his name, mum only has tiny pensions herself due to low paid, part time jobs.
I don’t know how to manage that.
Yes, if mum has that amount in savings, then it would be better for the assessment to be in his name only.
This is the sort of thing SSD never explain, and may even “forget” that it is up to the client to decide how it should be done, not them!!
thank you! i have quickly come to the conclusion that they are manipulative and deliberately evasive or useless. Not sure which.
I have emailed the Social Worker, I want them to sit down with me and complete the assessment or at least on the phone so I can grill them. Too many questions for them…
Agreed. Always get things in writing/email if possible, there is a new breed that lie, lie, and lie again. I know the rules, mum had £8,000 refunded after a horrible meeting at SSD HQ in Winchester.
If your father ends up in self-funded permanent residential care, then your mother should be able to keep up to 50% of any of his private/occupational pensions. It’s in those factsheets somewhere!
Thank you. I have read them a couple of times but am going to print them off and highlight relevant sections so I can refer to them.
SSD have now said they can’t complete their assessments until after the NY so they have asked if dad’s stay can be extended until then with the care home. Waiting to hear if they have room for him to stay.
You must repeat, forcefully, like a record player “Dad CANNOT come home again”.
Make sure he keeps the bed he is currently in.
Thank you once again for all your help. I don’t know what I would have done without this board, and especially you to lead the way.
With regard to the NHS Continuing heath care assessment. Do you know what the eligible criteria is? Dad is on all sorts of medication such as beta blockers, antidepressants’, warfarin etc but is reasonably mobile for short distances and whilst he has bowel and bladder issues, he isn’t incontinent yet. His inability to care for himself is predominantly down to mental capacity and if left alone couldn’t cook, shop, take his medication, order his medication, manage his hospital appointments, manage his banking, manage laundry, know when to wash himself or change his clothes, manage the heating, pay bills etc.
Can I insist that SSD completes this or do I have to do the form filling? sending a huge bunch of flowers to all the people on this site for their amazingness.
All the rules and regulations are in the CHC Framework, Google should find it for you.
It’s a long document, about 165 pages if I remember rightly, in desperation I printed the whole thing off and went through it all with a highlighter pen!
You want to find the “Checklist Assessment”.
This is the first rough test to eligibility, then there will be a further in depth assessment.
You can go through it and work out your own score.
Under the rules, SSD are not supposed to start talking about money until the checklist assessment has been done, but they “forget” and the virus may have changed things a bit.
Dad may be able to walk a bit, but is he in danger of falling, if so, that puts him in a higher category.
Not necessarily looking for a reply here, just updating my post, maybe for my own timeline and record of how things have progressed. Although anyone with any experience feel free to chip in.
Dad has been in respite for 3 weeks and two days now and it runs out next week. SSD are back at work tomorrow and the care home called me last week to ask what was happening and whether dad would be leaving the home and what date. Obviously I couldn’t tell them anything.
Then last night dad was taken into hospital by ambulance from the care home due to a high temperature, raised heart rate, fever, and confusion. The hospital have called me today and said it is a urine infection although because of his multiple conditions the consultant has taken the decision to record a DNAR on his records should his heart fail.
The hospital also said once he has stabilised they will be sending him “home”. To which I said he can’t come home and he will need to go back to the care home. But the clock is ticking…
I have just drafted a long and to the point email to the crisis SW, as still not been allocated a permanent one, asking for an urgent Needs Assessment and NHS continuing healthcare assessment to be completed and allocation of a permanent social worker.
Is there anything else I should be doing? The hospital have recorded it on his records that he cannot go home to his house.
In a way, what has happened is GOOD!
I know it doesn’t feel like it, but if dad has been in a 24/7 care home for so long, placed there by the hospital, but has now had to return to hospital again, it should now be blindingly obvious to all concerned that he needs 24/7 in a NURSING home!
This is the argument to use with all concerned.
Does anyone get a permanent Social Worker any more?
It would make a lot of sense, there’s been many a time I’d have liked to call one, but my wife doesn’t have one, any calls I make to SS start with a fresh slate.
Thanks Bowling,
That’s what I said to mum, at least he is safe in hospital, getting nursing care and it gives us more ammunition to support his need for 24 hour care. The hospital even told me he is in a side room with alarms on the bed as he is constantly trying to get up and go to the toilet or wander and is at risk of falling over, pulling out his drip or trying to wander off.
I have sent off my email to the crisis social worker giving her the latest position and requesting an urgent allocation of a permanent SW and the completion of his Needs and NHS Continuing HC Assessments.
I am feeling much stronger now, thanks to all the help you have given and a break from it for a couple of weeks.
to be honest, who knows? The crisis SW told me he would be allocated to a permanent one, but whether she just means a “non crisis” one, I don’t know. She said all along that she would only be handling the immediate need and would handing the case over.
I’ll let you know in due course 
Another thought. You must keep a diary of everything that the hospital are saying, i.e. side ward, alarms etc. Every time the contact you, write it down, together with date, name, and time. This sort of information will be invaluable when it comes to sorting out a permanent solution.
It’s so tough on relatives though. Be kind to yourself.
And so it didn’t seem right to disappear after I have been given so much awesome help from the people on here, especially Bowlingbun but the last four weeks on hell are all moot now because dad passed away last night in hospital after rapidly deteriorating. So my fight with the SSD is no more.
For all those carers out there, I only had a small taste of your endless, daily struggles and you have my greatest respect and admiration.
I can only say look after yourselves, be kind and thank you for your unconditional support 
Thanks for the sad news, Stephanie. May I offer my condolences.
We all thought things were going better for Dad, then this happens. At least he is out of suffering now.
I hope you find the strength to cope with the next few weeks. You have been coping well up to now so I believe you can.
Do keep in touch with us for as long as you wish.
I am sure everyone will join me in wishing you well for the future.