Continuing NHS Healthcare
Published on 13 June 2013 02:00 PM
Commenting on a Wales Audit Office report out today into Continuing NHS Healthcare, Age Cymru's Amy Clifton says:
"Continuing NHS Healthcare is an important issue for older people in Wales, yet Age Cymru often hears concerns, complaints and frustrations from them about the process.
"Many people have not even heard of and are not aware that it could be an option for them or their family member.
"People have told us that the process is very unclear, difficult to follow and often a very stressful experience.
"We also hear that communication during the application process for Continuing NHS Healthcare is often poor, and that at times getting information can be a battle.
"There's clearly a lot of work that needs to be done to tackle these shortcomings, including changing the way that applications for Continuing NHS Healthcare are assessed in Wales.
"We are pleased in particular that the Wales Audit Office report recommends that the Welsh Government reviews the differences between the Diagnostic Support Tool domains in Wales and England, particularly for cognition, to assess whether the Welsh domains are reasonable.
"This is something we have called for - the ‘severe' level has been removed on the cognition domain in Wales, which makes it more difficult for people with mental health conditions such as dementia to score as highly.
"They are therefore less likely to be found eligible in Wales - which is clearly unfair.
"We hope the Welsh Government will address this as a matter of urgency."