Getting the right care
Please also refer to the separate
Benefit Information Sheet.
Help with Care
Getting the right care, be it at home, temporary respite or more permanent residential, is a difficult decision and research needs to be done. How to pay can be complex, so look for advice, for example from Age UK or your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau, High Wycombe 0344 245 1289.
Usually what is termed as Social Care can be funded, at least partially, by the local authority and this is where most people start. If you feel that you, or the person you care for, needs Social Care, whether that is Home Adaptations and aids, support to live at home or a care home, a care needs assessment is the first step. There is no charge for this first step and you are entitled to one regardless of your income and savings, and regardless of what your needs are. You will need to contact the Local Authority at www.caredavicebuckinghamshire.org. Telephone 01296 383 204. Any income and savings will be taken into account when receiving care. You may ask for a personal budget so that you can choose the care, and the cost can be topped up so that there can be a greater choice.
If someone is very severely ill then they may qualify for NHS Continuing Health Care. This is fully paid for by the NHS. It is a fully funded package of care that does not take account of any income or savings. It is not possible to have a personal budget, so there could be less choice. For example, the care home may be chosen by the NHS rather the patients choosing their own accommodation. There will be a full assessment made by the health services.
It may happen, if someone with dementia is very mentally unwell, that the Health Service will ‘section’ them. The Mental Health Act is about people who have a ‘mental disorder’. Some people would choose not to use this term. However, it is the term the Act uses to describe any disorder or disability of the mind, including dementia.
The Act explains in what circumstances, and for what reasons, a person may be kept (detained) in hospital against their will. It can be used to detain a person whether or not they have the ‘mental capacity’ (the ability to decide for themselves) to agree to stay in hospital. This is sometimes called 'being sectioned'.
A person can only be detained if they have a ‘mental disorder’ that makes it appropriate to use the Act. They can also only be detained if it is necessary to protect them or other people. A person should not be detained unless other less restrictive ways of giving them care and treatment have already been considered.
The Act also explains what responsibilities healthcare and social care providers have to people who are detained. It sets out ‘safeguards’ to protect that person. Again, many of the organisations we have mentioned have good information, so do use them.
0800 377 7070
Housingcare
A charity run website with information for older people.
They advertise retirement and care homes as well as home services, live-in carers, and services to adapt homes, such as lifts.
Link to First Stop which publish several useful factsheets about accommodation, including staying in your own home and getting support to do so. Some of the useful leaflets include, ‘Coming Home from Hospital,’ ‘Accommodation Options for Older People with Dementia’ and ‘Care and Support at Home.’
0300 777 2722
Carers Bucks
An independent charity commissioned by Bucks Council to support carers. All their services are free. There is a wealth of information on their website. Offer a special service for carers over 75 years old who may need more intensive support.
The Carers Bucks hospital team supports carers in all four Buckinghamshire hospitals – Stoke Mandeville, Wexham Park, High Wycombe and Amersham. For more information, please phone the Carers Bucks office.
01296 431911
(Mon-Fri 9.30am - 1.30pm)
0800 678 1602
(8am - 7pm, 365 days)
Age UK, Aylesbury Office
Offer advice over the phone as well as publishing a number of very useful information guides and factsheets about a large range of topics including Healthcare, Legal Matters, Social Befriending, Financial Matters including Benefits. They also link in with Age Concern.
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National advice line, 0800 678 1602, will refer you on the phone to a specialist adviser who can help with valuable more in-depth advice.
Buckinghamshire Council
Support and information on their website. They also have a Safeguarding Adults Team 0800 137915 to help in a crisis. Out of hours emergency duty team 0800 999 7677.
0800 137 915
03000 616161
The Care Quality Commission
Independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. Makes sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care.
Services regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) :
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All regulated care providers for both home care and care homes
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Hospitals
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Doctors/GPs
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Dentists
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Clinics
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Community Services
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Mental Health Services
Helps you to make a decision when finding the right service for you/your loved one. Produces excellent booklets, downloadable from their website:
“What can I expect from a good care service?” (care homes, home care, hospitals etc.) www.cqc.org.uk/help-advice/what-expect-good-care-services/what-expect-good-care-service
0345 548 0300
Beacon
Advice on Continuing Healthcare
Continuing Care (officially called NHS Continuing Healthcare) is a fully-funded package of care that some people are entitled to receive as a result of disability, accident or illness. It covers the full cost of the person’s care and residential accommodation. NHS Continuing Healthcare funding is available to adults living in England who have particularly intense, complex or unpredictable care needs. Unlike local authority care, or what is known as Social Care Funding, it is not means tested.
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Contact their Information and Advice Service for up to 90 minutes of free advice from trained staff. Expert advisers can answer questions on any aspect of NHS Continuing Healthcare. Help has been given to thousands of people to understand the eligibility criteria, navigate the assessment process, understand the Decision Support Tool and the assessment, review a decision, or begin an appeal.