Woman fighting to claim back £170k care fees (From Salisbury Journal)

Woman fighting to claim back £170k care fees

10:00am Sunday 7th October 2012 in Headlines By Karen Bate

A RINGWOOD woman is fighting to claim more than £170,000 of compensation for care home fees.

The Department of Health set a deadline of last Sunday for starting any new claims for medical care costs, included in care home fees, which they are entitled to claim back.

It is feared that thousands of families missed the deadline.

Wendy Clarke is claiming £176,000 in healthcare costs paid for her mother, whose home was sold for nursing care.

She told the BBC: “She needs total nursing care: she is completely dependent on people. She needs daily insulin injections, she has been on numerous courses of antibiotics with her foot problems and she just needs everything done for her.”

Mrs Clarke’s mother Kathleen has dementia and diabetes and her care costs £794 a week.

Mrs Clarke said: “If we couldn’t have got mum into a nursing home she would have still been in hospital.

“They want to get rid of the patients but where do you go? We have to put patients somewhere. Why should she have to pay £3,500 a month, just to exist?

Mrs Clarke’s mother sold her flat in Ringwood to pay the fees, and the £150,000 she made has now nearly gone.

Mrs Clarke said: “Everything has gone. She has nothing for her children, grandchildren or great grandchildren, not that my sister and I want anything.

“But is there going to be anything left to give them to remember her by?”