I think I should have been eligible for continuing healthcare in the past.  Can I reclaim the costs of care from a previous period?

In some cases, people have paid for their own care, when they would have been entitled to help from the NHS with these costs.  In March 2012 the Department for Health announced a new process for identifying people who should have had help from the NHS.  Anyone who had been having care between April 2004 and March 2012 and had not previously been assessed for continuing healthcare could apply for their costs to be refunded.  The final deadline for these applications was 31 March 2013. A deadline for earlier claims had previously been set in 2007.

All the claims that were received in this period are now being assessed, in line with the Government's guidance.  You can access a copy of this guidance here. The CCG understands that there may be some situations, where people missed the deadline for reasons beyond their control.  We have developed ‘exceptionality criteria' to explain when we would accept a request after this deadline.  You can access a copy of the exceptionality criteria here.

The CSU is responsible for the completion of these assessments on behalf of the CCG. The service is provided by an experienced team of clinicians and administrative staff who have developed a clear pathway for previously unassessed periods of care that adheres to the guidance provided by the Department of Health.

Under the new arrangements, any person who believes they should have had assistance with the cost of their care from the NHS, and had not previously been assessed for continuing healthcare, can only apply for costs to be backdated one year.