News Articles

In October 2016, NHS England renewed our contract as the lead provider of the Information and Advice Service for people needing help to navigate NHS Continuing Healthcare, which we set up in 2015. The expert advice provided by our service has helped thousands of people to understand the complexities of the criteria, prepare for assessment and to get care paid for. In the last financial year alone, our service advisors have completed 6,513 telephone advice calls, 3,156 in-depth (up to 90 min) consultations and 1,563 written consultations. Further, nearly 2,500 people have accessed our free Navigational Toolkit to …read more

It’s been a busy weekend ‘moving house’ and today – Tuesday 2 May – is our first day working at new premises in Abingdon. We’ve transported Beacon eight miles south from our previous home in Cowley to the Science Park in Abingdon. Here we’ll share newly refurbished premises with one of our valued charity partners, Age UK Oxfordshire, though we retain complete independence as a national social enterprise. Our new HQ gives us lots more space to expand our service and to create a better working environment for our busy advisors and caseworkers. We’re still in …read more

Late last year an issue was brought to our attention by callers to our helpline. They told us that Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were giving them very little time to appeal retrospective NHS continuing healthcare decisions. We still get calls from people who requested a retrospective assessment as far back as 2012. They wait years for the assessment, often with little communication from their CCG, only to be sent a huge and bamboozling report that concludes their loved one wasn’t eligible for funding. Unfortunately, because of the backlog of retrospective requests, this is a common tale. However, we …read more

Urgent improvements are needed to the NHS continuing healthcare (NHS CHC) system in England, a new report reveals today. The system is fundamentally flawed and failing the most vulnerable in society says a coalition of non-profit organisations, called the Continuing Healthcare Alliance. NHS CHC is free care provided outside of hospital by the NHS for eligible people who have care needs due to illness, injury or disability. However new research* by the Alliance has revealed that the system is complicated, confusing and intimidating for those who desperately rely on it. Over half (54%) of survey respondents …read more

If you or a loved one are paying nursing home costs, the bills may seem to be constantly on the rise. But an announcement by the Department of Health will lead to an immediate reduction in costs for care homes with nursing, which they should pass on to clients. Funded nursing care (FNC) is the NHS’ contribution toward the costs of a place in a care home for people assessed as needing the help of a registered nurse. On 13 July 2016 the Department of Health announced that the standard rate they will pay for FNC …read more

Back in May 2014, after 11 years of unique service as a charity, Beacon was born. We became a social enterprise offering quasi-legal advice and advocacy for people all over the UK navigating the maze of NHS Continuing Healthcare. Since then we’ve ethically and expertly helped thousands of individuals to understand this complex area of policy and case law, offering advice to 4,700 people in just 24 months. Many more (38,000) have used our website to understand the process involved and terms used in Continuing Healthcare, and our free Navigational Toolkit has been downloaded 3,650 times. …read more

The Failing to Care coalition of charities, which is supported by Beacon, campaigns to improve NHS continuing healthcare. NHS continuing healthcare, also known as NHS continuing care, is a package of care that is arranged and funded by the NHS. It is free of charge to the person receiving the care and it’s provided on an ongoing basis outside of hospital. Eligibility rests not on the condition the person has, but on whether the person in question has a primary health need – which can be hard to determine. In order to improve NHS continuing healthcare …read more

We are delighted to announce that Beacon will be exhibiting at The Alzheimer’s Show 2015, the UK’s only dedicated exhibition and conference for those affected by dementia, which is being held at the Olympia Conference Centre in London on the 5th and 6th June. We will have our own stand and will be providing information and advice at the front of our stall plus, for individuals that would like to talk about their situation in further depth, we are providing free 20 minute consultations. Beacon’s Managing Director, Dan Harbour will be presenting a talk, entitled “When …read more

If You are Eligible for Continuing Healthcare Your Benefits May be Affected Some benefits will change when you become eligible for continuing healthcare. If you receive Attendance Allowance (AA) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in a care home with nursing, these will normally stop 28 days after continuing healthcare begins, however DLA will not normally stop if you are not receiving care from a qualified nurse or if you receive care in your own home. If DLA is stopped, the DLA higher rate mobility component will continue to be paid over to Motability’s service providers in …read more

Having a Diagnosis of Dementia Does Not Guarantee You Will be Eligible Eligibility for continuing healthcare is not dependent upon a diagnosis, and so a person who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or another degenerative condition will not necessarily be assessed as having a primary health need. Eligibility is determined by assessing your day-to-day care needs and how those needs should be met. Depending on the progression of the illness a person with dementia or any other disability or illness will present with a number of health and social care needs, some of …read more