It is in the interests of local social services departments to establish entitlement to continuing healthcare as this relieves them of any financial responsibility.
Many CCGs found towards the end of 2014 that they were in financial difficulties facing the combination of an ageing population with complex health needs and increasingly expensive care packages.
It threatened judicial review proceedings over such illegal discriminatory funding policies for people with serious long-term health conditions.
The chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath said: “It is utterly unacceptable that anyone should be forced into residential care when they are healthy enough to live independently and with their families.
[8] The assessment process was suspended at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in England, replaced by emergency funding, but restarted in September 2020, including all those discharged over the previous five months.
It found people were often unaware of their entitlements and the processes to challenge decisions where they believed shortfalls were occurring in funding.