‘Medical opinions ignored’ by NHS payment assessor, workers say

Medical opinions have been ignored in the assessment of NHS payments to patients receiving care, it is claimed.

Three health workers said an assessor organisation discounted medical views so some patients were denied NHS care.

Norman Lamb MP said England-wide data obtained by the BBC showed a “regional disparity” and was “an injustice”.

However the assessor organisation, Arden and Greater East Midlands CSU, says it follows national guidelines to decide on payments.

Under national criteria, the NHS pays for long-term support and care if a patient’s condition is severe enough.

However, BBC Inside Out East has found a wide difference among clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England in the percentage of patients rejected following assessment for continuing health care (CHC).

Between July 2016 and July 2017, Birmingham South and Central CCG rejected 75% of its new CHC assessments, Manchester CCG turned down only 17% of assessments, while Tameside and Glossop CCG only rejected 5% of those assessed.

All assessors – of which there about half a dozen covering England – should use the same criteria.

Three health workers told the BBC that one of the main assessor organisations, Arden and Greater East Midlands CSU (Commissioning Support Unit), sometimes ignored medical opinions in assessments so patients could not obtain NHS care.

One worker told the BBC: “There has been bullying at the meetings – attempts to ridicule people who are there who have a professional opinion.

“They ignored what professionals have said and changed what professionals have said. The concern is that this puts patients at risk.”

read more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41187615

Huge number of parents with disabled children are suffering mental health problems

Parents of disabled children in Yorkshire and the Humber believe health and social care services are at breaking point, with confidence at an all-time low.

That is the shocking conclusion of a survey commissioned by the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP), a coalition of more than 50 charities, which also found that nearly three-quarters of parents of disabled children have experienced mental health issues as a result of continued strain, far higher than the 1 in 6 who report an issue in the general population.

At the root of the issue is the overwhelming lack of health and social care support families receive, with two-thirds worrying daily about being able to meet their disabled child’s needs and 4 in 5 parents having issues accessing vital care services.

read more here: http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/huge-number-parents-disabled-children-13370026