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Hayley Garratt-Milne says her family sold her mother Carole’s Isleworth home to pay for dementia care that began at about £6,000 a month and has since risen to more than £8,000. Her application for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding was refused twice, although eligibility depends on assessed care needs, not a dementia diagnosis alone. The case highlights the financial and emotional pressure on families; it does not establish that every person with dementia must sell a home.
Hayley Garratt-Milne says her family sold her mother Carole’s four-bedroom home in Isleworth to help pay for dementia care after an application for full NHS funding was refused twice. Carole, 72, has lived in a Surrey care home for five years; according to her daughter, monthly fees have risen from about £6,000 to just over £8,000, leaving the family worried that the sale proceeds will run out.
Carole, a former hairdresser and single mother, bought the house in 1988 and raised Hayley and her sister there. She developed dementia at 65 and, her daughter says, quickly needed round-the-clock care. The family struggled with the fees while Hayley was pregnant and caring for her own young family. She says Surrey County Council placed a legal charge on the property in connection with care costs, and the family eventually sold it for £715,000.
Hayley says the money was initially expected to cover about ten years of care. With fees now above £8,000 a month, she estimates the proceeds would last less than seven and a half years at the current rate. She also says Carole receives partial funding for nursing care but still faces personal costs and extras, including toiletries and foot care. The account does not specify the full breakdown of the bill or the precise terms of the council’s charge.
The family applied for NHS Continuing Healthcare, which can cover the full cost of eligible care and is not means-tested. Hayley says Carole was assessed twice and turned down. She describes her mother as unable to walk independently, feed herself or communicate, and says she has had serious health problems. Those details are her account; the assessment decisions and reasons are not provided in the source material.
Could your family home be at risk? Dementia care funding
One family sold a home as care fees rose and NHS funding was refused twice. The case shows the pressure families can face, but does not mean every person with dementia must sell a home.
One family’s experience
Hayley says the family sold Carole’s home after two unsuccessful applications for full NHS Continuing Healthcare funding.
- Fees have risen from about £6,000 to more than £8,000 a month.
- The family worries the sale proceeds will run out sooner than expected.
- Hayley says she remains involved in her mother’s care.
- She describes the home sale and funding situation as stressful.
How NHS funding is assessed
Eligibility depends on assessed overall care needs, not a dementia diagnosis or care cost alone.
A multidisciplinary team considers the person’s overall needs against national criteria.
Continuing Healthcare can cover eligible care and is separate from means-tested local-authority support.
Families can seek information from the relevant NHS body; routes and deadlines depend on the case.
What the figures do—and don’t—show
The reported percentages describe specific reviews, not every applicant or person living with dementia.
Eligibility varies
The review figures are not a prediction of an individual family’s outcome.
No universal rule
This account does not establish that all families must sell a home to fund care.
Important gaps in the account
The available details are not enough to assess Carole’s funding decisions or predict how long the proceeds will last.
| Not provided | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Written reasons for the two refusals | The assessment basis is unclear |
| Full bill and council charge terms | Costs and legal arrangements cannot be confirmed |
| Future fees and spending | The money’s duration is only an estimate |
Rising Fees Put Care Plans Under Pressure
The case shows how care costs can put pressure on family assets when someone needs long-term residential support and is not awarded full NHS funding. It also illustrates the strain that can fall on relatives: Hayley says she remains involved in her mother’s care and worries about her safety, even after the family sold the home.
The source says an estimated 37 per cent of care-home residents are fully self-funded, while others receive some contribution from the NHS or local councils. It also cites a survey by annuity provider Just Group in which more than a third of respondents said they funded all or part of care through property-sale proceeds. These figures describe different measures and should not be treated as evidence that all families face the same outcome.
For families, the practical stakes include whether care can be funded over time, how public support is assessed, and whether they understand the review and appeal routes available to them. Hayley’s experience is one family’s account, not proof that a home must always be sold: funding depends on individual circumstances and the applicable assessment and local authority rules.
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How NHS Care Funding Is Assessed
NHS Continuing Healthcare is a package of care arranged and funded by the NHS for people assessed as having a primary health need. It is separate from ordinary local-authority social-care support and is not awarded solely because a person has dementia or because care is expensive. Eligibility is based on the person’s overall needs, assessed by a multidisciplinary team using national criteria.
The source reports that, from April to December 2024, 15 per cent of completed local reviews and 24 per cent of independent reviews resulted in the person being found eligible. Those percentages apply to the reviews described, not to all applicants or all people living with dementia. A 2020 report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman found serious failings in some Continuing Healthcare decisions, including cases involving incorrect or delayed decisions.
Lauren Pates, a senior knowledge officer at Alzheimer’s Society, says dementia-related needs involving cognition, communication, psychological and emotional support, continence and nutrition may not receive priority weighting in the assessment framework. The source also refers to a Nuffield Trust report finding a postcode lottery, but gives no further figures or details about that finding.
“Mum had a house in London, but she didn’t have any cash. So, Surrey County Council put a charge on her property, and then we were forced to sell it. It was really stressful.”
— Hayley Garratt-Milne
Funding Decisions and Costs Still Unclear
The source does not include the written reasons for Carole’s two rejected applications, the assessment records, or details of any appeal. Without those documents, it is not possible to determine whether her care needs were assessed correctly or whether she would qualify under the relevant criteria. Her daughter’s account establishes the family’s experience, but not the clinical or administrative basis for the decisions.
It is also unclear exactly how much of the home’s sale proceeds has been spent, what other contributions apply, and how long the money will last at future rates. Care fees can change, so the estimate based on the current monthly bill is not a guarantee. The source does not identify the local rules or the precise legal arrangement behind the charge on the property.
The reported review percentages and survey figures have defined populations and time periods; they do not show the likelihood that an individual with dementia will receive funding. Nor does this case establish that all families must sell a home. The source offers no response from Surrey County Council or the NHS about Carole’s case.
Appeals and Carer Support Courses
Any further steps in Carole’s funding case are not specified. Families disputing a Continuing Healthcare decision can seek information about the decision and the review process from the relevant NHS body; individual routes and deadlines depend on the case. The source does not say whether Hayley plans another review or appeal.
Separately, the Daily Mail has announced an appeal to fund Dementia Carers Together, a support network intended to offer nationwide six-week courses for unpaid carers. The sessions are to be delivered with Alzheimer’s Society and are described as covering support, carers’ rights and available services. The source does not give a launch date, course locations or registration details.
The source says 2.5 million people in the UK provide some form of care for people with dementia. The planned courses are presented as support for relatives and friends, not as a change to funding rules. Further details about the programme and any response from the authorities involved in Carole’s case remain to be confirmed.
Key Questions
Does having dementia automatically qualify someone for NHS Continuing Healthcare?
No. Eligibility depends on assessed overall health and care needs, not on a dementia diagnosis alone. The source says a multidisciplinary team assesses whether the person meets the criteria.
Does this case mean every family must sell a home to pay for dementia care?
No. Hayley’s account describes her family’s circumstances. Funding arrangements vary, and some people receive NHS or council contributions. The source reports that some care-home residents pay all or part of their costs themselves.
How much did Carole’s care cost?
According to Hayley, fees started at about £6,000 per month and have risen to just over £8,000 per month. She also says some items and services are charged separately.
What remains unknown about Carole’s funding application?
The source does not provide the written assessment reasons, details of any appeal, or a response from the NHS or Surrey County Council. It is therefore not possible to verify why the applications were refused or whether the decisions may change.
Source: thisismoney.co.uk
