Joyce Moore, 94, from Framwellgate Moor, County Durham, died at Sherburn House in May 2022 after years of battling Alzheimer’s and other health problems.
Shortly after Joyce’s death, her daughter Lynn Topping was contacted by the NHS Durham Continuing Care team and asked to submit a retrospective claim for her care-home fees.
Lynn, from Durham City, paid £200 a month for about three years, with other agencies covering the rest, and believes she could reclaim around £7,200.
But Lynn, 73, says she has waited since 2022 for a decision and that every email about the claim “drags up my mum’s death all over again”.
The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, which oversees NHS Durham Continuing Care, has apologised for the family’s “additional distress and uncertainty” and says the claim is nearing its conclusion.
But Lynn says the unresolved claim is denying her family closure and worsening her Parkinson’s symptoms.
She said: “To me, it’s ridiculous that we’ve been left in such a position four years on.
“The NHS approached me about all of this and asked me to put a claim in; it’s not like we’ve done it under our own steam.
“It’s either a yes or a no for me. We’ll be okay with an answer either way, but the fact that they’re dragging all of this out is unbelievable, really.”
Lynn described her mum’s death as “traumatic” after a car accident left Joyce with a broken neck and back, requiring a lengthy hospital stay before she moved to a care home.
Joyce later caught Covid twice before dying in May 2022.
“Over the last four years, we have been given a continuous string of excuses,” added Lynn.
“We’ve put complaints and queries in and tried everything; we’re at the end of our tether, and we’re sick of being passed from pillar to post.
“This endless battle is taking a severe toll on my own health, as I have advanced Parkinson’s disease and the stress caused by this has caused my symptoms to worsen significantly. It has also caused my family immense stress and grief.
“Our family has been left agonising over all this whilst trying to grieve for a very much loved mother, grandma and great grandma.”
Lynn says she has involved the NHS Integrated Care Board and several medical ombudsmen in the claim since 2022.
But she says the family have found “no joy” despite trying everything.
“I want to expose how this system is treating vulnerable people who are grieving for their loved ones and, through no fault of their own, are having their grieving process prolonged,” she added.
“No family should have to go through this agony.
“We just want a bit of closure and for this not to be dragged up again and again.”
In response to the family’s issues, a spokesperson for the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board said: “This review has taken longer than it should have, and we are very sorry for the additional distress and uncertainty this has caused to the family.
“Retrospective NHS Continuing Healthcare reviews involve collection and careful consideration of historical records from several different health and care organisations, and the service has also been under a lot of pressure during this period.
“While these factors contributed to the time the case has taken, we recognise that the overall delay has not been acceptable.
“The review has now reached its final stage. As the process has not yet concluded, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the possible outcome.
“We are actively working with partner organisations to conclude the review as soon as possible and will share the final decision with the family as soon as we can.
“At the same time, we are reviewing the handling of this case to learn from it and reduce the risk of similar delays in the future.”