Deceased Alzheimer Patient Was Denied Coverage After Wrong Patients' Test Results Were 'Cut and Paste' in Her Assessment

An elderly woman with Alzheimer's was forced to drain her life savings to pay for care after England's National Health Service (NHS) denied her coverage based on an assessment that included information "cut and paste" from a male patient's records.

Hilda Bowler, 92, died in 2020 after the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) ruled she did not meet the criteria for full coverage. Now, following a lengthy battle, her bereaved family has been reimbursed as it was revealed her medical assessment contained details that weren't hers.

"She was not at the meeting and she was not able to consent to the meeting going ahead, she couldn't form a sentence, she couldn't ask for a cup of tea, she couldn't comb her hair – sadly she was completely helpless because of the ravages of this disease," her son-in-law, Steve Panton, who fought for six years to have the NHS recognize its mistake told The Independent.

Panton discovered that the 2018 and 2019 assessments, which concluded Bowler was ineligible for funding, contained a "cut and paste" statement that referred to a male patient.

"Staff to anticipate all his needs and risk assess on his behalf and in his best interests," the report stated per The Independent.

The flawed assessment meant Bowler's savings were drained at hundreds of British pounds per week to cover care.

"As well as raising her two children, Hilda worked full-time running a transport café. She paid all her taxes and never ever claimed benefits. It is an utter disgrace that when she was at her most vulnerable and in the grip of this terrible disease, the NHS tried to deny her the financial support that we have now proved she was entitled to," Panton said.

An independent review in 2023 ultimately found Bowler met multiple key indicators and should have had her care fully covered.

Panton said the NHS's assessments had been "focused on saving money," whereas the independent panel assessed the case based purely on medical evidence.

"We fully accepted that the family should have received a different service from us, and we remain sorry this did not happen originally," a spokesperson for the NHS Lincolnshire ICB said. "We have corrected processes to avoid any repeat of this experience."

Though the case is closed, Panton wants families to know these mistakes happen, and challenging the system could mean ensuring a loved one receives the care they deserve.