Testimonials

“For thirty four years I worked for a high street store in their Head Office. I was a manager used to dealing with staff, relatives and outside organisations, and completing documents including legal documents.
In November 2017, I walked into the A/E department of a London hospital with a pain in my shoulder, seven hours later I was diagnosed with Cancer. I had numerous tests, Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy. In February 2018 I was told that I was paralysed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. Unable to return home I needed to find a Nursing home. We looked on web-sites for companies dealing with NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding, but were very unsure of their success rates. I was very happy when I was recommended by my Solicitor to Anne Reed at Paladin Advocates. I felt when I spoke to Anne and then met her that I had won the Lottery. Anne was very professional, which you would expect but showed understanding of my situation and gave me a lot of confidence to face the future.

The first set of forms I found difficult to complete, the hospital only wanted to record some details, so I had to make statements insisting they included all the facts I wanted recorded. I found this to be stressing and upsetting, although the worst was yet to come. At the meetings for NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding, I was confronted by six employees from the Trust, and a Social Worker from the local council, on one side, and my support was a very dear friend Anne Reed. With Anne’s help and expertise we were able to focus their thinking into helping me in my plight. I am a very strong minded person, but the meetings were very stressful, with the system seeming not to help but stacked up against me. I felt that they regarded me simply as a number on a form, and with little or no understanding of my medical needs, and I felt humiliated by the experience.

My life had changed from being a happily active person, to one diagnosed with cancer, which over a period of three months led to my irreversible, and complete paralysis, from the waist down, not able to have any independence of movement, or bodily functions .They showed very little sympathy for my situation.
This has been the most difficult period of my life, and without Anne’s friendship, help, and expertise, I would not have been able to cope, and to her I am most grateful.

I later learned that only 18% of applications are approved after their first assessment, but mine was one. I would recommend Anne Reed, Managing Director of Paladin Advocates to anyone who faces a similar ordeal.”

“I just wanted to say one last thank you for all your support over the last few years. An extreme sense of injustice and fear for my mother’s future started me along this path but I know I wouldn’t have got very far without your tireless effort and encouragement. There were several times I was quite prepared to give up but it was your determination that kept me going. Finally winning the appeal was unexpectedly emotional as I felt I had done all I could for my mum.”

“My late mother entered a nursing home in February 2008 and lived there for five years. My wife and I first approached our local PCT in October 2009 as we felt my mother should be eligible for NHS CHC funding. We have been battling with the PCT for over four years and have found the whole experience incredibly distressing. We approached our MP, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health but all to no avail.

In July 2011, we employed Paladin Advocates to help us and our situation changed dramatically. When dealing with the PCT, knowledge of your rights is simply not enough. They seem to be experts in side-stepping their responsibilities. Anne Reed of Paladin clearly has considerable experience in dealing with PCTs and the legal and nursing background to take them on.

With Anne’s help, we have now been granted CHC funding for four and a half out of five years. We have no doubt that without her help we would have achieved nothing and the whole exercise would have been completely futile. Our only regret is that we did not approach her sooner.

Most importantly of all, we felt that this was far more than a job to her, it was a personal crusade for justice for my Mum who was a frail old lady. We cannot recommend Paladin and Anne Reed highly enough and would not advise anyone to take on their PCT without similar help unless CHC funding is granted almost immediately.

Thank you Anne. You have done a terrific job and been a great comfort and support over the last two and a half years.”

“When i first applied for NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding for my mother, I felt well equipped, as professional administrator, to read the relevant policies and guidance and pursue the application. Unfortunately the behaviour of the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) was something I had not reckoned with: assessments not conducted for many months, decisions not communicated, a request for reassessment unfairly and incorrectly rejected and an assessment of my mother’s deteriorating condition which I felt wasn’t’ right, but I didn’t have the knowledge and vocabulary to argue effectively. I finally realised that I needed expert help.

Ann Reed’s advice and representation secured a second assessment for us, and achieved firstly a decision to award CHC, and then agreement to conduct a retrospective review which is ongoing. I know we would not have reached these outcomes without her. As well as her professionalism and skill, her kindness and humanity are a great support.”

“Dear Anne

I would like to express my sincere thanks for your advice and tenacity in dealing with dad’s case. The process would have probably been a little less traumatic and time consuming had our PCT been a little less incompetent however, ultimately we achieved our goal to obtain funding for dad and for that I am really very grateful.

To anyone who is thinking about embarking on this journey, it is by no means a simple procedure – the wheels within the NHS turn infuriatingly slowly – be prepared for endless correspondence, difficult assessments and a degree of incompetence in each NHS department that you may deal with BUT just knowing there is a knowledgeable, friendly person on your side, fighting your corner, makes the whole process a little less gruelling.

Thank you once again Anne.”

“I was attempting to secure NHS Continuing Health Care Funding for my aged aunt. Months of frustration in dealing with Social Services and Health Care staff were not really showing much sign of progress and I was given Anne Reed’s name and what a help she was.

I experienced some frustration in understanding the rationale in a process that seemed to fully support an application based on needs though eligibility was denied and funding, therefore, rejected. I clearly needed an objective and professional opinion to guide me through the minefield and it would have been quite easy to have walked away in frustration or been dissuaded from pursuing what entitlements my aunt was due.

Anne’s approach was first class in so many ways. From the outset she thought the case had merit and agreed to look at it in more detail. From this point on she took instructions and set about highlighting, assessing and reassessing some of the reports. She met with the my aunt’s Social Worker, District Nurse and nursing home staff to get a real handle on what care needs my aunt had and presented a very thorough and powerful case. Most importantly she visited my aunt in the home and I felt totally confident in her ability to deal with the logistics of building a forceful argument at an appropriate time.

Make no mistake it is essential to be patient when dealing with most Government departments, but the inevitable red tape appeared to be in abundance in my case. However, Anne’s resolute approach won through and finally the claim was awarded and backdated a year.

Given the cost of nursing fees this was a considerable amount balanced against the cost of her services.

I highly recommend Anne Reed to you and would have no hesitation in utilising her services again.”

“I have just been advised that the assessment for CHC funding for my father has been successful. There is no doubt that the decision to appoint Anne and the team at Paladin made a huge impact on the outcome. Having undertaken her initial analysis, she gave us confidence that we could achieve the right result and as much as anything kept the pressure on the NHS despite their continual delays. Her attendance at the CHC assessment meeting added credibilty as she was able to provide an expert opinion. I am more than happy to recommend her to anyone in a similar situation.”

“Dear Anne and team at Paladin Advocates

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For everything you did to help with our claim for CHC funding for my late father. You made a terribly difficult situation so much easier to deal with because you cared so much for our plight. We knew we could always contact you – even if it was just a silly question- and know we would get a quick reply.

Life had been very tough over the last few months of my father’s life and we can honestly say that had it not been for you and your team, we would not have had the strength to claim what was rightfully ours.

Anyone who is considering using Paladin Advocates to claim continuing healthcare funds, stop what you are doing, pick up the phone, and call Anne, not only will you gain expert knowledge and wonderful advice, you will also gain a friend.”

“After carrying out a considerable amount of research we decided to appoint Paladin Advocates to represent us with our application for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding.

Throughout the process we received an outstanding personal service from Anne Reed and her team which resulted in our application being approved. The attention to detail and the depth of previous personal experience brought to the process would be almost impossible to find elsewhere.

If you are reading this because you are currently doing your own research then you have found the right team of Advocates.

Thank you Paladin Advocates for all your help.”

“There was only one lifeline that we came by – and purely because a friend knew of someone who had been in a similar situation – and through her I was put in touch with a wonderful, caring person called Anne Reed, whose company, Paladin Advocates, will represent and give advice to people in the situation in which we found ourselves. She was the one and only person who really seemed to care and could offer practical and realistic advice and help, and would have represented us in our battle with the National Health Service to get Continuing Health Care for my husband. However, very sadly, the help and representation she was going to give us never materialised because my husband died shortly after we had started negotiations with Anne Reed.”

“Anne, I was thinking about the great news you gave me yesterday and it occurred to me that my response might not have properly conveyed my true feelings. I think in some ways, I am simply shocked that it is over. Really, I haven’t been involved in the process since my dad died. You have kept the momentum going through your own determination and tenacity and, without a doubt, I would not have persevered if not for you. You’re an exceptional person with a commitment to seeing justice done that seems to know no bounds. I am extremely grateful to you and filled with admiration, especially knowing that there were moments in your personal life that meant even greater efforts were required. Also, I am so happy for you that four cases gave positive results on the same day. How amazing for you and your clients. Hopefully, that has given you the personal boost to continue banging your head against the Establishment wall.”

“Anne has been supporting me during the last two years when my fathers Alzheimer’s started to deteriorate at a dramatic pace. Her advice has been invaluable and her empathy having been through this herself has been a great comfort. Recently Anne represented my interests at my fathers CHC health assessment and I do not know what I would have done without her as it was a very complex and grueling process. However her professionalism and knowledge of the CHC process won the day and we were successful in being awarded CHC for my father. I cannot thank anne enough, this is a huge relief as after two years of serious health and care issues with my father I too have become battle weary and Annes support has been vital.”

“I can’t thank you enough for the help and advice you have given me to secure NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding for my mother. When I first started the process towards this end I felt as though I was wading in a bureaucratic mire and was treated as a nobody by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Panel and the Multidisciplinary Team.

Within days of my sending you a copy of the decision of the Panel you had studied it and pointed out several gross errors on their part, including the illegal prolonged time-scale taken to reach their decision and the fact that I, as my Mother’s representative, had not been invited to take part in the coalition of the various reports. You gave me full and clear explanations of the jargon the Panel used – terminology deliberately used to confuse the layman. Not only was your advise clear but it also gave confidence to challenge the Panel members on points of law. Their attitude towards me improved spectacularly and the result was a resounding success in not only obtaining Continuing Healthcare Funding but also getting that Funding backdated several months.

Thank you so much for your care, help and encouragement. I am quite certain all of you at Paladin Advocates will continue to help many more people like me who find themselves in the situation which had brought me such anxiety.”

“Dear Anne
Just a note to thank you for your efforts on behalf of my mother. We have won! When our initial appeals were unsuccessful we were ready to give up, but you believed we had a valid case and encouraged us to continue. You guided us through the maze of processes, forms and meetings in a professional yet sympathetic way. That well known cliché “we couldn’t have done it without you” is definitely true in our case.
Thank you”

“Anne has been supporting me during the last two years when my fathers Alzheimer’s started to deteriorate at a dramatic pace. Her advice has been invaluable and her empathy having been through this herself has been a great comfort. Recently Anne represented my interests at my fathers CHC health assessment and I do not know what I would have done without her as it was a very complex and gruelling process. However her professionalism and knowledge of the CHC process won the day and we were successful in being awarded CHC for my father. I cannot thank Anne enough. This is a huge relief as after two years of serious health and care issues with my father I too have become battle weary and Anne’s support has been vital.”

“Our family found itself needing assistance in battling the difficult and challenging process required under the Continuing Health Care Regulations as our knowledge of what was behind many of the questions and requirements was extremely basic. We engaged Anne Reed based on a word of mouth recommendation. Without Anne’s detailed knowledge we would have fallen at the first hurdle as the CHC’s initial response to our request was a rejection based on incorrect interpretation of the Regulations. As our case progressed finally to a successful conclusion it was evident that we would have been rejected at every stage without the professional leadership, knowledge and experience of Anne and her perseverance and commitment. Her knowledge of the requirements exceeded that of many of the Assessors. My belief is that Anne is respected in many areas of CHC organisations as a person who fights for what is right and not for spurious claims.”

“At the age of 89 my Father suffered a stroke. After a short stay in the local hospital he was transferred to a specialist stroke recovery unit. An Age UK centre, recognised for its expertise and advice helping relatives of stroke victims, kindly provided several documents and sources for other information. There was also the warning that dealing with the NHS system could well be like wading through treacle!

This comment was soon understood when confronted with a plethora of NHS abbreviations and terminology. It was like listening to someone talking in a foreign language who assumes you understand every word being uttered. The situation was compounded further by misinformation, missing information, use of incorrect procedures and missing records. The guidance available from the local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) only explained how to deal with each particular situation. Unfortunately, this did nothing to help ones holistic understanding and failed in the ability to provide a speedy response.

Thankfully, in the hour of need, the existence of Anne Reed at Paladin Advocates became known. The prompt support available from Anne was immediately appreciated and a relief. It was like having someone in the role of medical interpreter and quality controller at your side i.e. someone who knows the correct procedures and terminology, especially when being ‘fobbed’ off. In fact, at the end of a phone call to Anne for help, it sometimes felt as though one had unleashed a Rottweiler to guard ones best interests.

As a professional European Engineer it is second nature to fight ones corner, but without the support provided by Anne, Dad would have suffered even more than he did. From the beginning, Dad’s treatment was recorded in a diary of events which covered several months and amounted to twenty six sides of A4 paper. Many unsuccessful attempts were made to get the Trust to acknowledge their failings. In the end, with Anne’s help and guidance, a complaint was raised with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman who upheld the complaint. The recommendations by the Ombudsman caused the Trust to review and rewrite their procedures as well as provide additional staff training. Furthermore, details of the complaint and its outcome has been forwarded to the Care Quality Commission.

So, thank you Anne very much for all your help, support and advice. Without it, I am sure I would have foundered because I was out of my depth and would have failed to reach this result on my own. Therefore, I am very happy to recommend the services of Anne Reed and colleagues for those in difficulty with the NHS. I sincerely hope this kind of support will not be needed again by me or my family but we know who to contact if we do.”