31/01/06 - MS sufferer wins funding ruling.

A multiple-sclerosis sufferer has won a High Court ruling over who should pay for her nursing home care.

Wheelchair user Maureen Grogan, who is in a home in Thamesmead, south-east London, has had to sell her home to meet £100,000 in medical costs.

The 65-year-old was challenging a decision by Bexley NHS Trust that she was not entitled to full NHS funding.

The judge agreed with Mrs Grogan saying the trust had used "flawed criteria" and the case should be reconsidered.

'Confusing criteria'

Mr Justice Charles, sitting in London, said guidance from the department of health was "far from being as clear as it might have been".

He said the case had wider implications for the sick and disabled and health authorities across the country.

The court heard Mrs Grogan has "deteriorating" multiple sclerosis, double incontinence, no mobility and some cognitive impairment.

Her health deteriorated after her husband's death. She had a number of falls and was admitted to hospital in November 2002.

She was transferred to the £600-a-week Gallions View nursing home, in Thamesmead, in February 2003.

She was assessed in 2004/05 and the trust ruled she was not entitled to fully-funded NHS care.

Source : BBC