Ashtons recover fees to help hospices

Ashtons Legal asbestos team are delighted to be supporting hospices around the country as part of the work they do to support sufferers of mesothelioma, the terminal asbestos-related disease.

A landmark High Court ruling in 2010 (Drake & Starkey v Foster Wheeler) allowed hospices to claim back some of the costs associated with the end of life care of mesothelioma victims.

There is no upper limit on the amount that can be claimed as long as it applies to the care the hospice provided, whether as an inpatient, outpatient or for therapies where these have been provided to the patient by the hospice. Following the ruling, a vast amount of money has been recovered for hospices around the country who have cared for people with mesothelioma. Considering hospices need to fundraise £1 billion pounds a year, or £2.7 million pounds per day, this legal development was extremely welcomed by those acting for victims of asbestos disease and the hospices who provide this dedicated care.

If a patient has received hospice care and the person or persons bringing a claim are happy for their solicitors to do so, the legal team will contact the hospice to get a breakdown of the costs of the patient’s care which was provided to them. Note that only the element of the costs to the hospice not funded by the NHS can be claimed but in the case of most hospices, this is the majority of their yearly costs.

Since the start of 2018, the asbestos team at Ashtons Legal have recovered costs of £22,000 for three hospices – two in East Anglia and one in Southsea where a Suffolk family relocated but used their, then local, hospice.

For further information please contact Martyn Hayward on martyn.hayward@ashtonslegal.co.uk.