The 98-year-old grandmother of a woman who repeatedly fell out of bed after NHS funding for her home care was withdrawn says her death was “more brutal than it needed to be”.
Pearl Henderson, from Bradford, who suffered from advanced dementia, died on November 19, a week after her sixth fall in four months.
Her granddaughter Kirstie Lumley said she was “disappointed” after a review found her needs were no longer primarily health-related after a review found NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) services in Henderson were discontinued.
NHS England and Bradford City Council said they were “regretful” at her death but wanted to reassure residents that those eligible for care would receive care that met their “individual needs”.
In June 2023, Mrs. Henderson was discharged home from hospital with a urinary tract infection and the family was informed that end-of-life care was required.
At the time, she was fast-tracked to CHC, which provides rapid access to funding for patients whose “rapidly worsening conditions” may lead to “end-stage” life.
However, following a review of the case this summer, Mrs Henderson’s family were told the funding would be withdrawn on August 1 as she no longer had “essential health needs”.
Mrs Henderson’s care was subsequently taken over by Bradford City Council, which provided her with about a quarter of her previous contact hours.
Although she used to receive 86 hours of NHS-funded care a week, with the family paying for an additional 14 hours privately, when this care was withdrawn the local authority provided just over 19 hours of care.
Crucially, bedridden Mrs Henderson no longer has anyone to stay with her throughout the night and is only allowed to use the toilet for 30 minutes during the night.
Her family were also told that bed rails could not be added to prevent her falls as they posed a risk to people with dementia.
Ms Lumley, from Malton, North Yorkshire, said Mrs Henderson fell out of bed for the first time within a week of NHS funding being withdrawn.
The 98-year-old fell out of bed five more times before his death last month.
Ms Lumley said her grandmother was “not treated with the dignity she deserved at the end of her life”.
“She seemed to have fallen through the cracks in the net somewhere and wasn’t being cared for when she really needed care,” she said.
“It felt like after a long life, it ended very cruelly.”
Mrs Henderson’s family said they were left in an impossible situation after “social workers, CHC nurse assessors and GPs” told them she was too frail to be transferred to a care facility.
However, they believed she was also not receiving adequate support at home following changes in her care.
The family therefore appealed to the NHS but West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board considered the “initial decision not to award CHC to be appropriate”.
Ms Lumley said her grandmother was “safe in care”.
“Once withdrawn, she is no longer safe emotionally or physically, and that should not happen,” she said.
“Eventually, the authorities became aware of the ongoing decline, but nothing changed.”
The decision to withdraw funding in Mrs Henderson’s case is currently under an independent NHS review.
Philippa Hubbard, director of nursing and quality at Bradford Borough and Craven Health and Care Partnership, and Iain MacBeath, director of adult social care, health and housing strategy at Bradford City Council, said in a statement: “We are very sorry to learn of Pearl’s tragic passing and we would like to pass on our sincere condolences to her family and all those who knew and cared for her.
“While we are unable to comment further on individual cases, we would like to reassure residents that Bradford City Council and the NHS work closely to ensure that everyone who is eligible for care and support receives support that meets their individual needs.
“This includes responding when someone’s health changes and working with families to provide appropriate support.
“Our thoughts are with Pearl’s family at this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Social Care said everyone should have access to “high-quality, compassionate care” but noted that “eligibility decisions” should be made by local general care boards.
A spokesman for the department added that through its ten-year plan it would continue to fund “high-quality research into dementia” to ensure people receive the best care.
NHS figures show that as of June 2025, more than 51,000 people in England are eligible for CHC, with around a third of these qualifying through fast track.
Dementia charities UK are calling on the government to review the CHC’s assessment process through its Money to Repair campaign.
Beth Clayton-Exwell, head of Dementia Campaign UK, said: “Families have let us know they are frustrated, demoralized and let down by a system that fails to understand and recognize the needs of people with dementia.
“They want to spend the last weeks and months of their lives with their loved ones rather than fighting a difficult and flawed system.”
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