THE boss of a health company which has been providing end of life care for a cancer sufferer despite not being paid by health chiefs said a stand-off over who is responsible was ‘pathetic’.

Burnley-based Majestic Care North West was contacted in April by East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to start a care package for an elderly terminal cancer sufferer, and for the past 11 weeks its staff have been making daily visits to the patient.

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But three weeks after they started the package the invoice to the CCG was rejected on the grounds the care package had not been authorised.

Since then Alan Cooper, boss at Majestic Care North West, said the CCG had told him care was the responsibility of social services, who in turn had passed the buck back to the CCG.

Meanwhile he has been continuing to care for the patient, with the bill now up to £1,500.

He said: “You can’t put a price on being able to sleep at night.

“I would never refuse care to someone for financial reasons, I know I have a clear conscience.

“I would rather have to go through this and a battle for payment than let somebody die alone.

“It’s a pathetic situation, it’s ridiculous.

“We were asked to start a care package by the district nurses and then the CCG wouldn’t pay us.

“A few weeks ago the nurses contacted us asking to up the package to more care, even though we aren’t being paid.

“It’s a healthcare issue so you would think it would be the CCG who are responsible, but we just want to be paid.

“We are doing our best to look after this patient but it seems nobody cares.”

Mr Cooper said he would never ask a family to foot the bill for payment if a compromise couldn’t be reached.

A spokesperson for East Lancashire CCG said: “We are aware of this issue and are concerned to resolve it as soon as possible.

“While we cannot comment on the detail to respect patient confidentiality, we are keen to meet with the provider and work with them to ensure a speedy resolution.”

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council, said: “There’s often a degree of overlap between health and social care services which can make it a complex area of work.

“However this overlap means we work closely with CCGs to resolve any issues, with the first priority being to ensure people receive the care and support they need.”