Pensioners have been selling their homes at knockdown prices to pay care home fees which should have been picked up by the NHS, according to a law firm.
Farley Dwek Solicitors has stressed that clients now have less than six weeks to lodge a claim to recover payments before the government's 30 September deadline.
The firm added last year more than 24,500 people sold their homes to pay residential care bills - a rise of 20% in a decade - and thousands could be eligible to reclaim fees from the NHS.
Andrew Farley, director at Farley Dwek Solicitors, said: "The predicament of selling up and knocking down the price tag to pay for care is one that many families across the UK have faced in recent years. It's a tough decision and for many, a last resort, but knowingly selling at a cut price is rubbing salt in the wound.
"People who have had relatives in care, with medical needs, who were forced to sell up, should investigate if they can claim back fees. Many residents, or their families, were forced to drastically reduce the asking price of their family home as a result of a dire property market and an urgent need to access finance to fund the fees."
Clients can claim back fees paid covering the period between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2011.
Farley added: "It's a national scandal that people who have worked, saved and paid taxes all their lives are let down by a system that should be looking after them in later life.
"Many relatives of such residents have seen their inheritance vanish. It's these individuals who need to claim back some of the money they are entitled to. Time is ticking though - the onus is on families to step forward and lodge a claim before the deadline expires."
He explained successful claims will involve the patient having intense, complex or unpredictable physical or psychological health needs, or both.
And the patient would require sustained nursing care over a 24-hour period as opposed to general care needs met by social services.
