# NHS deserts Spitfire hero in 'hour of need'.



## Colin1 (Jan 15, 2010)

*By Richard Savill*
_The Daily Telegraph_ 15 January 2010

A decorated former Spitfire pilot, who suffers from dementia, faces the prospect of having to sell his home after his NHS care package was cut. John Mejor, 88, who was awarded the DFC for his bravery in the Second World War, was 'a true hero of this country' said Sally Mejor, his daughter.

Miss Mejor, 54, added: "My dad put his life on the line for this country in our darkest days of the war and now in his desperate hour of need the NHS is deserting him. It is truly heartbreaking".

For the past 18 months, the NHS has funded care for Mr Mejor, who lives in a nursing home in Exmouth, Devon but his daughter has been told that full financial support of £800 per week is to be withdrawn. "They have agreed to pay us £106 per week but we have to find the rest, just under £700 per week. It is totally preposterous and disgraceful" said Miss Mejor, who added that she would be forced to sell her parents home, where her 94-year old mother, Cecile, wanted to stay for the rest of her life.

"It is an extreme form of action but it may well be the only way we can afford to pay for my father's care" said Miss Mejor, who also lives in the house as her mother's carer. Mr Mejor was given full financial support nearly two years ago after suffering several strokes. "At no point was it said there would be any time frame or, that should his condition improve even slightly, it would be pulled from us".

She was told the changes were being made because her father's condition had improved to a point where it was no longer considered to be 'severe'. She said her father's fundamental condition had not changed.

Parveen Brown, who is responsible for health care at NHS Devon, said every family had the right of appeal and a further discussion had taken place with the family. "We will be setting up another assessment of Mr Mejor's needs as part of the appeal process" said Ms Brown. "Until the appeal is completed the family will continue to receive full payment".

Mr Mejor, who was born in Belgium in 1921, moved to Britain in the late 30s. He joined the RAFVR in the summer of 1940 and started combat flights months later. He answered a call for a special operation in 1942, and flew to help defend Malta. He shot down at least one German aircraft but his own was hit. He bailed out and was rescued from the sea by the Royal Navy. He made his last operational flight on June 6 1944, over the D Day beaches of Normandy and was awarded the DFC in the same year. He commanded the RAF's 130 Sqn in the mid-50s and later worked for Devon County Council. He was also chairman of the Devon Conservation Forum.


*John Mejor, pictured with his daughter Sally, was awarded the DFC for his actions in WWII; his portrait from the time, left*


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## diddyriddick (Jan 15, 2010)

I thought this kind of thing was only supposed to happen in evil America? Wasn't socialized medicine supposed to prevent this?

How truly horrible for Mr. Mejor and his family!


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## Njaco (Jan 15, 2010)

my thoughts EXACTLY!


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## Airframes (Jan 15, 2010)

Bl**dy so-called NHS. Too many 'Management' teams in place, with high salaries, trying to run things like an unseccessful business. Kick 'em out, and let the hospitals and other facilities be run like they were, by dedicated, wondeful, underpaid and overworked saviours, instead of mamby pamby suit-wearing, Bentley-driving 'five-year-plan' capitalists!!


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## RabidAlien (Jan 15, 2010)

Airframes said:


> Bl**dy so-called NHS. Too many 'Management' teams in place, with high salaries, trying to run things like an unseccessful business. Kick 'em out, and let the hospitals and other facilities be run like they were, by dedicated, wondeful, underpaid and overworked saviours, instead of mamby pamby suit-wearing, Bentley-driving 'five-year-plan' capitalists!!



Amen!



This whole thing is a disgrace to the country that would turn its back on the men and women who stepped forward and saved it during its time of need (any country, any conflict...happens waaaaaay too often!). If the family needs any help persuading the NHS to restore funding, I've got a baseball bat and am willing to travel...


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## Heinz (Jan 15, 2010)

That's very rough. I hope something is done for this man!


As for Britain I think you'll find Post Blair its a vastly changed economic landscape, a damn shame.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Jan 15, 2010)

It is sad. There is a lot of truth to the phrase "Money is the root of all evil"and this is just more proof.


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## vikingBerserker (Jan 15, 2010)

That's just pathetic.


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Jan 15, 2010)

Damn shame. Feel d!sgusted by the NHS actions.


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## Lucky13 (Jan 16, 2010)

They should be named and shamed....(censored due extremely foul language!)


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## A4K (Jan 16, 2010)

It's very sad, but I'm not surprised at all. As long as money rules the world, this is the only sort of treatment anyone can expect, especially from a Corporate or Government body.


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## GrauGeist (Jan 16, 2010)

Sad thing is, money (much like handguns) are only as evil as the the person holding it...

I think the douchebags holding the pursestrings should be made to suffer the same bullsh!t they hand out...

And I'm with you, RA...but I'll take a #4 wood with us when we go-A-callin' on 'em...
(in case you were wondering, I prefer the #4 driver because it has a great feel to the swing)


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## A4K (Jan 16, 2010)

GrauGeist said:


> Sad thing is, money (much like handguns) are only as evil as the the person holding it...



Agree ompletely! (Would add to that Bull Terriers too - widely feared, but a dog's only as good as its owner...)


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## Gnomey (Jan 16, 2010)

I agree also but this is what you get for having pen pushers in charge, disgraceful.


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## Wayne Little (Jan 16, 2010)

Disgraceful BS!!

Hope they sort it out and bl**dy well set things straight!


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## v2 (Jan 16, 2010)

No commennt...

Spitfire pilot faces losing home over care bills - Telegraph


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## Timppa (Jan 17, 2010)

Compare it to this:
Single mother of eight living in a £2.6m mansion - so much for Labour's housing benefit crackdown | Mail Online

Britain has at last surrendered.


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## Colin1 (Jan 17, 2010)

Timppa said:


> Compare it to this:
> Single mother of eight living in a £2.6m mansion - so much for Labour's housing benefit crackdown | Mail Online
> 
> Britain has at last surrendered.


At last?
We rolled over years ago...


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## vinnye (Jan 17, 2010)

I can only hope that the appeal will overturn this ridiculous situation!
Makes me feel ashamed of my country when crap like this happens.
My surname is ENGLISH - so you can probably guess that I am a little on the patriotic side !


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## fastmongrel (Jan 18, 2010)

I am in a similar position to miss Mejor my father is in a nursing home and my mother is cared for by the family in her home. The paperwork required to get state assistance is byzantine and takes hours if not days to fill each form in. There are endless hours of phone calls to various disparate agencies but in the end the majority of people do get a good care package. 

Mr Mejor will not be thrown out of his care home no matter what happens this is a problem of who funds the care not whether care is withdrawn. Miss Mejor needs to contact Age Concern an excellent charity that has wide experience of these issues.


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