The Department of Health announced in March due to bureaucratic errors, many pensioners who were eligible for NHS support paid care fees.

Russell Hall, adviser at Almary Green said: “It is unfair that so many individuals have been forced to sell their homes to pay for care that should have been free on the NHS due to mistakes by officials.”

Almary Green has urged affected individuals, who paid care fees between 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2011, to register a claim before 30 September 2012, or it will be lost.

A recent report by law firm Farley Dwek found up to 100,000 pensioners were forced to sell their homes to cover the costs of medical care after they were not offered a review by the NHS Continuing Healthcare scheme.

Hall added: “Care fees pose a big challenge both to consumers and the government. At a time when the country is battling economic headwinds, the onus is on individuals to provide for their own care which can prove a big burden on families.

“It is difficult to arrange pre-funding simply due to the fact that the amount required and level of care needed is usually unknown in advance. A care fees annuity is one option that provides security and can bridge income expenditure gaps.”