NHS Continuing Healthcare Checker UK 2025 — Could the NHS Fund Your Care Completely?
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is a package of ongoing care arranged and funded entirely by the NHS for people with complex health needs. Unlike local authority social care, it is not means-tested — your income and savings are irrelevant. Thousands of eligible people are paying for care they should receive free. This checker helps you understand the eligibility criteria and whether to pursue a CHC assessment.
This is an indicative guide only. CHC eligibility is determined by trained NHS assessors using the Decision Support Tool (DST). It is a complex process and decisions can be challenged. If CHC is refused and you believe the person qualifies, always request a review. Free advice is available from the CHC Funding Specialists and specialist solicitors.
What Is NHS Continuing Healthcare?
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is one of the most valuable — and least understood — entitlements in the UK care system. It is a package of care funded entirely by the NHS for adults in England whose primary need is a health need. Crucially, it is completely free and not means-tested: unlike local authority-funded social care (which is means-tested with a current upper capital limit of £23,250), CHC is available regardless of your income, savings, or property ownership.
CHC can fund care in a nursing home, care home, or your own home. The NHS pays for all health and personal care needs, accommodation costs in a care home, and all associated costs. For a person in a nursing home paying £1,500–£2,500 per week, CHC eligibility can make a difference of hundreds of thousands of pounds over the duration of their care.
The CHC Assessment Process
CHC assessment follows a structured process set out in the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare:
- Checklist screening — a brief initial screening by a healthcare professional using the CHC Checklist. If the person meets the threshold, they proceed to a full assessment. If not, they can request a review of the screening decision.
- Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) assessment — a team of healthcare professionals (including nurses, occupational therapists, and social workers) assesses needs across 12 care domains using the Decision Support Tool (DST).
- Recommendation — the MDT makes a recommendation to the Integrated Care Board (ICB), which makes the final eligibility decision.
- ICB decision — the ICB (formerly CCG) formally decides whether CHC is recommended. You and/or the person being assessed should receive a full written copy of the DST and the decision.
- Care package agreed — if CHC is agreed, the ICB organises and funds the care package.
The 12 CHC Domains
| Domain | What is assessed | Priority level triggers |
|---|---|---|
| Behaviour | Challenging behaviour, risk to self/others, psychological needs | ✓ |
| Cognition | Memory loss, confusion, dementia, learning disability | ✓ |
| Communication | Ability to express and understand needs | ✗ |
| Psychological/emotional | Mental health, emotional instability, depression | ✗ |
| Mobility | Movement, falls, positioning | ✗ |
| Nutrition, food and drink | Eating, swallowing, PEG/NG feeding, weight loss | ✓ |
| Continence | Bladder and bowel management | ✗ |
| Skin and tissue viability | Wounds, pressure ulcers, complex dressings | ✓ |
| Breathing | Respiratory management, oxygen, ventilation | ✓ |
| Drug therapies and medication | Complex drug regimes, specialist medication | ✗ |
| Altered states of consciousness | Seizures, loss of consciousness, fluctuating states | ✓ |
| Other significant care needs | Additional needs not captured above | ✗ |
Fast-Track CHC
If a person has a rapidly deteriorating condition that may be entering a terminal phase, they can be fast-tracked for CHC without going through the full MDT process. A healthcare professional with authority to do so can complete a fast-track tool and CHC should be put in place within 48 hours. This is vital for people who need care urgently at end of life.
Retrospective CHC Claims
If someone paid for care they should have received under CHC, it may be possible to make a retrospective claim going back to April 2012. These claims are complex and time-consuming but can result in significant refunds. Specialist CHC claims solicitors and organisations work on these cases, sometimes on a no-win no-fee basis.
Frequently Asked Questions
No diagnosis automatically qualifies or disqualifies for CHC. Dementia alone, in its early stages, may not generate sufficient health needs to qualify. However, advanced dementia with significant needs in domains such as behaviour, cognition, nutrition, and altered consciousness can certainly qualify. The assessment focuses on the nature, intensity, complexity, and unpredictability of the care needs — not the diagnosis.
Yes — CHC must be reviewed periodically (at least annually, and more frequently after significant changes). If the ICB considers that the person's needs have changed so they no longer have a primary health need, they can withdraw CHC. Any decision to withdraw must be communicated in writing with full reasons, and you have the right to request a review and escalate through the appeals process.
If a person does not qualify for full CHC but lives in a nursing home and has some nursing care needs, they may be entitled to NHS-funded Nursing Care (FNC). This is a flat-rate contribution from the NHS towards nursing care costs, currently £235.88 per week (2025/26). It is not means-tested and is paid directly to the nursing home. It does not cover accommodation or personal care — the person still pays for those elements (subject to local authority means-testing).