NHS Continuing Healthcare funding

The rules for NHS Continuing Healthcare are written down. We turn them into your case.

NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is full NHS funding for a person's ongoing care, in a care home or at home, when their main need is a health need. It is decided by assessed need alone, never by cost or diagnosis. The route runs through a Checklist, then a full assessment by a team of health and care professionals.

Free screener. No account needed. Information, not legal advice.

How it works

How does the CHC process work?

Every case moves through the same process. Case for Care prepares the evidence for each stage.

  1. Checklist

    A short screening form checks needs across 11 areas. Enough serious or urgent needs, and the case moves to a full assessment.

    The CHC Checklist explained · guide coming soon
  2. Assessment

    A multidisciplinary team scores 12 care domains in detail, from breathing and mobility to behaviour and medication.

    The Decision Support Tool guide · guide coming soon
  3. Decision

    The ICB, the local NHS body that funds care, decides on the assessed needs alone, never on cost, diagnosis, or where care is given.

    CHC eligibility criteria explained · guide coming soon
  4. Resolution

    If a decision looks wrong, a family can ask the ICB to look again, with new or overlooked evidence.

    Refused CHC: what to do next · guide coming soon
  5. Review Panel

    An independent NHS England panel can review the decision itself, or the process used to reach it.

    The Independent Review Panel explained · guide coming soon

What you get

What does Case for Care give you?

Start free, then add support as the case moves forward.

  1. £0

    Free screener


    Answer questions about daily care needs. See whether the case is likely to reach the Checklist stage, in about three minutes.

  2. £97 one-off

    Case Report


    A written breakdown of case strength, domain by domain, with the evidence that would move a weak score.

  3. £29 a month

    Case Manager


    The full case file: next action, document analysis, an evidence log, and every letter, cited to the National Framework.

  4. £597 one-off

    Reviewed Appeal Pack


    The case file for the appeal stage, plus review of the bundle by a specialist.

    In development
Full pricing details

Why this matters

Why this process needs help

Families describe the same pattern, in their own words.

"Their default position is not to award it, so you really need to stand your ground and do your homework."

Mumsnet, preparing for a CHC assessment (Lifeinlists, 3 Apr 2024)

"Our assessor had already decided mum wasn't going to get it before the DST took place."

Alzheimer's Society forum, CHC appeals thread (luggy, 27 Jan 2023)

Families on care and dementia forums describe the same gap: records do not always tell the full story, written evidence of important incidents can be thin, and that then works against the case at review.

Mumsnet, appealing a CHC decision

~50,700

people in England hold NHS Continuing Healthcare funding at any time.NHS England Digital, Q3 2025-26

Common questions

What families ask first

Does a diagnosis decide CHC eligibility?

No. The National Framework states that a diagnosis on its own does not decide eligibility. What matters is the level and type of day-to-day care a person actually needs, not the name of their condition.

Does CHC eligibility depend on income or savings?

No. The National Framework states that financial issues should not be considered as part of the eligibility decision. CHC is decided by assessed need, whatever the amount of income or savings involved.

What happens if the Checklist result is negative?

A negative Checklist means two things: a full assessment is not required at that point, and the person is not eligible for CHC funding at that point. A family can still ask the ICB to reconsider, and the ICB should give that request due consideration, though it is not obliged to run the Checklist again.

How much does a CHC assessment cost?

Nothing. There is no fee for a Checklist, a full assessment, or an appeal. When someone is awarded CHC funding, the NHS pays for their full care package, not just part of it.

See where this case stands

The screener asks about daily care needs and shows whether the case is likely to reach the Checklist stage. It takes about three minutes and needs no account.

Check eligibility in 3 minutes. Free.