'%20/%3e%3c!--%20A%20map%20pin%20holding%20a%20heart:%20care%20at%20home,%20anywhere%20in%20the%20UK%20--%3e%3cellipse%20cx='32'%20cy='55'%20rx='9'%20ry='2.4'%20fill='%230F4A42'%20opacity='0.45'%20/%3e%3cpath%20d='M32%2054%20C%2024%2044.5,%2015.5%2037,%2015.5%2026.5%20A16.5%2016.5%200%200%201%2048.5%2026.5%20C%2048.5%2037,%2040%2044.5,%2032%2054%20Z'%20fill='%23FFFFFF'%20/%3e%3cpath%20d='M32%2035.6%20C%2027.3%2031.9%2024%2028.6%2024%2024.6%20C%2024%2021.8%2026.1%2019.9%2028.6%2019.9%20C%2030%2019.9%2031.2%2020.6%2032%2021.7%20C%2032.8%2020.6%2034%2019.9%2035.4%2019.9%20C%2037.9%2019.9%2040%2021.8%2040%2024.6%20C%2040%2028.6%2036.7%2031.9%2032%2035.6%20Z'%20fill='%23E9A23B'%20/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is a package of care arranged and fully funded by the NHS for adults whose needs are mainly health needs. If someone qualifies, the NHS pays for their care in full - including live-in care at home - with no means test. This guide covers how it works in England.
Who is eligible?
Eligibility depends on need, not diagnosis or money. The test is whether someone has a 'primary health need' - whether their care needs are mainly about health rather than social care. Complexity, intensity and unpredictability of needs all count.
Step 1: the checklist
Most people start with the CHC checklist, a screening tool often completed by a nurse or social worker, sometimes before hospital discharge. A positive checklist doesn't mean someone qualifies - it means they go on to a full assessment.
Step 2: the full assessment
A team of at least two professionals from different disciplines assesses needs across twelve areas, called care domains - including breathing, nutrition, continence, skin, mobility, communication, psychological needs, cognition, behaviour, drug therapies and altered states of consciousness. The integrated care board (ICB) then decides.
Families can and should take part. Bring care diaries, notes of incidents at night, and anything that shows how needs change from day to day.
Fast Track for end-of-life care
Where someone's condition is deteriorating rapidly and they may be entering the end of life, a doctor or nurse can complete a Fast Track form so funding starts quickly, without the full assessment.
If CHC is refused
You can ask the ICB for a local review, usually within six months of the decision. If you still disagree, you can request an independent review by NHS England. Someone who doesn't qualify for full CHC may still receive NHS-funded nursing care if they live in a nursing home.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different arrangements, so check the rules where the person lives.