NHS Continuing Healthcare for care home fees
If health needs are significant, NHS Continuing Healthcare may fund care in full. The hard part is knowing when to ask for the checklist, what the full assessment looks at, and what evidence to prepare before a decision is made.
RightCareHome is independent and funded by families, not care homes. This page is informational and not an NHS assessment, legal advice or regulated financial advice.
What CHC is, and what it is not
CHC is based on assessed health need, not savings.
A care home resident may be self-funding, council-funded, or not yet placed at all. CHC sits outside that means-test logic: the question is whether the person has a primary health need.
Checklist screening
The checklist helps identify people who should receive a full assessment. It is not the final eligibility decision.
Full assessment and DST
The full assessment uses a multidisciplinary team and the Decision Support Tool across 12 domains, then considers how needs interact overall.
If full CHC does not apply
Funded Nursing Care, local authority funding, Attendance Allowance, DPA and top-up fees may still change the care home funding position.
The practical sequence
From CHC checklist to the next funding decision
Start with the CHC checklist question
The checklist is the screening step. It helps decide whether the person should move to a full NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment.
Start the free CHC checkCheck the wider funding picture
If full CHC is unlikely or refused, council funding, Funded Nursing Care, Attendance Allowance, DPA and top-up fees can still change the numbers.
Run the funding assessment12 DST domains
The assessment looks across care domains, not one diagnosis.
Dementia, frailty, falls or nursing needs can matter, but CHC eligibility is not awarded because of a diagnosis alone. The evidence has to show the assessed needs and risks.
If CHC is not the whole answer
Care home funding still has other routes.
The Care Home Funding Report keeps CHC in context. It checks NHS, council and property-based routes together so a refusal or weak CHC signal does not leave the family stuck.
NHS Continuing Healthcare
Potentially covers the full care package when the primary need is a health need. It is not means-tested.
NHS-funded Nursing Care
A weekly NHS contribution paid to a nursing home when nursing care is needed and full CHC is not in place.
Local authority funding
Means-tested council support once capital and care needs meet the rules. The council rate can be lower than the home fee.
Deferred Payment Agreement
A property-backed council arrangement that may delay the pressure to sell the home immediately.
Top-up fees
The gap between the council rate and the chosen home fee. Families should understand this before signing.
Need the checklist first?
Open the funding checklist if you are preparing for a GP, hospital discharge, social worker or ICB conversation and need a clean list of documents and questions.
Open funding checklistNeed letters and evidence prompts?
Use the Care Funding Action Pack route if you already need template letters, evidence prompts, deadlines, or a clearer follow-up plan after a funding decision.
Prepare evidence and lettersNHS Continuing Healthcare questions
The practical points families usually need before they ask for checklist screening or review a refusal.
Get the CHC and funding checklist by email
A short practical sequence for gathering records, asking for checklist screening, and checking the wider funding routes before the next meeting.
No spam · Unsubscribe any time · 5 emails over 2 weeks
Before we generate your report
This personalised digital report applies publicly available care-funding and means-test rules to the details you provided. It helps you understand your likely position before speaking with your council or adviser. It is not regulated financial advice and does not replace advice about property, pensions, investments or long-term financial planning.
Read what the report covers