NHS Continuing Healthcare
Process for applying for Continuing Healthcare and NHS funded nursing care
Who is eligible for NHS continuing healthcare?
Anyone assessed as having a certain level of care needs may receive NHS continuing healthcare. It is not dependent on a particular disease, diagnosis or condition, nor on who provides the care or where that care is provided. If your overall care needs show that your primary need is a health need, you may be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare.
Many people who are eligible are already known to health services because of their substantial health care needs. If it is thought the individual's health care needs are close to those, which satisfy the eligibility, the application process will begin.
How do people apply?
Any individual, family member, carer or service provider can request consideration. The first contact should be with your GP, district nurse, care manager or ward manager. The assessments required to inform the application will be conducted by the multi-disciplinary team involved in the individuals care. If, following the assessments, the level of needs indicate consideration, then contact will be made with the Continuing Healthcare Department in the primary care trust (PCT).
What happens next?
Informed Consent
Informed consent must be obtained for an individual to be assessed. Assessments from all professionals concerned in your care will be requested. Your own or your family's views will be asked for too. A meeting will be held to discuss the assessments. If it is believed that your needs meet either fully funded continuing healthcare or a joint funded package with Social Services, they will make a recommendation to the Continuing Healthcare Department at the PCT. You will receive a letter from the PCT informing you of their decision about funding.
If you are assessed for continuing healthcare you will be kept informed of the process and outcome of the assessment by one of the care co-ordinators.
If you have any questions about this outcome, please contact the Continuing Healthcare Department on 01525 631195.
If your concerns cannot be resolved at this stage the Continuing Healthcare Department will give you information about how to request a review of the decision concerning your eligibility.
NHS Checklist
Once all assessments required have taken place and the individuals care needs have been established, eligibility for NHS funding should be considered using the National Screening Tool Checklist, which can be carried out by any health or social care professional.
Decision Support Tool
If a patient screens in for full assessment, the multi disciplinary team will arrange a meeting of professionals to complete the Decision Support Tool and give weighting to the level of needs. The individual and/or family can put forward their views at this time.
For further information contact:
Head of NHS Continuing HealthCare/Funded Nursing Care and Learning Disability Commissioning
NHS Bedfordshire
Telephone: 01525 631195
NHS Bedfordshire document downloads
Other documents
Department of Health document links
- NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS Funded Nursing Care – Public Information booklet
- NHS Continuing Healthcare (Responsibilities) Directions 2009 sets out the responsibilities of NHS Bedfordshire and NHS East of England.
- National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS Funded Nursing Care concentrates on the process for establishing eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare and the principles of care planning and dispute resolution relevant to that process.
- Who Pays? Establishing the responsible commissioner sets out a framework for establishing responsibility for commissioning an individual's care within the NHS, i.e. determining who pays for a patient’s care.
- Ordinary residence: guidance on the identification of the ordinary residence of people in need of community care services, England provides information and advice to local authorities (and certain other bodies) on the identification of the ordinary residence of people in need of community care services.
- Reference guide to consent for examination or treatment
- Independence, choice and risk: a guide to best practice in supported decision making
- Mental capacity Act 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards: A guide for family, friends and unpaid carers