NHS Continuing Healthcare
We make sure your continuing healthcare needs are met
If an individual has long-term and complex health needs, they may be eligible for free care support funded by the NHS. This type of care is referred to as continuing healthcare or NHS continuing healthcare, also sometimes just as CHC. This can be accessed in a range of different settings, including a care home or an individual’s own home.
Our solicitors offering NHS continuing healthcare support understand that living with ongoing healthcare needs can be a challenge, whether these are your own needs or those of a loved one. Our team can offer sensitive and proactive support to access funding quickly, thus relieving the financial burden of your healthcare requirements.
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- Charles Fraser
- Senior Solicitor and Head of Older and Vulnerable Client team
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- Victoria Wood
- Associate Solicitor in the Older and Vulnerable Client team
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Get expert support to access NHS continuing healthcare
We can assist with all matters related to continuing healthcare costs, including:
Have a question? Please read our Continuing Healthcare FAQs or get in touch.
Reasons to choose Longmores for help with accessing NHS continuing healthcare
- We have a dedicated Older and Vulnerable Client team, so you can be confident of our specialist expertise in these complex situations
- Our Private Client team is consistently ranked in leading client guide the Legal 500
- Several of the team are members of the prestigious Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), reflecting their high level expertise
- Senior Solicitor and Head of our Older and Vulnerable Client team, Charles Fraser and Associate Solicitor Victoria Wood have both completed the STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising Vulnerable Clients
- We listen to you and offer advice tailored specific to your individual situation
- We keep things simple, always explaining everything in plain English
Speak to our solicitors for NHS continuing healthcare support
To discuss your requirements with our proactive continuing healthcare experts, please get in touch.
Our continuing healthcare expertise
Applying for continuing healthcare
Accessing CHC involves undergoing a health assessment to determine whether or not the individual’s needs warrant CHC funding. While it is not a requirement to have a solicitor to pursue a continuing healthcare claim, it is strongly advised as this can help to protect yourself and avoid setbacks.
Sometimes, complications can arise during the application stages. Having tailored legal support on your side can help to make the process run more smoothly. At Longmores, we have a keen understanding of why an application might be refused and, consequently, are in the ideal position to assist clients with making a successful application.
Challenging a CHC decision
If you have been denied continuing healthcare but you believe that you are entitled to it, we can assist you to challenge a decision made by the NHS.
Once your application has been refused, you will have six months to begin the appeal process, so it is important that advice is obtained as quickly as possible.
We appreciate that paying for care is often a financial burden and so having an application turned down can be a huge disappointment.
Our solicitors specialising in NHS continuing healthcare have much experience assisting clients to challenge CHC decisions and reclaim care home fees that they were in fact entitled to. If you believe that your application was wrongly assessed or you are acting on behalf of a family member, please get in touch so that we can help you to assess your case.
Reclaiming care home fees
If you have been receiving care, whether in a care home or at your own home, and you have not been assessed for CHC, you may be eligible to reclaim care home fees. Our solicitors can help clients to reclaim care fees when they should have been receiving CHC funding yet have never undergone an assessment.
Our fees for continuing healthcare support
We understand that cost is an important concern when people need help with accessing continuing healthcare support. We can provide flexible fee options to suit your circumstances and will be very happy to discuss our fees when you contact our team.
To find out more about our NHS continuing healthcare advice fees and to request a cost estimate, please get in touch.
Continuing healthcare FAQs
What does CHC mean?
This abbreviation stands for ‘continuing healthcare’, referring to ongoing healthcare, funded by the NHS. This type of care is available for those with long-term and complex healthcare needs and relies on an assessment.
What are the criteria for CHC?
Continuing healthcare is intended for adults, however, young people and children can also pursue claims, with support, under certain circumstances.
To be eligible for continuing healthcare funding, the person will need to be judged as having a primary health need. This essentially means that the person’s needs are primarily healthcare based, rather than needing surrounding personal or social care.
To claim CHC, you will need to undergo an assessment by healthcare professionals. They will review your needs and consider:
- The type of help needed
- The complexity of the health requirements
- The intensity of the health requirements
- The unpredictability of the needs (for instance, any potential risk if someone does not receive the care they need immediately or at specific times).
How hard is it to get NHS continuing healthcare?
How difficult it can be to receive NHS continuing healthcare depends on your specific needs and eligibility. The applicant must go through different stages, including:
A continuing healthcare checklist
During the process, a nurse or other appropriate healthcare professional will review the applicant’s needs, taking 12 different areas into consideration including nutrition, breathing, communication and mobility.
A CHC checklist is automatically triggered in some circumstances, including:
- The person’s mental health or physical health has substantially declined
- The person is ready to be discharged after being in hospital, prior to a funding assessment by a local authority
- The person is due to go into a care home and receive nursing care, prior to having the NHS Funded Nursing Care assessment
If you believe that yourself or your loved one may be eligible for Continued Health care, you may be able to trigger an assessment by talking to your/their health care professional, for example, a GP.
Decision Support Tool
Where the person’s needs are likely to amount to continuing healthcare, the next step is to undergo a stage referred to as the ‘Decision Support Tool’. During this stage the person’s care needs are assessed in more detail.
Whilst the process can be difficult, accessing legal support early on can ensure a less stressful and drawn-out experience.
Where individuals require urgent support, there is the opportunity to fast track that person’s application.
Can people with dementia get CHC?
Yes, some individuals with dementia will be eligible to receive CHC. However, it is not guaranteed and they will still be subject to the assessment process.
To ensure a smooth application process, it is recommended to work with an expert solicitor. Our specialists can carefully explain the procedure and attend to any questions you may have.
Do I have to pay for continuing healthcare?
No, you do not have to pay for continuing healthcare. The scheme is NHS funded and free. Not everyone is eligible for CHC and those looking to secure funding will need to undergo an assessment.
Does CHC funding affect state pensions?
Yes, a person’s pension could be affected by continuing healthcare funding, yet this will depend on the individual’s living situation.
If, for instance, a person receives NHS continuing healthcare and they live at home, receiving CHC funding is unlikely to have an impact on their state pension. That individual may also still be able to claim certain disability benefits, for example, Disability Living Allowance.
Can I get PIP and CHC?
If you are receiving continuing healthcare and you are living at home, this will not impact other benefits. Therefore, you can still claim the Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
If you are receiving continuing healthcare payments whilst living in a care home, you will not be able to claim PIP.
Is there a cap on CHC funding?
No, there is no cap on how much CHC funding a person can receive, nor any time-limit imposed on how long a person can receive funding.
Regardless, if an individual’s healthcare needs change, it may be that their CHC eligibility changes, potentially meaning that their funding is withdrawn.
Assessments for continuing healthcare are conducted annually, yet these can be performed earlier if there is an indication that an individual’s needs have changed.
Speak to our solicitors for NHS continuing healthcare support
To discuss your requirements with our continuing healthcare experts, please get in touch.
