NHS Continuing Healthcare

You can get continuing healthcare in any setting, including your own home or in a care home as long as you meet the national criteria.

Changes to COVID-19 Continuing Healthcare funding

During the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic the government agreed that under temporary COVID-19 legislation all care that facilitated hospital discharge or prevented admission to hospital would be paid for by the NHS. This was part of a range of policies designed to protect the NHS so that we could deal with the pandemic.

This temporary funding is now coming to a close in line with the legislation. Anyone who had received fully funded care, will now be assessed as part of the pre-COVID arrangements for Continuing Healthcare.

Find out more about changes to COVID-19 Continuing Healthcare funding

More information is available in the NHS Leeds Continuing Care information booklet (please note the contact details in this booklet are currently being updated) or you can download the national Continuing Healthcare information booklet.

Contact details

Contact the team by calling 0113 843 1675 (9am-4.30pm, Monday to Friday).

Local decision support tools

For GPs and staff working for Adult Social Care and Leeds Community Healthcare

For staff working for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

National Frameworks

The national framework for NHS continuing healthcare and NHS funded nursing care sets out the principles and processes for determining eligibility. The national framework, implemented from 1st October 2007, was revised and a new version published in November 2012. Download your copy of the current National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-Funded Nursing Care.

The framework maps out a process for determining eligibility and introduces a set of national tools to support and improve consistency with regard to decision making. It also sets one band for NHS funded nursing care.

National decision support tools

We have provided links to decision support tools for clinicians that can be downloaded below. These documents are in Microsoft Word format for use by those involved in the assessment process for NHS continuing healthcare.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service

If you need general advice and information please contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service on 0800 0525 270 or email: WestYorksPALS@nhs.net

Help and Advice

There is a national website that provides links to lots of useful information, which can be found here.

The process involved in NHS continuing healthcare assessments can be complex. An organisation called Beacon gives free independent advice on NHS continuing healthcare.

Visit the Beacon website (beaconchc.co.uk) or call the free helpline on 0345 548 0300.

There is also a video that can guide you through the process here.