Author and Publication
Author: Ben Slater, Registered Social Worker, Founder and Managing Director of Nellie Supports
Reviewed by: Kerry Slater, Director of Operations
Last reviewed: 20 July 2026
Citation
1. Department of Health and Social Care (2022) National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-framework-for-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-care
2. Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Making a complaint about the NHS in England. Available at: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk
3. R (Grogan) v Bexley NHS Care Trust and others [2006] EWHC 44 (Admin).
4. Mental Capacity Act 2005, c. 9. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/9/contents
Copywright
Copyright © 2026 Nellie Supports Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article is made available for general information, education and professional reference. It may be downloaded, printed and shared for non-commercial purposes, provided that it is reproduced in full, is not altered in any way, and is properly cited as the work of Nellie Supports Ltd. This material must not be edited, adapted, sold, republished, incorporated into commercial products, or used for commercial training, assessment, report-writing or advisory services without prior written permission from Nellie Supports Ltd.
This article does not constitute legal advice, clinical advice or a substitute for a decision-specific professional assessment. Where legislation, government guidance, court forms or external professional materials are referred to, those materials remain subject to their own copyright, licensing and re-use terms.
Abstract
This guide addresses whether NHS Continuing Healthcare funding is permanent once awarded. It explains that funding is subject to review, sets out when a review should occur, distinguishes reviewing the package from reconsidering eligibility, explains the limits on withdrawal, covers the well-managed need principle at review, and sets out the appeal rights that apply.
Is NHS Continuing Healthcare funding permanent
NHS Continuing Healthcare funding is not permanent, but it is not casually removable either. The distinction matters, because families are told both that it is guaranteed for life and that it can be withdrawn at any time.
The short answer
Funding is not permanent. It is subject to review, normally at around three months after the decision and at least annually after that. What it is not is discretionary or arbitrary. Withdrawal requires a genuine change in the person's needs, established through a proper reassessment, not a view that circumstances have moved on.
What a review is for
The primary purpose of a review is to check that the care package continues to meet the person's assessed needs. It is about the adequacy of provision. Eligibility should be reconsidered only where needs appear to have changed materially, and where that happens a full reassessment using the Decision Support Tool should follow.
When funding can be withdrawn
Where a proper reassessment establishes that the person no longer has a primary health need. That means genuine change in the underlying needs, not stability produced by the funded package. Time passing is not a reason. Nor is the person having lived longer than expected, which arises particularly after Fast Track awards.
The stability trap
This is the recurring problem. A person whose behaviour has settled, whose skin is intact and whose weight is stable may appear improved, when each of those outcomes is produced by the care being funded. The well-managed need principle applies with full force at review, and it is the central point where withdrawal is proposed.
What should happen before withdrawal
A full reassessment using the Decision Support Tool, with a multidisciplinary team, and a decision by the Integrated Care Board with written reasons. Funding should continue while that process runs. Withdrawal decided at a review meeting without a reassessment is a specific and challengeable defect.
Appeal rights
A decision that a person is no longer eligible is an eligibility decision and carries the usual rights. Local resolution first, then referral to NHS England for an Independent Review Panel, with six months running from the date the decision is communicated. Note that date carefully when it arrives.
Key takeaway
Funding is reviewable but not casually removable. Withdrawal requires genuine change established by proper reassessment, not stability produced by the package. Any withdrawal decision carries full appeal rights.
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Frequently asked questions
Can CHC funding be taken away?
Yes, but only where a proper reassessment establishes that the person no longer has a primary health need. Time passing, or stability produced by the funded package, is not a sufficient reason.
How often is funding reviewed?
Normally around three months after the decision, then at least annually. The main purpose is to check the package continues to meet needs rather than to re-run the eligibility decision.
Does improvement mean funding ends?
Not where the improvement is produced by the funded care. That is managed need, not resolved need, and the well-managed need principle applies with full force at review.
Related NHS Continuing Healthcare pages
These links take you to the most relevant Nellie Supports service page and to the supporting guides that explain the surrounding process.
Speak to an independent CHC specialist
Nellie Supports prepares independent needs evidence for NHS Continuing Healthcare assessments, reviews and appeals across England and Wales. Our reports are written by registered social workers on a permanent employed team, with internal peer review before release. Call 0333 987 5118 or send an enquiry and we will talk through where you are in the process.