NHS Continuing Healthcare
CHC versus Funded Nursing Care
The difference between full NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, and why CHC must be considered first.
What is the difference?
NHS Continuing Healthcare is a package that funds all of a person's assessed care needs, including the care-home fees, when the person has a primary health need. NHS-funded Nursing Care, or FNC, is different and smaller: it is a flat weekly payment from the NHS towards the cost of registered nursing care for someone in a nursing home who does not qualify for Continuing Healthcare but still needs that nursing. CHC covers everything; FNC covers only the nursing element.
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For families and professionals
England and Wales
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Registered professionals
Written and reviewed
Continuing Healthcare and Funded Nursing Care are often confused, and the difference is worth real money. One pays for all of a person's care. The other is a smaller NHS contribution towards nursing in a care home. The order in which they are considered matters, because being placed on the wrong one can leave a family paying for care the NHS should have covered.
When to push for a CHC assessment
Ask for Continuing Healthcare to be assessed, not just FNC, where:
- Someone is being placed in a nursing home without a CHC assessment
- FNC has been arranged but CHC was never properly considered
- Health needs are significant, not simply a need for nursing
- Needs have increased since the last assessment
- The family is being asked to pay care-home fees in full
How to protect the entitlement
A few steps keep the larger entitlement on the table:
- Ask in writing for a Continuing Healthcare Checklist before agreeing to fund care
- Do not accept FNC as the answer until CHC has been assessed
- Keep records of health needs, not just nursing tasks
- Request a reassessment if the person's condition worsens
- Keep copies of every assessment and decision
Where people often go wrong
- Accepting FNC without a Continuing Healthcare assessment first
- Assuming a nursing-home placement means only nursing needs
- Paying full fees while a CHC entitlement is never tested
- Not asking for a reassessment when needs increase
- Confusing the small FNC contribution with full NHS funding
- Accepting FNC without a Continuing Healthcare assessment first
- Assuming a nursing-home placement means only nursing needs
- Paying full fees while a CHC entitlement is never tested
- Not asking for a reassessment when needs increase
- Confusing the small FNC contribution with full NHS funding
Why the order matters
Everyone who might need FNC should be considered for Continuing Healthcare first. That order is set by the national framework, and it exists because CHC is far more valuable: it removes means-testing from the whole package, while FNC leaves the rest of the care to be paid for by the local authority or the family. Being moved straight to FNC without a proper CHC assessment is one of the most common ways families lose out, because the bigger entitlement is never tested.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Funded Nursing Care means-tested?
The FNC contribution itself is not means-tested, but it only covers the registered nursing element. The rest of the care in the home is means-tested, so a family can still face substantial fees.
Should CHC be assessed before FNC?
Yes. The national framework requires everyone who may need FNC to be considered for Continuing Healthcare first, because CHC is the larger entitlement and removes means-testing from the whole package.
Can I ask for a CHC assessment if we already have FNC?
Yes. You can request a Continuing Healthcare assessment at any time, and you should if health needs are significant or have increased since FNC was arranged.
How much is Funded Nursing Care?
It is a flat weekly rate set nationally and reviewed each year. Because it changes, it is worth checking the current figure, but the key point is that it is a contribution towards nursing, not full funding.
This page explains NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care in England. It is general information rather than legal advice, and it does not replace an assessment of an individual's needs.