NHS Continuing Healthcare. Your local data.
CHC is the NHS funding that pays the full cost of care, including the care home, when needs are predominantly health-related. It is not means-tested. Most families have never heard of it. Approval varies dramatically by Integrated Care Board.
National average
16.7%
England, standard assessments
The spread
Across the 42 ICBs in England, approval rates run from 2.3% to 35.4%.
The National Framework is national. Its interpretation is local. Variation has several legitimate causes including age, deprivation, comorbidity, and referral practice. The figures presented here are raw rates. See methodology for what they can and cannot tell you.
15.7x
The gap between the highest and lowest ICB
Start here
If you’re new to this.
Most families find NHS Continuing Healthcare only after they have already started paying. These pages cover what to understand first.
01 · The Explainer
What is NHS Continuing Healthcare?
Plain English. Who qualifies, how the process works, what it pays for, and where families lose out.
Read the explainer →
02 · The Split
Who pays for care
The healthcare vs social care divide, the means test, where the NHS pays for long-term care and where it does not.
The picture →
03 · The Bill
Cost of a care home
Weekly fees by region. £900 to £1,900 typical. What drives the price.
Real numbers →
04 · The Threshold
The means test
£23,250 the threshold. £14,250 the floor. When the property counts. The 12-week disregard.
How it works →
05 · If Refused
Options after a no
Appeal, self-fund, or restructure. The three real routes after a not-eligible decision.
Your options →
The full ranking · 2025-26 Q4
NHS Continuing Healthcare across England
Sorted low to high. Colour grades from 2.3% (warm) to 35.4% (cool). Vertical line is the national rate. Click any ICB for history, rank and per-quarter detail.
All 42 ICBs
Ranked by approval rate
Before assessment
Walk through the 12 domains yourself.
The Decision Support Tool scores twelve clinical domains from No needs to Priority. Knowing where the case sits before the MDT meeting is the single most useful thing a family can do.
After a no
Three real options.
Around 83.3%of standard CHC assessments end in a not-eligible decision. The right next step depends on the strength of the clinical case, the local approval pattern, and your household’s financial position.