Squeeze on NHS-Provided ‘Free’ Social Care Continues As Research Shows Three-Quarters Of Over-45s Don’t Know It Exists
Latest NHS England figures raise concerns that access to NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is reaching fewer people in need with eligibility rates falling to the lowest since figures were first published in 2017.
CHC is a valuable benefit because it is not means-tested and fully funds both health and social care outside hospital for adults where there is a ‘primary health need’.
Research by retirement specialist Just Group for its Care Report 20242 found just 73% of over-45s had not heard of CHC and a further 15% who had heard of it knew nothing about it.
Of the 50,000 people eligible for CHC at any one time, about one-third are ‘fast track’ due to rapidly deteriorating health conditions, many of whom are approaching end of life.
The remaining two-thirds receiving ‘standard’ CHC have long-term or complex conditions due to disability, accident or illness. Obtaining CHC can be complex and challenging, initially requiring a referral from a healthcare professional and then an assessment to gauge eligibility. Along with poor public awareness and understanding, there are questions whether many people with the most complex needs are missing out.
Latest NHS figures suggest that, compared to pre-covid levels, fewer people are being assessed and one in five (19%) of those who are assessed in Q2 2024/25 qualified for the CHC funding. From an eligibility of 4.98 per 50,000 of the adult population at the start of 2017/18, it is now about half that figure at 2.59 per 50,000 and heading lower.
Meanwhile, ‘fast track’ eligibility has edged higher3 but this has raised concerns among industry experts whether people are only receiving support when their condition has deteriorated significantly rather than when they first need it.
Stephen Lowe, group communications director at retirement specialist Just Group, commented: “NHS Continuing Healthcare is hugely valuable to seriously ill people and their families but so few know about it that it is often described as the NHS’s ‘best kept secret’.
“It covers the full costs of caring for someone in their own home or in a care home, including professional help with personal care such as help with washing and dressing. It can save people hundreds or even thousands of pounds in care costs each week but is notoriously hard to access.
“But large numbers don’t know about it and those that do find the process hard to navigate. Many only receive CHC after appointing professional advocates to present their case with one in seven (15%) denied CHC successfully appealing against that decision.
“The Labour government cancelled the implementation of the cap on social care costs in July but has not brought forward an alternative plan, leaving people in limbo about how to plan for later life care.
“We encourage anyone who believes that either a loved-one or themselves may be eligible for CHC funding to speak to a qualified healthcare professional, like a GP, care home or district nurse or a social worker. They can help explain and initiate the application journey and discuss the likelihood of receiving the funding.”
