CHC, put simply.
The CHC Journey
A step-by-step guide to NHS Continuing Healthcare.
Checklist
The first screening stage.
The Checklist is the first stage of the CHC process. It is a screening tool used to decide whether a person should have a full NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment.
A positive Checklist means:
"More assessment is needed." — not that someone is eligible for CHC.
Full Assessment
Gathering the full picture.
Information is gathered to build a complete picture of the person's needs.
- Medical records
- Care plans
- Risk assessments
- Hospital records
- Family information
- Professional reports
Decision Support Tool
The structured DST meeting.
DST stands for Decision Support Tool. This is usually a meeting involving professionals and the individual or their family.
The purpose is to:
- Discuss needs
- Review evidence
- Consider risks
- Organise information
- Look at the whole picture
The DST is not a test. It is a framework to support decision making.
NICU Analysis
Nature, Intensity, Complexity, Unpredictability.
N
Nature
What are the needs?
I
Intensity
How much support is required?
C
Complexity
How do needs interact?
U
Unpredictability
How unpredictable are they?
This analysis sits at the heart of every CHC decision.
Primary Health Need
The central question.
The most important question in CHC:
Who is responsible for meeting these needs?
The NHS? Or the Local Authority?
If the person's main needs are health needs, they may have a Primary Health Need.
The Decision
Eligible or not eligible.
✓ Eligible
The NHS becomes responsible for arranging and funding care.
Not Eligible
The Local Authority may still have responsibilities to meet eligible social care needs following assessment.
Important
There is no pass mark.
Many families are told:
"You need two Severe scores."
"You need a Priority."
This is not how CHC is intended to work.
The National Framework explains:
- Certain scores may indicate eligibility.
- But there is no automatic eligibility.
- Every decision must consider the totality of needs.
- Professional judgement applies.
- Whether the person has a Primary Health Need.
The CHC journey can feel complicated.
But at its heart, NHS Continuing Healthcare is trying to answer one simple question:
Who is responsible for meeting these needs?
Everything else in the process helps answer that question.
CHC Clarity · CHC, put simply.