Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the assessment process for eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare; and whether he has any plans to review that process.

The Department published an updated National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) in March 2018, following a period of extensive engagement with stakeholders and those working across the National Health Service and local government.

The update provided clarity on policy areas and reflected legislative changes such as the Care Act 2014. Importantly, none of the 2018 amendments and clarifications to the National Framework changed the eligibility criteria for NHS CHC.

Following the of the National Framework, the Department and NHS England are working jointly to explore the NHS CHC and NHS-funded Nursing Care initial pathway including the CHC Checklist tool.

NHS England has launched an NHS CHC Strategic Improvement Programme and is helping clinical commissioning groups to improve their application of the NHS CHC National Framework. The Programme aims are to provide fair access to CHC in a way which ensures better outcomes, better experience, and better use of resources.