Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are mandatory timescales for (a) nursing homes requesting an assessment for (i) continuing healthcare funding and (ii) funded nursing care and a checklist referral being completed and (b) checklist referrals for (A) continuing healthcare funding and (B) funded nursing care being completed and full assessments being completed.

The statutory guidance, National framework for NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care, sets out the principles and processes for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and National Health Service-funded nursing care (FNC), so that people are assessed and receive care in a timely way. Further information on the statutory guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-framework-for-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-care

The national framework sets the expectation that the overall assessment and eligibility decision-making process for CHC should, in most cases, not exceed 28 calendar days, from the date that the integrated care board receives the positive checklist, to the eligibility decision being made. There are no mandatory timescales for the completion of a CHC checklist referral when requested by a nursing home. There are no mandatory timescales for a decision to be made about FNC eligibility.