Free CHC funding check
Answer 18 short questions about the care your relative needs. You'll see straight away which areas of need stand out, and whether a full NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessment looks worth asking for. CHC is care that the NHS arranges and pays for in full. The check is free and needs no sign-up.
Is their health getting worse quickly?
If your relative's condition is getting worse quickly and they may be nearing the end of life, you don't need this check first. Ask the doctor or nurse responsible for their care about the Fast Track Pathway Tool. It replaces both the Checklist (the NHS's short screening form) and the full assessment. The integrated care board (ICB), the NHS body that decides CHC funding, must act on a properly completed one straight away.
National Framework, DHSC, July 2022 revision, pages 35 and 77 to 79.
Question 1 of 18
There are no wrong answers. Think about a normal week.
It does not assess health. Only the NHS assessment decides eligibility. This is information, not legal advice. Source: NHS continuing healthcare checklist guidance, DHSC, updated 20 October 2026. Last checked 13 November 2026.
What the free check looks at
A trained health or social care practitioner, such as a nurse or social worker, fills in the NHS Checklist before a full assessment. It scores 11 areas of need, and the free check asks about the same 11 areas in everyday words. Some areas have two questions, which is why there are 18 in all.
- BreathingPriority area
- Eating and drinking
- Toilet needs
- Skin and pressure sores
- Moving around
- Communication
- Mood and emotional needs
- Memory and decisions
- BehaviourPriority area
- Medication and symptom controlPriority area
- Blackouts and seizuresPriority area
The four priority areas carry extra weight. On the real Checklist, the highest score in any one of them is enough on its own to mean a full assessment is required. Our guide to the CHC Checklist explains every area. If you already have a completed Checklist, the Checklist score checker reads the real scores.
What happens after the check?
If the result says a full assessment looks worth asking for, or that it's close, you can ask us to call you back. We'll go through what you've described, explain what the Checklist is likely to focus on, and tell you whether we think it's worth asking for.
If you'd like our help after that, you'll get a written quote with the full total for each stage before any work starts. When an assessment is coming up, assessment support covers the preparation and the meeting. If your relative has already been turned down, a case review looks at the decision and the papers behind it.
Whatever the result, our guide to who pays for care home fees sets out what the council and the NHS each pay for.
Your answers and your privacy
Your answers stay in the browser on this device. They're saved there so you can close the page and come back later, and pressing Start again clears them. We never receive your answers.
We count how many people start and finish the check, with no answers or personal details attached. If you ask us to email you the result, we keep your email address with the result and the flagged areas. Our privacy notice explains how we handle personal information.
Questions about the free check
Is the free check an NHS assessment?
No. CHC Funding Support runs this check, and we are not part of the NHS. It gives you a fair idea of where things stand before the NHS completes its own Checklist. That helps you decide whether to ask for one.
Does a good result mean my relative will get CHC?
No. A good result means the needs you've described look like the kind that should lead to a full assessment. The NHS guidance says that even a positive Checklist doesn't necessarily mean someone will be found eligible. The full assessment looks at their needs in more depth, and the integrated care board (ICB) then makes the decision.
Do I need any NHS paperwork to do the check?
No. The questions use everyday words and ask about the care your relative needs in a normal week. You can answer from what you see and what their carers tell you. Where you're not sure, choose the answer that sounds closest.
Who will call me, and when?
We will, at the time you ask for. Use the contact form to leave your number and the best time to reach you, and we'll call you then or within 2 working days. The call is part of the free check, so there's nothing to pay for it.
What if the check says CHC looks unlikely?
You can still ask for an NHS Checklist, as the threshold is set low on purpose and only a completed Checklist decides. If your relative lives in a care home with nursing, ask about NHS-funded Nursing Care, a set NHS payment towards their nursing care. The council can also assess their needs and help with costs under its own rules. If their needs increase, it's worth asking again.
Sources
- NHS continuing healthcare checklist: guidance, Department of Health and Social Care, updated 20 October 2026.
- NHS continuing healthcare checklist (form), Department of Health and Social Care, October 2026.
- National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, Department of Health and Social Care, July 2022 revision, corrected July 2023.
Get help with your case
Tell us what's happening and when suits you, and we'll call you back.