Check what your CHC Checklist scores mean
Enter the A, B or C score for each of the 11 areas on your relative's CHC Checklist. That's the short NHS screening form used before a full assessment for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC). The checker shows whether the scores meet a rule for a full assessment, and how close they are if they don't. It's free and needs no sign-up.
Choose C, B or A for each area, as written on the Checklist. A is the highest level of need and C the lowest. Leave an area blank if you don't have its score yet. Your result appears below the 11 areas and updates as you go.
What the scores show
Choose the scores from the completed Checklist and the result appears here.
It does not assess health. Only the NHS assessment decides eligibility. This is information, not legal advice. The rules come from the NHS continuing healthcare checklist guidance (DHSC, updated 20 October 2026). Last checked 13 November 2026.
How are CHC Checklist scores worked out?
A trained health or social care practitioner compares your relative's needs with the descriptions on the Checklist form. They choose C, B or A for each of the 11 areas. C stands for a low level of care need and A for a high level. NHS continuing healthcare Checklist scoring then comes down to four rules. If the scores meet any one of them, the Checklist is positive and a full assessment for NHS Continuing Healthcare is required.
| Rule | What the scores must show |
|---|---|
| 1 | Two or more areas scored A |
| 2 | Five or more areas scored B |
| 3 | One area scored A and four scored B |
| 4 | One A in a priority area, whatever the other areas score |
Source: NHS continuing healthcare checklist guidance, DHSC, updated 20 October 2026, section "How to complete the checklist", and the October 2026 Checklist form, section 3.
What do the A, B and C scores mean?
Each of the 11 areas has its own wording for each score, so an A for breathing describes something different from an A for mobility. The table below uses the mobility area as an example, in plain words, from the October 2026 form.
| Score | What it means | Mobility example |
|---|---|---|
| C | A low level of care need, or no need in that area | Walks on their own, or can bear weight with some help or a walking aid |
| B | A level of need between C and A | Can't always bear weight, or can't bear weight but can help when being moved, or in a bed or chair most of the day but able to help carers, or at moderate risk of falls shown in a falls history or a risk assessment |
| A | A high level of care need | Can't bear weight and can't help when being moved, or needs careful positioning because of the risk of physical harm, loss of muscle tone or pain on movement and can't co-operate, or at high risk of falls shown in a falls history and a risk assessment, or has spasms or contractures that put them or others at risk |
Source: NHS continuing healthcare checklist (form), DHSC, October 2026, section 2, area 5 (mobility). Summarised in plain words. The form has the full wording.
Our CHC Checklist guide goes through all 11 areas.
Which areas carry a priority level?
Four areas are marked with an asterisk on the Checklist. They carry a priority level in the Decision Support Tool (DST), the form used at the full assessment:
- Breathing
- Behaviour
- Drug therapies and medication: symptom control
- Altered states of consciousness
If one of these four looks under-scored, it's the first thing to check, because one A there meets rule 4 on its own.
What if the scores are below the line?
If the scores don't meet any of the four rules, the Checklist is negative and no full assessment follows for now. The guidance says the threshold has been set low on purpose, so that everyone who needs a full assessment gets one. It also allows a full assessment below the line in rare cases, where there's a clear reason and local rules are followed.
You can ask the integrated care board (ICB), the NHS body that decides CHC funding, to reconsider a negative Checklist. It doesn't have to carry out a new one. The guidance says that if your relative's needs are likely to increase in the next three months, this should be recorded. So should a decision on whether to review the Checklist.
If you'd like help with this, our case review goes through the Checklist, the care records and the decision with you. If we don't think there's a case, we'll tell you in writing before you pay for anything more.
What happens after a positive Checklist?
After a positive Checklist, a multidisciplinary team (MDT) completes the DST. The MDT is at least two professionals, usually from health and social care. The DST looks at 12 areas of need in more depth than the Checklist. The National Framework is the government's rulebook for CHC. It says the decision should usually take no more than 28 days after the ICB receives the positive Checklist. Your relative should not be left without the support they need while they wait.
This is the stage where preparation counts. Our assessment support covers the evidence and the meeting, and the eligibility criteria guide explains what the full assessment looks for.
Questions about Checklist scores
Can anyone complete a CHC Checklist?
No. The guidance says a range of health and social care practitioners can complete the Checklist, as long as they've been trained to use it. Families don't score the form themselves. However, your relative should normally be given the chance to take part. The form also asks whether they were offered a representative, such as a family member, to be there.
What is a good CHC Checklist score?
There's no pass mark or total that counts. What matters is whether the scores meet one of the four rules. More As or Bs on top of that don't change the next step.
Does a positive Checklist mean my relative will get CHC?
No. The guidance says a positive Checklist means a full assessment of eligibility is required. It doesn't necessarily mean the person will be found eligible. The integrated care board (ICB) makes that decision after the full assessment.
Can we see the scores the assessor gave?
Yes. The guidance says your relative or their representative must get the outcome clearly and in writing, with the reasons. This should happen as soon as reasonably practicable, and it will normally mean a copy of the completed Checklist. If you haven't had one, ask the ICB or the person who completed it.
What if the scores don't match the care notes?
Note each area where they differ, with the dates and entries from the care notes or daily records that show the higher need. Send that evidence to the ICB with your request to reconsider the Checklist, so it has something specific to look at.
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.
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