What Qualifies as a Primary Health Need for CHC Funding?

To qualify for CHC, a person must be found to have a 'primary health need' - this is the legal test set out in the NHS National Framework for Continuing Healthcare.

A primary health need exists when the care a person requires is primarily driven by their health condition - not just social or personal care needs. The assessment looks at four key factors:

1. Nature

   What type of care is needed, and does it require clinical oversight — such as medication management, wound care, or clinical monitoring?

2. Intensity

   How often does care need to be provided? How much care is needed at any given time? Is it continuous or episodic?

3. Complexity

   How difficult is it to manage the person's care needs? Do they interact or make each other harder to manage?

4. Unpredictability

   How difficult is it to predict when or how care will be needed? Do needs change rapidly and require immediate skilled response?

A person does not need to score highly on all four factors. If any one of these characteristics is sufficiently severe or if the combination across several creates a picture of primarily health-related need — CHC eligibility may be established.

Important: CHC is not just for people at end of life. Many families assume CHC only applies when someone is dying. This is incorrect. CHC can apply to any adult over 18 with ongoing, complex health needs (and it can be funded for months or years).