Hospital discharge and who pays for care
If your main need is a health need, the NHS may have to pay for all of your care through NHS Continuing Healthcare, wherever you live.
The interactive version is available in 6 languages and Easy Read.
Your rights
- To be considered for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) if you may be eligible. If you are, it's free and not means-tested.
- To be involved in discharge planning and given information.
- To ask for a review and appeal a CHC decision.
- Free section 117 aftercare if you were detained under certain sections of the Mental Health Act.
What to do next
- Ask whether a CHC checklist has been done. It's the first screening step.
- Ask for copies of the checklist and of any Decision Support Tool.
- Go to the assessment meeting and describe needs on a bad day, not a good one.
- You can usually ask for a review within six months of the decision.
Say this
“Before any discharge decision, please confirm whether a Continuing Healthcare checklist has been completed.”
The law behind it (England)
- National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcareeligibility and the 'primary health need' test
- Care Act 2014s.74 and discharge
- Mental Health Act 1983s.117 aftercare
Elsewhere in the UK
- Scotland
- In Scotland, CHC was replaced by Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care. Personal care is free for eligible adults.
- Wales
- In Wales, a separate CHC Framework applies.
- Northern Ireland
- In Northern Ireland, there's no direct CHC equivalent. Ask your Trust about care funding.
Easy Read
What you need to know
- You are getting ready to leave hospital.
- If your needs are mainly health needs, the NHS may pay for all your care.
- This is called NHS Continuing Healthcare.
What you can do
- Ask: “Has the checklist been done?”
- Ask for a copy of any forms.
Last reviewed: November 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. How we check our information.