Advice | 8 Comments |
NHS continuing healthcare in Scotland
NHS CHC equivalent in Scotland
Since 2015, the NHS in Scotland has replaced continuing healthcare or CHC with a scheme called Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care.
For anyone who has long-term complex healthcare requirements, their needs assessment will be based on just one question: Can your care needs be properly met in a setting other than hospital?
If the answer to this question is no, the NHS will fully fund the care, but only in a hospital.
If the answer is yes, they will be discharged from NHS care to a suitable community setting, which might be:
• their own home, with support
• a care home
• supported accommodation
The NHS won’t fund the non-healthcare aspects of care in the community. But they might be eligible for help from the local authority instead.
Funding depends on local council policy
The council will carry out a financial assessment to decide how much an individual should be contributing towards care costs.
The NHS will remain responsible for meeting any medical needs after discharge from hospital.
There is free personal care for people of any age in Scotland.
Assessment for Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care
The assessment will be carried out by a consultant or equivalent specialist, helped by the multi-disciplinary team.
The person being assessed and their family and/or carer should also be involved, with their opinions and wishes taken into account.
The process should help establish the best place for clinical healthcare needs to be met. All options should be considered, and the outcome of the process explained to the person being assessed.
NHS CHC prior to June 2015
Anyone who was getting NHS continuing healthcare under the old scheme since before June 2015, will continue to receive it as long as they are eligible.
People who are receiving this care in a care home will continue to do so, for as long as they remain eligible.
What charges should people expect?
For those who don’t qualify for Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care, the NHS will still be responsible for meeting health needs, free of charge. However, if care is provided in a care home, there will be a means-tested contribution to accommodation costs.
Only those who need to be cared for in hospital are exempt from charges relating to their accommodation. Everyone else – whatever their age or disability – is expected to contribute to the funding of accommodation costs, following a financial assessment.
Who can provide support in the community?
Community health and care services – working in partnership with housing, third sector and independent providers, and with support from a range of specialists – are experts in supporting people to recover after an illness.
They provide care and support at home or in a homely setting for people who need chronic care and support, palliative or end-of-life care.
Article ends – click to return to top or check out related resources below
Further reading and resources
(external links will open in a new browser window)
Coming Home Action Plan – support for people with complex care needs
You can find out more about Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care and how to get other care services in Scotland on the Care Information Scotland website.
What to do if you don’t agree with a care assessment – see Age Scotland’s factsheet Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care.
8 Replies to “NHS continuing healthcare in Scotland”
Leave a Comment or Ask a Question:
You are providing your name and email address to Independent Living, so that we can communicate with you, if necessary, about your comment. Your privacy is very important, so please note that we won’t contact you for any other purpose, and your details will not be shared with any third party.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
My dad is currently in hbccc facility and been there for 5 years . I received phone call today to say he no longer qualifies for this and would be refered to social worker to be moved on . I’m a nurse and I will do everything in my power to keep him where he is .
I’m furious
My mother in law has Lewy body dementia. She is confined to bed, incontinent, and completely unable to walk. She can only sit up for a max of 40 mins per day, otherwise her blood pressure drops to such an extent that she becomes unresponsive. On top of this she is confused, paranoid, and hallucinates. She was an inpatient within NHSGGC for 3 months, but pressure was put on family to get suitable nursing home – clearly to free up her hospital bed. She is now isolated in a room in nursing home. She’s not happy and neither are we, the family. We did not agree that she was fit for discharge from hospital in the first place.
Absolutely disgusting from this snp government free prescriptions to all non contributors free bus passes to young folk perfectly able to walk and run and stealing money from elderly who have paid their way and bought their own homes only to be stolen from them when elderly and infirm let’s hope Labour and anas sarwar can turn this around
Totally agree its disgusting
how convenient that the government have stopped continuing health care making anyone who’s worked hard all their life have to sell their home to pay for care! its disgusting, poor folk with dementia etc having to be cared for by family and friends so they dont have to sell up, its disgusting that we treat people who through no fault of their own are being treated this way!! they say free care to everyone in Scotland? not if you need 24/7 there isn’t! its farce, if you cant care for the loved one due to your own health/age issues, then that person will be forced to live in a care home, if they have any assets they will need to sell and pay for care. I can not believe the Scottish population have decided they dont want this!!!!! disgusting Nicola Sturgeon, how can you do this to your elderly population or complex needs adults, there isn’t even any resources to help out either, no day centres, no proper care homes, Nicola stop the idiotic campaign to give Scotland its freedom and concentrate on the people who put you in power – shame on you
Hi Angela – I cannot offer any solution but I am in the position that my 96 year old Mum with advanced Alzheimer’s was admitted to hospital 2 months ago after a fall and has since gone terribly downhill to the extent that her Alzheimer’s is much worse, she is doubly incontinent and has been assessed as needing 2 x carers 24/7, which Edinburgh council cannot provide. They can’t even do the daycare part. The hospital/council liaison social worker told me it would cost around £1,900 per week for night carers, whereas the nursing home they found would cost around £1,600 pw.
I wanted my Mum back home but my husband is now seriously ill and needs my constant support so I cannot provide Mum with the care she needs. She was huckled into an interim nursing home placement to free up her hospital bed.
Ultimately, we have to sell her house, which we paid thousands to renovate it to renting standard (we also spent thousands extending our house to provide a downstairs bedroom and bathroom for her) and have the long term tenants evicted.
Apologies for all this, I just saw your post & had to rant!!
My husband is 72 years of age and terminally ill end of life was discharged from the hospital into a Hospice after 14 days he was discharged.
His needs are great He receives Cordia Carers 3 times per day and a daily visit from District Nurse to administer Blood Clot injections When morphine requires to be administered DN attends.
However, I am 72 years of age and require additional help throughout the day to attend to his toilet needs. I am unable to lift him from bed to the toilet. He also suffers from Encephalopathy toxins attacking the brain.
Is it possible for me to apply for CHC Funding to pay for additional are at home?
Thankyou
Hello Patricia
Unfortunately, if you are in Scotland, you can’t get continuing healthcare at home – the NHS will only fund it in a hospital setting.
They would assess your husband’s care requirements and decide whether he needed to be in hospital in order to have them met.
Best wishes,
Frances