NHS Continuing Healthcare is a package of care provided and funded by the NHS for people whose primary need has been assessed to be a health need. The care is provided free by the NHS and can be provided in any location including your own home, a care home or a hospital.

If you have been assessed by Surrey County Council for adult social care services or support we will refer you to Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group, with your permission, if we believe that you may be eligible for free NHS funded care. However you can contact Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group directly if you believe that you or a relative may be entitled to free NHS care. See NHS Surrey website.

In October 2007, the Government implemented a National Framework for NHS funded care with the aim of ensuring that people would be treated equitably, wherever they live in England and Wales, when applying for NHS funded care. This was revised in 2009, and more recently in November 2012, to provide further clarity as this can be a complex and sensitivie issue. See the NHS funded care National Framework November 2012 and the NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS Funded Nursing Care Public information booklet.

In addition, they have introduced a Decision Support Tool that must be used to assess your needs and can assist you to consider whether you may be entitled to NHS funded care - see the National Framework Decision Support Tools.

Surrey County Council and Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group (previously known as NHS Surrey) have made an agreement about the standards to be applied when we are both assessing individuals for health or social care services. The standards apply to the referral, assessment, decision making and dispute resolution processes that we have put in place. See the PDFs titled: NHS Surrey and Surrey County Council - Joint Continuing Healthcare Panel Process and NHS Surrey and Surrey County Council - Disputes Resolution Process.

For more information, please see NHS Continuing Healthcare information on the Gov.UK website.