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How to use this guide

Could the NHS Pay for Their Care?

This guide explains how to ask for NHS Continuing Healthcare in England: who to ask, what to say, a letter you can send, Fast Track near the end of life, what happens next, and what to do if the answer is no. It cannot tell you whether anyone will get it, and it isn't legal or financial advice.

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Sources checked 31 October 2026

On a phone, tablet or computer

Fill it in by typing

  1. Download the PDF from your email or from the download page.
  2. Open it in a PDF app that supports forms, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader (free on computers, phones and tablets).
  3. Tap a box and type. Tick boxes tick with one tap.
  4. Save the file. Your answers stay in your copy; nothing is sent to Keep It Together Care.

On paper

Print it and write by hand

  1. Print it on A4. The letter and the call log have room for handwriting.
  2. Keep a copy of the letter before you send it or hand it in.
  3. Keep all letters, forms and receipts together with this guide.

Video walkthrough

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Common questions

Where do I start?
With "If you only read one page". Then ask their GP, a nurse, a social worker or the care home for an assessment, or send the letter in the guide.
Will they get it?
The guide can't tell you that. The local NHS team decides, and you should get the decision in writing, with the reasons.
Does it apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
No. This guide is for England only. The other nations have their own arrangements.
I typed into it, but my answers had gone when I opened it again. Why?
Some previews, such as a browser tab or an email preview, can't save answers in a form. Download the PDF first, open it in a PDF app that supports forms, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, then save.
Is anything I write sent anywhere?
No. The PDF doesn't send your answers to Keep It Together Care or to anyone else. They stay in the file on your device, or on your paper copy.

What’s inside

  • If you only read one page
  • When to ask
  • Who can ask for it
  • Near the end of life: Fast Track
  • What to do this week
  • How to ask, step by step
  • Letter asking for an assessment
  • Before the assessment
  • What happens next
  • If the person can't decide for themselves
  • Already in a care home and paying?
  • If it's not NHS Continuing Healthcare
  • If the answer is no
  • Free help
  • Who we spoke to
  • Where this comes from

Practical organisation, not medical advice. Your own care team’s advice always comes first. See all free help