Continuing healthcare approval rates by NHS area
How often each of England's 36 NHS areas approved continuing healthcare after a full assessment, July 2025 to June 2026, and how many local appeals succeeded.
17.7%approved in England (9,029 of 51,073)
5.0%lowest: Gloucestershire
43.1%highest: Black Country
14.3%of local appeals won (391 of 2,733)
The same national rules apply everywhere, yet the share approved varies several times over from one area to the next. Select a column heading to sort.
| Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire | 15.0% | 746 | 634 | 41 | 11 (26.8%) |
| Birmingham and Solihull | 8.2% | 1,139 | 1,046 | 92 | 12 (13.0%) |
| Black Country | 43.1% | 1,087 | 618 | 36 | 1 (2.8%) |
| Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire | 14.2% | 1,304 | 1,119 | 42 | 4 (9.5%) |
| Central East | 24.2% | 2,464 | 1,868 | 121 | 18 (14.9%) |
| Cheshire and Merseyside | 19.5% | 3,164 | 2,547 | 211 | 10 (4.7%) |
| Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly | 15.4% | 397 | 336 | 19 | 1 (5.3%) |
| Coventry and Warwickshire | 11.6% | 1,015 | 897 | 75 | 6 (8.0%) |
| Derby and Derbyshire | 12.0% | 855 | 752 | 40 | 3 (7.5%) |
| Devon | 16.0% | 2,040 | 1,714 | 89 | 0 (0.0%) |
| Dorset | 11.7% | 325 | 287 | 52 | 0 (0.0%) |
| Essex | 34.3% | 1,912 | 1,256 | 133 | 58 (43.6%) |
| Gloucestershire | 5.0% | 544 | 517 | 29 | 6 (20.7%) |
| Greater Manchester | 27.8% | 1,430 | 1,032 | 93 | 28 (30.1%) |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 20.0% | 1,705 | 1,364 | 70 | 5 (7.1%) |
| Herefordshire and Worcestershire | 13.4% | 1,325 | 1,148 | 49 | 20 (40.8%) |
| Humber and North Yorkshire | 18.3% | 1,186 | 969 | 28 | 6 (21.4%) |
| Kent and Medway | 14.9% | 1,132 | 963 | 100 | 20 (20.0%) |
| Lancashire and South Cumbria | 21.1% | 2,030 | 1,602 | 110 | 27 (24.5%) |
| Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland | 22.3% | 1,091 | 848 | 38 | 3 (7.9%) |
| Lincolnshire | 22.8% | 851 | 657 | 41 | 2 (4.9%) |
| Norfolk and Suffolk | 15.2% | 1,615 | 1,369 | 144 | 9 (6.2%) |
| North East London | 15.8% | 752 | 633 | 171 | 12 (7.0%) |
| North East and North Cumbria | 19.4% | 3,555 | 2,865 | 91 | 34 (37.4%) |
| Northamptonshire | 17.3% | 1,076 | 890 | 48 | 5 (10.4%) |
| Nottingham and Nottinghamshire | 15.0% | 1,539 | 1,308 | 55 | 12 (21.8%) |
| Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin | 8.0% | 600 | 552 | 16 | 12 (75.0%) |
| Somerset | 10.1% | 862 | 775 | 28 | 2 (7.1%) |
| South East London | 13.9% | 787 | 678 | 58 | 4 (6.9%) |
| South West London | 8.9% | 1,044 | 951 | 115 | 13 (11.3%) |
| South Yorkshire | 13.4% | 1,610 | 1,395 | 44 | 4 (9.1%) |
| Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent | 16.9% | 1,084 | 901 | 87 | 5 (5.7%) |
| Surrey and Sussex | 7.9% | 3,125 | 2,878 | 149 | 13 (8.7%) |
| Thames Valley | 16.2% | 1,600 | 1,340 | 77 | 17 (22.1%) |
| West Yorkshire | 20.2% | 1,992 | 1,590 | 79 | 4 (5.1%) |
| West and North London | 16.5% | 2,090 | 1,745 | 62 | 4 (6.5%) |
How to read it
- Approved is people found eligible after a full assessment through the standard route, divided by everyone fully assessed. It leaves out the fast-track route for people near the end of life.
- Local appeals are reviews completed in the period. Some will be about decisions made before it.
- Small numbers move a lot from year to year. Treat one area's rate as a guide, not a forecast for your case.
- Several NHS areas merged in 2026. NHS England maps older figures onto the current areas.
- 12,767 people in England lost standard continuing healthcare at a review in the same year.
If your relative was turned down, check the scores or join the waiting list for a free review.
Source
- NHS England: NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care, data file Q1 2017-18 to Q1 2026-27, quarters Q2 2025-26 to Q1 2026-27, integrated care board level.