Continuing healthcare stopped at a review

In July 2025 to June 2026, 12,767 people in England lost standard NHS continuing healthcare at a review. If it has happened to your relative, you can challenge it in the same way as a refusal.

What the national rules say about reviews

• Most reviews should not reassess eligibility at all. They should mainly check that the care plan still meets the person's needs. The framework expects that "in the majority of cases there will be no need to reassess for eligibility".
• A reassessment needs clear evidence that needs have changed, to an extent that may affect eligibility, using the last assessment as the point of comparison.
• A reassessment means a new, full Decision Support Tool, completed by a properly constituted multidisciplinary team and compared with the previous one.
• Needs must continue to be met during a reassessment, and neither the NHS nor the council should withdraw existing funding until other arrangements are agreed and in place.
• Well-managed needs are still needs: good care keeping a need under control does not remove it.

What to check

• Was there clear evidence that the needs had changed, or was the review simply re-scored?
• Was a new full assessment completed by a multidisciplinary team, with you involved?
• Compare the old and new assessment forms area by area. Any level that dropped needs a reason in the records.

What to do

1. Note the date on the decision letter. Most NHS areas give you 6 months to ask for a review. Work out your date.
2. Ask for both assessment forms (the old and the new) and the records used.
3. Write asking for a review, area by area, with dated evidence that the needs continue. The letter template works for this too.
4. Ask what happens to the care package while the review takes place, so you know who is paying in the meantime.

Check the scores yourself with the score checker, or join the waiting list for a free written review.

Sources

• NHS England: continuing healthcare statistics
• National Framework (July 2022, revised July 2023), sections "Purpose and frequency of reviews" and "Well-managed needs and reviews", and its principle that funding should not be withdrawn unilaterally
• Decision Support Tool guidance, paragraph 31