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NHS funded nursing care: overview and information for the public

  • Last modified date:
    6 June 2008

On 1 October 2001, the Government delivered on the commitment set out in the NHS Plan to bring in free care nursing care from a registered nurse for those paying all the costs of their care, sometimes referred to as "self-funders". The NHS will now meet the costs of registered nurse time spent on providing, delegating or supervising care in all settings. This gets rid of the anomaly of people having to pay for care in a nursing home that would be provided free in residential accommodation or at home.

The NHS will pay for the costs of a registered nurse for existing and future residents according to their needs, following an assessment by a NHS nurse: low (remaining at £40pw from 1 April 2005), medium (£77.50pw to £80.00pw from 1 April 2005) and high (£125pw to £129pw from April 2005). Payments are made direct to the nursing homes because the NHS cannot reimburse individuals directly; the NHS must pay care homes for nursing care provided to residents.

Since April 2003 local authority supported residents in nursing homes receive NHS funded nursing care, rather than from the local council. "A guide for people living or going into nursing homes, their families and their carers"  is a public information leaflet, which explains the changes in more detail.

In 2005 the Department will be working with Strategic Health Authorities and other stakeholders to draft a new national framework for the assessment for fully funded NHS continuing care.

NHS-funded nursing care - the bands of nursing care from April 2006

From 1 April 2006, for eligible care home residents:

  • the high band will increase from £129 to £133 per week 
  • the medium band will increase from £80 to £83 per week; and
  • the low band will remain at £40 per week with PCTs continuing to have the flexibility in deciding, on a case by case basis, to pay an amount between the low and medium band depending on need.

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