NHS Continuing Healthcare Assessment Tools Updated October 2026
The Department of Health and Social Care has published updated versions of the Checklist, Decision Support Tool (DST) and Fast Track Pathway Tool, together with their accompanying guidance.
The Department of Health and Social Care has published updated versions of the tools and guidance used in England’s NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessment process.
The revisions cover the Checklist, Decision Support Tool (DST) and Fast Track Pathway Tool, together with their accompanying guidance.
What has changed?
On 20 October 2026, all three tools and their guidance were revised to improve clarity and ease of use. Standard and accessible versions are now available in Word and OpenDocument formats.
A further update to the DST on 22 October amended the examples of healthcare professions listed in the “Who can complete the DST” section.
Have the eligibility criteria changed?
The official update notices describe improvements to clarity, usability and accessibility. They do not announce changes to CHC eligibility criteria.
The National Framework remains the July 2022 edition, incorporating corrections made in July 2023. Updating the assessment documents is therefore distinct from changing the underlying framework for deciding eligibility.
Clearer documents do not remove the complexity
NHS Continuing Healthcare involves much more than completing an assessment form. Understanding how care records demonstrate a person’s needs, how those needs interact and how the eligibility framework should be applied requires careful analysis.
For families paying substantial care fees, the financial consequences of an inaccurate assessment can be considerable. Revised documents alone cannot ensure that all relevant evidence is identified or that a person’s needs are properly understood.
How Acorn Continuing Healthcare can help
At Acorn Continuing Healthcare, we review care and medical evidence to identify cases where we consider an individual should be eligible for NHS funding.
Our team has vast experience in handling these matters at all stages of the CHC process. We help families understand their position, present detailed evidence and challenge decisions where appropriate.
If you are dealing with assessments, reviews or appeals, or require advice about any aspect of NHS Continuing Healthcare, we would advise speaking to a member of our team.
Call 0345 548 0066 or email contact@acornchc.co.uk