Editorial Dispatch
Nursing home
3 min read 1 min listenUK Care Home Fees: Means Testing, the 12-Week Property Disregard, and NHS Continuing Healthcare
A definitive, clinically grounded guide to UK care home funding: navigating the local authority means test, protecting property through statutory disregards, and unlocking NHS Continuing Healthcare.
United Kingdom
Reviewed by Elena Roberts, NHS Continuing Healthcare Specialist & Registered Nurse
Grounded in: GOV.UK · Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Published
At a glance 1:27
- The local authority means test uses an upper capital limit of £23,250, above which individuals are classified as self-funders and must pay the full private fee rate.
- Under the 12-week property disregard, the council must ignore the value of a home for the first 12 weeks of permanent care, providing a vital breathing room for families.
- NHS Continuing Healthcare is a non-means-tested, 100% state-funded option for those with a primary health need, assessed across 12 domains including nature, intensity, complexity, and unpredictability.
Grounded in the Care Act 2014 and NHS Continuing Healthcare statutory guidance.
1-minute grounded audio summary
1:27 · AI voice