The full picture
NHS-Funded Nursing Care (FNC) is an NHS payment made directly to the care home toward the nursing element of a resident's care, where the resident lives in a nursing home (a care home that provides 24-hour registered nursing). It's separate from — and often confused with — NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC).
When does FNC apply? - The person lives in (or is moving into) a nursing home, not a residential care home - They've been assessed as needing input from a registered nurse - They've been assessed as NOT eligible for full CHC
FNC is the consolation prize when CHC is refused: instead of the NHS paying for everything, it pays the nursing element only. The local authority and the resident still pay for the rest (accommodation, personal care, food).
Rates (April 2026): - England: ~£240 per week (one flat rate; the previous higher rate was abolished) - Scotland: free personal and nursing care for over-65s (~£100 personal + ~£45 nursing per week is paid by the local authority directly) - Wales: ~£198 per week - Northern Ireland: included in the trust-arranged care package
FNC is reviewed annually by the NHS Continuing Healthcare team. If the person's needs increase, ask for a CHC reassessment — the threshold isn't a high bar but the assessment process is rigorous.
What to ask for: insist on a Decision Support Tool (DST) assessment for CHC. If refused CHC at DST, FNC should be triggered automatically.