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NHS-funded Nursing Care (FNC): what does the NHS pay?

NHS-funded Nursing Care, often called FNC, is different from full NHS Continuing Healthcare. It is a contribution towards registered nursing care for eligible people living in nursing homes in England.

The 2026 standard rate

From 1 April 2026, the standard NHS-funded Nursing Care rate in England is £267.68 a week. The NHS pays it directly to the nursing home; it is not the same as the NHS paying the whole care-home bill.

Who may qualify for NHS-funded Nursing Care?

NHS guidance says a person may be eligible if they are not eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare, have been assessed as needing care from a registered nurse, and live in a nursing home.

It is nursing funding

FNC contributes towards registered nursing care, including direct nursing and the planning, supervision and monitoring of nursing and healthcare tasks.

It is not full CHC

Full NHS Continuing Healthcare can fund the entire assessed care package where a person has a primary health need. FNC is narrower.

CHC should be considered first

This distinction matters. NHS guidance says a person should be assessed for NHS Continuing Healthcare before a decision is made about NHS-funded Nursing Care. A family should therefore be cautious about treating an FNC award as proof that full CHC has been properly ruled out.

Receiving FNC does not answer the CHC question

A person can have significant nursing needs and receive FNC, but the separate question is whether the overall nature, intensity, complexity or unpredictability of the needs amounts to a primary health need for full NHS Continuing Healthcare.

FNC compared with NHS Continuing Healthcare

IssueNHS-funded Nursing CareNHS Continuing Healthcare
What is funded?Registered nursing componentThe assessed health and social care package
Where?A nursing homeCan be provided in different settings, depending on the care package
Means-tested?NoNo
2026 standard rate£267.68 a week in EnglandNo flat weekly cap; the NHS arranges and funds the eligible package

What if the FNC decision is wrong?

If a person is found ineligible for FNC and you disagree, NHS guidance says you can ask the Integrated Care Board to review the decision. In practice, families should also ask whether the preceding CHC decision properly captured all the care needs.

  • Ask for the written CHC and FNC decisions.
  • Check whether a CHC Checklist or full Decision Support Tool assessment was completed.
  • Compare the recorded needs with care plans, risk assessments and daily records.
  • Look closely at needs that appear low only because staff are managing them successfully.
  • If full CHC was refused, consider the CHC appeal route rather than focusing only on the FNC amount.

What about the old higher rate?

NHS guidance also records a higher rate of £368.24 a week for a limited group of people who moved into a care home before 1 October 2007 and remained on the former high band, subject to the continuing eligibility conditions.

Primary sources: NHS, NHS-funded nursing care; NHS England, NHS Continuing Healthcare explainer. Rates and guidance checked September 2026.

Receiving FNC but unsure about full CHC?

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