What is CHC fast track?
Short answer
A route to immediate, fully NHS-funded care for someone with a rapidly deteriorating condition that may be entering a terminal phase. A clinician completes the Fast Track tool and the Integrated Care Board must arrange care within 48 hours. There is no means test.
The Fast Track pathway exists because the standard NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment takes around 28 days, which is far too long for someone who is dying. It bypasses that process entirely: where the clinical criteria are met, the Integrated Care Board must put fully funded care in place within 48 hours.
Who can trigger it
A clinician — a GP, hospital consultant, palliative care nurse, Macmillan nurse or other appropriately qualified professional — completes the Fast Track tool, confirming a rapidly deteriorating condition that may be entering a terminal phase. Families cannot complete the form themselves, but they can and should ask for it.
If the clinical team is reluctant:
- Ask them to explain, in writing, why the person does not meet the Fast Track criteria.
- Seek a second clinical opinion — the palliative care or hospice team is often better placed than a busy ward.
- Raise it directly with the ICB’s CHC team, which can be prompted to act.
What it pays for
Fast Track CHC is fully funded with no means test, covering the whole package rather than a contribution. Care can be arranged at home, in a care home or in a hospice, and the ICB must take the person’s wishes into account. If the family has a particular home in mind, ask for it: the ICB is not obliged to use a home it has no contract with or one costing significantly more than it usually pays, but where the home has a place and accepts the NHS rate there is usually no obstacle.
How long it lasts
Funding continues while the clinical criteria are met. If the person’s condition unexpectedly stabilises, the ICB may review whether standard CHC eligibility applies instead — and any change must follow a proper review with reasons and notice to the family, not a phone call. In terminal illness this is rare; Fast Track funding usually continues to the end of life.
These arrangements are the England pathway. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate their own continuing care frameworks with equivalent urgent routes but different forms and timescales, so contact the relevant health authority if you are outside England.
Related guides
NHS Continuing Healthcare Fast Track
The NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Fast Track pathway provides immediate, fully NHS-funded care for people who have a rapidly deteriorating condition — including terminal illness — that may be entering a terminal phase. It bypasses the standard CHC assessment process and must be processed within 48 hours.
7 min
NHS Continuing Healthcare
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is a package of ongoing care fully funded by the NHS for adults whose primary need for care arises from a health condition rather than social care needs. If you qualify, the NHS pays for all your care — including care home fees — with no means test. Eligibility is often misunderstood and many eligible people are never assessed. If the person you are asking about has a rapidly deteriorating condition that may be entering a terminal phase, the separate <a href="/care-later-life/chc-fast-track">CHC Fast Track pathway</a> bypasses this assessment and must be decided within 48 hours.
10 min
End of Life Care Planning
End of life care planning means thinking and talking about how you want to be cared for in the final months, weeks, and days of life. Good planning can help ensure your wishes are known and respected, reduce distress for family members, and mean you are more likely to receive care that reflects your values and preferences.
6 min
Hospital Discharge and Care Planning
Being discharged from hospital can be a critical juncture — the period after discharge is when people are most vulnerable to falls, deterioration, and readmission. Understanding your rights and the hospital's discharge process helps ensure you leave at the right time and with the right support in place.
6 min
More care questions
Disclaimer