Questions families ask

Short answers about CHC Ready, the pack, and paying. For the CHC process itself, see how CHC works.

About CHC Ready

What is CHC Ready?

CHC Ready helps families get ready for the NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessment. Our guides are free. Prepare, our paid service, reads your relative's care records and gives you an evidence pack to take into the assessment meeting.

Is it part of the NHS?

No. CHC Ready is an independent service run by Dispono Ltd. It is not part of the NHS. The NHS decides who gets CHC.

Who is it for?

Anyone helping a relative or friend get ready for a full CHC assessment, the meeting where a team looks at their needs. It helps most when the meeting is coming up and you can get copies of the records.

Who's behind CHC Ready?

CHC Ready is run by Dispono Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, company number 17529136. Read more about us.

Records

What records do I need, and how do I get them?

The most useful records are recent and written by the people giving care: daily care notes, charts, care plans, risk assessments and hospital letters. Ask the care home manager, the GP practice and the hospital's records team for copies. They should usually reply within one month, and it's usually free. Our guide to getting the records explains how.

Can it read handwritten notes?

Not yet. Prepare reads typed records only for now. It can't read handwriting, or scans and photos. A typed PDF is one where you can select or copy the words. If a page can't be read, we tell you which one, so you know it isn't in the pack.

How many pages can I upload?

Up to 300 pages for one person, as typed PDFs.

Do I need power of attorney?

Not always. You can upload records if you hold a lasting power of attorney for health and welfare, or you're their deputy, or they have agreed. If you're a close relative or friend who is helping them, you can also upload, once you confirm a short declaration when you sign up.

Your pack

How long does it take?

Usually within an hour. Very large bundles can take longer. We email you when your pack is ready, so you can close the page.

What's in the pack?

• Each point from the records, filed under the 12 areas the assessors score, with its quote and the page it came from.
• What different records say, side by side under each area.
• Where the evidence is thin, the records that usually help, and a request you can send.
• Questions you could ask at the meeting.
• A section for your own view.

You get it as a PDF, a large-print PDF and a Word file. See an example pack.

Will it get my relative funding?

No one can promise that. The ICB, the local NHS body, decides. The pack helps you put the evidence in front of the assessors, so you can give yourself the best chance of funding.

Can my brothers and sisters see the pack?

Only you can see the pack in your account. You can download it as a PDF, a large-print PDF or a Word file and share it with family yourself.

What if something in the pack is wrong?

Every point shows its quote and page, so you can check it against the record. You can mark a point as wrong in your account, and change the wording in the Word copy before you share it. Where the software isn't sure a summary matches its quote, it shows only the record's own words.

Can I use it alongside Beacon or a solicitor?

Yes. Beacon's free advisers explain the process: call 0345 548 0300. CHC Ready does the reading. If you use a solicitor, you can share the pack with them.

What if they're found not eligible?

You can ask the ICB to look at the decision again. This is called local resolution. If that doesn't settle it, you can ask NHS England for an independent review. After that, you can complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. See how CHC works for the steps. Our Challenge service, to help with this, isn't open yet. Join the Challenge waitlist.

Paying and your information

How much does it cost?

£79, one payment. There's nothing else to pay and no subscription.

Can I get a refund?

Full refund before we start reading your records, and for 14 days after your pack is ready, for any reason. Email hello@chcready.co.uk. The full terms explain more.

How do you make money?

You pay £79 once. That's our only income. No adverts, no selling information, no commission from solicitors or care homes.

Is my relative's information safe?

• Used only to make your pack.
• Never sold or shared.
• Deleted 30 days after your pack is ready, or straight away if you ask.

Read the privacy notice for the details.