End of life care

NHS Continuing Healthcare is a fully funded package of care provided and arranged by your local Integrated Care Board (ICB), also known as your NHS trust. If you are receiving end of life care and have:

• A rapidly deteriorating condition, and
• May be entering a terminal phase

Then you may be fast tracked for NHS Continuing Healthcare, with no need to complete the usual detailed assessment process. If staff caring for you believe that you might be eligible for this end of life funding, then they should request an ‘appropriate clinician’ (doctor, nurse of specialist in end of life care) complete the NHS Continuing Healthcare fast track tool.

There are certain state benefits that your application can be fast tracked for if you have a terminal diagnosis of 12 months or less (in Scotland there is no time limit other than being diagnosed with a disease that will get worse over time and will cause your death).

These special rules can mean that you have to fill out fewer forms, don’t need to certain assessments or receive your first payment sooner. Benefits covered include:

• Attendance Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment (England, Wales, NI)
• Adult Disability Payment (Scotland)
• Employment and Support Allowance
• Universal Credit

If you are applying under these special fast track rules, you will need a medical report form which can be provided by your healthcare professional.

You can read more about State Benefit eligibility on our benefits page.

Following the death of a loved one you may feel, understandably, overwhelmed by both the emotion of the situation and the uncertainty of what needs to happen next. This section aims to guide you through the practical steps that need to be taken:

1. Reporting a death
   If you discover someone has passed away, you should contact their GP if their death was expected and 999 if it was unexpected. If the person died in hospital, then the hospital will inform the appropriate people. Following this a medical certificate will be provided. If the person had a funeral plan, then you may wish to contact the funeral directors to notify them of the death.
   
   Finally, the death can be registered at any register office. The registrar will provide a number of documents including the death certificate, a certificate for burial or cremation and a code for the Government’s ‘Tell us Once’ service (see below).

2. Informing organisations
   The ‘Tell Us Once’ service will allow you to update multiple Government departments at once about a person’s death, including: Electoral and Council Tax, HM Passport Office, HMRC, Blue Badge Scheme, DWP and DVLA.
   
   Alongside this there are likely to be other organisations to inform such as banks, building societies, insurance providers, utility companies, GP, Dentist, Social Servics and the Office of Public Guardian (if there were attorneys acting under a Power of Attorney).

3. Arranging a funeral
   If the person who died had already made provision for their funeral, for example through a pre-paid funeral plan, then you may wish to contact the company they arranged this with to get further information on the practical and financial support they can now provide.
   
   Where a person does not have a funeral plan, you can either contact funeral directors to enquire about their services or arrange a funeral without the help of such a service.

4. Bereavement support
   The loss of a loved one is a very personal experience. Everybody will work through bereavement in the way that is right for them. If you would find it useful to speak to someone or seek support, the following organisations may help:
   • AtaLoss (bereavement directory)
   • Cruse Bereavement
   • The Compassionate Friends (if you have lost a child or grandchild)National
   • Bereavement Service
   • Samaritans