Eldercare glossary — key terms explained

The UK care system comes with a lot of jargon. This glossary explains the most important terms in plain English — from NHS funding acronyms to legal terms you'll encounter when arranging care for a relative.

C

Capital threshold: The savings and asset level above which a person must fund their own care. Currently £23,250 in England (upper threshold). <TODO: verify current figure>
Care needs assessment: A free assessment by the local authority to identify a person's care needs. Everyone is entitled to one regardless of financial situation.
Care Quality Commission (CQC): The independent regulator of health and social care in England. Inspects and rates all registered care providers.
Continuing Healthcare (CHC): Free, fully funded NHS care for people whose primary need is a health need. Not means-tested.

D

Decision Support Tool (DST): The framework used by NHS assessors to determine CHC eligibility across 12 care domains.
Deferred Payment Agreement: An arrangement where the local council pays for care and recoups the cost from the person's estate after their death, secured against their property.
Deputyship: A court-appointed authority to make decisions for someone who has already lost capacity and has no LPA in place. More complex and costly than an LPA.
Direct payment: A personal budget paid directly to the person (or their representative) to arrange their own care rather than receiving council-arranged services.
Domiciliary care: Professional care provided in a person's own home. Also called home care or care at home.

F

Fast-track CHC: An expedited CHC assessment for people with a rapidly deteriorating condition or terminal illness.

L

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA): A legal document appointing a trusted person to make decisions on behalf of someone who loses mental capacity. Two types: health & welfare, and property & financial affairs.

M

Means test: A financial assessment by the local authority to determine how much a person must contribute to their own care costs.

N

NHS-Funded Nursing Care (FNC): A weekly contribution the NHS makes toward nursing care costs for people in nursing homes who don't qualify for full CHC.
Nursing care: Care in a registered nursing home where qualified nurses are available around the clock for people with complex medical needs.

P

Personal budget: The amount of money the local authority allocates to fund a person's assessed care needs after a financial assessment.

R

Residential care: 24-hour personal care provided in a registered care home, where the person lives full time.
Respite care: Short-term care that gives family carers a temporary break. Can be provided at home or in a care home.

S

Self-funding: Paying for care privately, without NHS or local authority financial contribution.