Health and SEND

Some children and young people aged 0 to 17 have long-term complex needs that cannot be met by existing universal, targeted, or specialist health services.

To support these children and young people, the NHS works with the Local Authority to create a tailor-made package of care, over an extended period of time, known as continuing care. To get a continuing care package, children must be assessed by a panel of experts.

Once your child turns 18, this continuing care package will end. But they may be able to get NHS continuing healthcare.

The aim of continuing care is to support the child or young person’s parents or carers to manage their child or young person’s care at home and/or in other settings. It may require the provision of services from the NHS, social care, education, or other organisations to enable the person to be in the community.

The need for continuing care can arise due to:

• congenital conditions
• long term, life-limiting or life-threatening conditions
• disability
• the after-effects of serious illness/injury

It is important to note that diagnosis of a particular disease or condition is not in itself a determinant of a need for continuing care.

The clinical commissioning group is responsible for arranging health services locally, and for assessing children from birth to 18 to determine if they need a package of continuing care.