How much does palliative care cost?

If you’re arranging palliative care for your loved one, the cost and how it’s funded can feel like a lot to take in. Palliative care is designed to improve comfort and quality of life for people living with life-limiting conditions, and the emotional and medical benefits are well understood. What’s often less clear is how much it costs, who pays for it, and how to access funding.

In this guide, we explain how much palliative care costs in different settings, who pays for it across the UK, and how NHS continuing healthcare and fast-track funding can help cover the cost of palliative care at home.

How much is palliative care?

The cost of palliative care depends on where your loved one receives it. Some types are free through the NHS or hospice charities. Others are means-tested through their local council, or paid for privately by the family.

Hospice care

Hospice care is free. Hospices are funded by a mix of NHS contributions and charitable donations, so families don’t pay directly for the support they receive.

Whether your loved one stays in a hospice depends on their situation. Some people stay for short periods of in-patient care or symptom control before returning home. Others move into a hospice in the months or weeks before death.

Many hospices also offer outpatient palliative services, including psychological support and occupational therapy. To find out whether hospice care is right for your loved one, it’s best to start a conversation with their GP.

Residential care

Many care homes and nursing homes offer palliative care services too. Staff can provide round-the-clock care – helping to manage pain symptoms, supporting with daily tasks such as washing and eating, and provide a comfortable life for patients.

Care homes generally cost between £800 and £2,000 a week. The exact figure depends on the level and complexity of your loved one’s needs and where they live in the UK. Nursing homes, which have qualified nurses on staff, tend to sit at the higher end of this range. You can read more in our guide to how much a care home costs.

Home-based palliative care

If you’re looking into home-based palliative care for your loved one, it’s worth weighing up whether to use a professional care service or manage care between you and other family members.Family carers often need to think this through carefully. Even when family-led care makes financial sense at first, hidden costs add up: transport, mobility aids, holistic treatments and specialist equipment. The emotional and physical toll on you and the rest of the family can also be significant. Carers UK offers free advice and a helpline for families weighing up these options.

Elder provides live-in care for families who want one-to-one palliative support at home. Our matching process pairs your loved one with a carer who has the right experience and personality. They provide personalised care and companionship for your loved one, and a steady point of contact for you, the rest of the family and the medical team.

Live-in care fees with Elder generally start from £1,150 depending on the level of care needed.

Who pays for palliative care?

Who pays for palliative care depends on where care is delivered and whether your loved one is eligible for NHS or local authority funding. Some forms of palliative care are fully funded by the NHS. Others are means-tested or paid for privately.

Who pays for palliative care at home?

Palliative care at home in the UK can be funded in several ways:

• NHS continuing healthcare (CHC): If your loved one’s primary need is health-related, the NHS can fully fund their care at home, including live-in care.
• NHS fast-track pathway: For people with a rapidly deteriorating condition who may be approaching the end of their life. Funding is arranged within days, not weeks.
• Local authority social care: If needs are mainly social rather than medical, your council may contribute following a needs and financial assessment.
• Personal Health Budgets: Once CHC funding is approved, families can choose how to spend it, including arranging private live-in care at home.
• Self-funding: Some families pay for care privately, particularly if their loved one doesn’t qualify for CHC or wants to access care quickly.

Who pays for palliative care in a care home or nursing home?

Palliative care in a care home or nursing home can be funded through the same NHS and local authority routes discussed above. Two funding arrangements are particularly relevant in nursing homes: NHS-funded Nursing Care (FNC) and NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC).

NHS-funded Nursing Care, sometimes called the Funded Nursing Care contribution, is a flat weekly payment made by the NHS towards the nursing element of care home fees. It’s available to people living in a nursing home who need regular nursing care but do not qualify for full CHC funding.

If your loved one qualifies for CHC, the NHS may cover the full cost of their nursing home placement, including accommodation. If their needs are mainly social care needs, the local authority may contribute after a means-tested financial assessment, with the remaining costs paid privately.

Who pays for hospice care?

Hospice care is funded by a mix of NHS contributions and charitable donations. Families don’t pay directly, whether the support is delivered in a hospice building, at home, or as outpatient care.

What is fast-track palliative care?

Fast-track palliative care is an accelerated route to NHS continuing healthcare funding for people with a rapidly deteriorating condition who may be approaching the end of life. A clinician completes a Fast Track Pathway Tool, and the local Integrated Care Board is expected to put care in place within 48 hours, removing the usual delays of standard CHC assessment.

Who’s eligible for fast-track palliative care?

Fast-track funding isn’t tied to a specific diagnosis. To be eligible, the clinician completing the Fast Track Pathway Tool needs to confirm that your loved one:

• has a rapidly deteriorating condition
• may be entering a terminal phase
• has a primary health need that the NHS is responsible for meeting

A diagnosis of cancer, advanced dementia, motor neurone disease, end-stage heart failure or another life-limiting condition can all qualify, depending on how their needs are presented day to day.

Once approved, fast-track funding gives families flexibility in how care is delivered. Many choose live-in palliative care at home, so your loved one can stay in familiar surroundings. For full details on how to apply, see the NHS guidance on continuing healthcare and the fast-track pathway.

Palliative care funding: needs and financial assessments

If fast-track funding isn’t appropriate or your loved one doesn’t qualify for full NHS continuing healthcare, you may need to go through a standard care needs assessment and financial assessment with your local council.

Care needs assessment

It doesn’t matter who you are or how much money your loved one has. If you think they need help, you can turn to their local council. The process starts with a care needs assessment, which looks at how their health affects daily life and how often they need support.

This assessment lays out exactly what care is needed and why, and recommends the options available. Most councils ask families to request an assessment by phone, in writing or online. Visit the relevant council’s website to confirm the process where your loved one lives.

Don’t let anyone tell you to complete a financial assessment first. The Care Act 2014 confirms that your loved one has a right to a care needs assessment, regardless of their finances.

Financial assessment

The financial assessment, sometimes called the means test, is what the council uses to decide whether your loved one will pay for some or all of their care. It looks at their income, savings and assets, not yours.

The two assessments work together. First, the care needs assessment confirms what care is needed. Then the financial assessment works out how much that care will cost and who pays for it. Our guide to local authority funding explains this step by step.

If your loved one is living with dementia, NHS continuing healthcare isn’t always guaranteed. Funding can also come through a local authority, a Personal Health Budget, or be paid for privately. You may also want to read our guide to how much care costs in the UK to compare the options for your family.

Palliative care with Elder

At Elder, our palliative live-in care is built around putting you and your family in control. We understand care can feel expensive, so our packages keep daily costs as affordable as possible by making sure you only pay for the support you actually need.

Our pricing is tailored to the care needs of the individual. To get a personalised quote, give our friendly team a call.

• No joining fee or unexpected costs
• No surcharges on Bank Holidays or weekends
• A one-week trial period, to see if care works for you and your family
• No additional fee if you need to request a new carer
• No long contracts: if your loved one’s needs change, you can leave with two weeks’ notice