Annual increases in rates of funded nursing care

It’s that time of year again, when we remind readers of the imminent changes to the rates for NHS-funded nursing care or FNC.

From 1 April 2021, the National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012 will be amended to reflect that fact that the flat rate payment has risen from £183.92 to £187.60 and the high band payment has increased from £253.02 to £258.08.

Prior to the introduction of the National Framework in 2007, there were three different bands of payment for what was then called the Registered Nursing Care Contribution – low, medium and high.  Individuals who moved into a care home before 1 October 2007, whose registered nursing needs were assessed as being in the low or medium bands, would have been transferred to the standard FNC rate from that date; only those who were assessed as being in the high band received FNC at the higher rate.

FNC is paid by commissioner to the care home in question to fund registered nursing activities.

Commenting on the new FNC rates, Professor Martin Green Chief Executive of Care England, said:

“…Care England has worked tirelessly to demonstrate how care home nurses have led during the pandemic. It has supplied the DHSC with copious evidence of those extra responsibilities and costs but to no avail. The rate mirrors that of last year, but we are of course in a very different place which hasn’t been understood, acknowledged or recompensed. We would ask that the DHSC is fully transparent in evidencing how it came to a 2% increase for 2021-22.”