Help with health costs
For more information, visit the Parkinson’s UK website (last updated July 2025).
You can get help with health costs if you receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
If you get Universal Credit eligibility criteria apply.
Help includes free prescriptions, eye tests and vouchers for glasses, free dental treatment and help with travel costs to hospital.
If you don’t receive these benefits but you have a low income, you may still be able to get some help with health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme.
Find out more about the NHS Low Income Scheme on its website at the link below.
NHS continuing healthcare
NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) is a package of care arranged and funded by the NHS in England and Wales. It may be available for people who have substantial and ongoing care needs related to their health.
If you, or the person you care for, has advanced Parkinson’s with a high level of healthcare needs, it may be worth looking at whether CHC is available to you.
This care is free, without a means-test and can cover care in a nursing home or in your own home. It can enable people with Parkinson’s and their family to finance the full package of care needed.
NHS continuing healthcare is not available in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare funding
- To be eligible, your care needs must be primarily ‘complex healthcare needs’ (and the responsibility of the NHS) and beyond the scope of local authority social care services.
- A diagnosis of Parkinson’s does not guarantee CHC funding.
CHC can be a vital resource, but this distinction, between needing healthcare or social care, is one of several complicated aspects.
The CHC assessment process
There is no application form – instead, professionals, such as a social worker, occupational therapist, Parkinson’s nurse or nursing home staff, carry out an assessment of the care needs. If you can’t get someone to do an assessment, you can ask the integrated care board (or local health board in Wales) to appoint someone who can.
This is firstly through the NHS continuing healthcare checklist.
NHS continuing healthcare checklist
Then a team gather the evidence in the decision support tool for NHS continuing healthcare (linked below), before making a recommendation to the integrated care board or local health board who finally decide.
NHS continuing healthcare decision support tool
The knowledge and evidence of family and carers can be vital. If funding is not recommended, you can ask for a copy of the papers, and seek a review or appeal.
The integrated care board or local health board review the funding after 3 months, and then annually, as it’s not permanent funding.
If you have any questions about continuing healthcare or other aspects of support with care, contact the Parkinson’s UK helpline at the details linked below.