Personal Health Budgets

Introduction:

A personal health budget (PHB) is an amount of money to support the identified healthcare and wellbeing needs of an individual, which is planned and agreed between an individual, or their representative, and the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

At the centre of a personal health budget is the person receiving services, and their care and support plan. This plan helps people to identify their health and wellbeing goals, together with their local NHS team, and set out how the budget will be spent to enable them to reach their goals and keep healthy and safe.

Who can have a Personal Health Budget?

Anyone currently receiving a Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funded package has a right to ask for a personal health budget. If you already receive Continuing Healthcare for your support needs, and would like to find out more, please speak to your Continuing Healthcare Nurse initially who can put you in touch with the right person to explore this option further. Our action plan outlines how we hope to offer more people with a CHC funded care plan a Personal Health Budget in 2016-2017.

Choice and Control in the NHS:

Your CCG is working with the local authority and other organisations in this area, to explore how we can make it easier for you to have choice and control over how your healthcare needs are met. This may include access to information and advice on support you are eligible to access, advice on managing a direct payment or personal budget, or simply trying to reorganise local services to meet your needs in a more personalised way.

Local Offer

The CCG wants to hear from individuals and families who want to explore having a personal health budget option. People eligible for Continuing Health Care funding will continue to have a “right to ask” for a PHB.In response to government guidance, the following groups of people will also be approached to explore this further in 2016-2017:

  • People with a learning disability/mental health condition who have had a psychiatric hospital admission and who are eligible for Section 117 Aftercare.
  • Children and young people with long-term healthcare conditions in receipt of a Health, Education and Care Plan.

Further information and advice sessions will be planned in 2016-2017 to provide more information about this process.

Information:

More information about personal health budgets is available on the following websites:

See attached FAQ

See attached Local Action Plan

See attached local case study