Personal Health Budgets
A Personal Health Budget (PHB) is an amount of money to support a person’s identified health and wellbeing needs, the application of which is planned and agreed between the person, their representative or, in the case of children, their families and the CCG. It is not new money, but it is money that would normally have been spent by the NHS on the person’s care, used more flexibly to meet their identified needs.
If you have a PHB, you will be able to use it for a range of things to help you meet your health and wellbeing goals, for example therapies, personal care and equipment. You will not be able to pay for emergency hospital care and care you normally get from a GP. You are also not allowed to spend the money on gambling, debt repayment, alcohol or tobacco, or anything unlawful.
Local Offer
Adults who are eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and children and young people eligible for NHS Continuing Care (CC) are entitled to a PHB.
For children and young people (birth to 25) with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the PHB is likely to form part of their Personal Budget for their Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan.
Joint funded support and budgets for individuals that are eligible for both CCG and Social Care (Local Authority) funding.
In accordance with the aim for the NHS to deliver more personalised care across England, all packages of care at home for people assessed as eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare will be provided through a Personal Health Budget unless you ask us not to. Your option of how you would like to have your budget if eligible, will be discussed with you at your assessment.
What is a support plan?
A support plan sets out how you will use your personal health budget and must cover the following:
- The health and wellbeing outcomes you want to achieve
- How your outcomes will be achieved
- The risks to your health, wellbeing, safety and independence
- How you will manage your personal health budget
- Contingency arrangements should support arrangements fail
How much money will I receive?
- That depends on your needs. Once your personal health budget is confirmed you will have a regular review to look at whether your health and wellbeing outcomes are being met. Depending on the way you receive your money, the management of it will also be reviewed to make sure it is being spent on those things identified in your support plan.
- Your support plan and budget need to be approved by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) before your budget can be spent. Your case manager will help you with this. The CCG will decide whether there is enough money in your personal health budget to pay for all the support and services outlined in your support plan. Everything in your support plan must be lawful and comply with Department of Health guidelines. Once your care plan is approved, you can then buy or arrange the services you need.
A personal health budget can take three forms:
- Notional budget - No money changes hands. You find out how much money is available and talk to your doctor or care manager about the different ways to spend that money on meeting your needs. They will then arrange the agreed care
- Real budget held by a third party - A different organisations or trust holds the money for you, helps you decide what you need and then buys the services you have chosen
- Direct payment - You get the cash to buy the services you and your doctor or care manager decide you need. You must show what you have spent it on, and keep records of your spending, but you buy and manage services yourself. A personal health budget is not the same as a direct payment.
NHS Information Page on Personal Health Budgets - https://www.england.nhs.uk/personal-health-budgets/personal-health-budgets-in-nhs-continuing-healthcare/
NHS Personal Health Budget Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc3GTLycZ5k&feature=emb_logo
