Personal health budgets are the allocation of NHS funding to support a person's health and wellbeing needs. A budget can be spent on anything that is set out in a support plan and agreed with the local NHS team. It can be held by the individual, a third party or a statutory body. Patients or service users, after an assessment, are able to personally control and use for the services they choose to support their health needs. Anyone eligible for continuing healthcare funding, including children, has a right to ask for and receive a personal health budget.
Parts of a personal health budget
The person with the personal health budget (or their representative) will:
- be able to choose the health and wellbeing outcomes they want to achieve, in agreement with a healthcare professional
- know how much money they have for their health care and support
- be enabled to create their own care plan, with support if they want it
- be able to choose how their budget is held and managed, including the right to ask for a direct payment
- be able to spend the money in ways and at times that make sense to them, as agreed in their plan
Children and young people eligible for continuing healthcare funding may include those with needs arising from:
- disability
- illness or life limiting conditions
- accident
- palliative care
Continuing care can be considered only if the needs of the child or young person can not be met from existing universal and specialist services.
For more information about personal health budgets, contact your NHS continuing care team on 0300 303 8294.
Personal health budgets in your area
Further information about personal health budgets in your local area can be found as follows:
North Yorkshire CCG
Via the North Yorkshire CCG website.
Vale of York
Via the Vale of York CCG website.