Personal health budgets

A personal health budget (PHB) is an amount of money that can be spent on meeting your assessed long-term health and wellbeing needs.

It means that money spent on your care can be prioritised on meeting your personal health and wellbeing goals. It allows you to manage and purchase services, support, activities and some types of equipment to achieve your health and well-being outcomes jointly agreed between you and your local ICB or NHS team.

The amount you receive is based on an assessment of your health, your wellbeing needs and the cost of meeting those needs. 

Personal health budgets work in a similar way to personal budgets, which allow people to manage and pay for their social care needs.

All personal health budgets are underpinned by a personalised care and support plan (PCSP). This plan is produced jointly between you and your family or carers and a health professional. It will set out:

• your personal health and wellbeing needs
• the health outcomes you want to achieve
• the amount of money in your budget
• how you’ll spend it

Many patients and families have said that a personal health budget gives them more flexibility, choice and control over how money is spent on their care and support. They feel more empowered and in control of how they manage their needs. They also feel more involved in planning their care.

Who can have a personal health budget

The following people have right to have a personal health budget:

• adults receiving NHS continuing healthcare 
• children and young people receiving NHS continuing care
• people who meet the eligibility criteria of their local NHS wheelchair service, these people will be eligible for a personal wheelchair budget
• people who are eligible for after-care services under section 117 after-care of the Mental Health Act.

Personal health budgets are not available to people who are in long-term residential nursing homes or care homes.

Making sure the money is working for you

Your NHS Continuing Healthcare nurse is responsible for making sure the help and support you are receiving is meeting your needs. As your needs change, your PHB may also need to change to make sure it is giving you the most appropriate support and safely meeting your needs.

Personal Health Budgets for people using the Wheelchair Service

If you are a wheelchair user who has been referred to and meets the eligibility criteria of the local NHS wheelchair service you can ask about a Personal Health Budget (PHB) to help pay for your wheelchair and other related equipment.

If you are already registered with the wheelchair service, you will be eligible for a PHB when you need a new wheelchair.

Your NHS wheelchair service provider should be able to answer any questions you have

Further information