A personal health budget is an amount of money provided to support health and wellbeing needs, which is planned and agreed between you (or someone who represents you), and your local NHS team. It allows an individual to manage healthcare and support such as treatments, equipment and personal care, in a way that suits individual needs. It works in a similar way to personal budgets, which allow people to manage and pay for their social care needs.
A child or young person up to the age of 18 years old who are in receipt of Children's Continuing Care (CCC) or a young person over the age of 18 years old who are in receipt of Continuing Healthcare (CHC) have the legal right to a Personal Health Budget (PHB). Children and young people in receipt of an education health and care plan (EHCP) have the option to request a personal health budget for support to meet their health outcomes outlined in their plan, however the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) can decline this request if existing commissioned services can meet the health needs of the child or young person.
Due to the historic way in which health services have been commissioned, the CCG has to consider how we can issue a PHB whilst ensuring the service or services requested are not already commissioned through current NHS arrangements to ensure this is not a double fund services.
When PHB is requested the CCG look at alternative ways of meeting needs such as; why does the service available not meet needs for example; does the service requested have restricted opening hours or delivery locations which means it cannot meet an individual's needs. By working with the provider the CCG can look to improve these elements and meet the needs of the local population in a flexible manner.
The CCG routinely review services and through working with providers will look at how services are funded to make agreeing to offer a Personal Health Budget easier for children and young people who have an EHC plan.
In Redcar & Cleveland this service is provided by Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group.
More information can be found at: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/what-is-a-personal-health-budget/